Kozo Uno Explained

School Tradition:	Marxian economics, Marxist revisionism
Kozo Uno
Birth Date:	November 12, 1897
Birth Place:	Kurashiki
Death Place:	Kugenuma, Fujisawa
Nationality:	Japanese
Field:	Political economy
Influences:	Hegel, Marx, Sombart, Kautsky, Hilferding, Lenin, Weber, Ōuchi Hyōe, Sakisaka Itsurō

was a Japanese economist and is considered one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's theory of value.

He is an influential Marxist economist in Japan, where his school of thought is called the Uno School (Uno gakuha) . His main work Principles of Economics [経済原論] was published in 1950-52. Among his scholars are Thomas T. Sekine and Makoto Itoh.

Thought

Uno based his work on a rigorously Hegelian reading of Marx's Capital. This led him to his well-known conclusion that Marxian analysis had to be conducted at three separate levels:

1. Theory of Principles [原理論]: The "pure" theory of Capital, freed from the complications of history – highly abstract exercises in dialectical logic on the basic, core dynamics of capitalist economy.
2. Theory of Stages [段階論]: A "middle" level, which traces the general development of capitalism through distinct historical stages – mercantilism, classical liberalism and so on.
3. Analysis of the Present [現状分析]: The analysis of the 'messy' details of capitalist economy in the real world, concentrating on particular narratives rather than an overall picture.

Uno and his followers have come in for criticism from the wider Marxist tradition for insisting on this separation. Simon Clarke sees this schema as "scholastic formalism", and the second level as an arbitrary addition to provide a link between the other two, rather than an analytically necessary one. As Kincaid points out, though, Capital is primarily a logically rather than chronologically argued work, which looks at the laws of capitalist development and draws mainly supporting evidence from historical data. Thus, the separation of the Uno school represents an acknowledgement of this logical nature, and registers the key problem of how the critique can be linked to actual economic development in a way that competing schools often cannot.

Chronology

1897^[1]

• November 12 — Born in Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture [岡山県倉敷町]

1915

• March — Graduates from Okayama Prefectural Takahashi Middle School [岡山県立高梁中学校]
• July — Enrolls at the Sixth Higher School [第六高等学校]

1918

• June — Graduates from the Sixth Higher School
• July — Enrolls in the German Law section at the Faculty of Law, Tokyo Imperial University [東京帝国大学法科大学独法科] but soon transfers to the Economics section

1921

• April — Graduates from Economics section at the Faculty of Economics, Tokyo Imperial University [東京帝国大学経済学部経済学科]
• May — Becomes a non-regular employee [嘱託] at the Ōhara Institute for Social Research [大原社会問題研究所]

1922

• July 2 — Marries Takano Maria [高野マリア]
• September — Leaves for Europe to research economics, residing mainly in Berlin

1922-24^[2]

• Resigns from the Ōhara Institute for Social Research
• Enrolls at the University of Berlin and attends a few lectures by Werner Sombart, Hermann Schumacher, Ernst Wagemann, Heinrich Cunow and Gustav Mayer, but does not study under anyone and mainly studies by himself
• Attends a SPD conference (where Hilferding was present) with Sakisaka Itsurō, goes to socialist and communist meetings, reads Vorwärts and Die Rote Fahne
• Focusses on studying Marx's Capital along with the recently published German edition of Lenin's Imperialism, but finds Lukács's History and Class Consciousness and Korsch's Marxism and Philosophy "too ideological"

1924

• September — Returns to Japan; brings back Hilferding's Finance Capital and studies it
• October — Appointed as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Literature, Tohoku Imperial University [東北帝国大学法文学部]

1925

• September — Becomes responsible for the Economics III module (Theory of Economy Policy) [経済学第三講座 (経済政策論)] at Tohoku Imperial University

1930

• June — Debut article 'The Necessity of Money: Hilferding's Monetary Theory Reconsidered' [貨幣の必然性——ヒルファディングの貨幣理論再考察] published in the journal Shakai Kagaku [社会科学]

1938

• February — Arrested in Sendai in connection with the so-called Rōnōha Professors Incident [労農派教授グループ事件] and remains in custody until May
• December — Indicted under the National Security Law [治安維持法] and ordered to take a leave of absence

1939

• October — Ruled not guilty in the first hearing at the Sendai District Court

1940

• December — Ruled not guilty in the second hearing at the Miyagi Court of Appeal

1941

• January — Reinstatement is approved by the Committee of Professors [教授会] of the Faculty of Law and Literature, Tohoku Imperial University, but declines and resigns
• March — Employed at the Institute for Japanese Trade at the Japan Trade Promotion Association [財団法人日本貿易振興協会日本貿易研究所]

1944

• June — Resigns from the Institute for Japanese Trade at the Japan Trade Promotion Association
• July — Employed at the Mitsubishi Economic Research Institute [財団法人三菱経済研究所]

1946

• March — Becomes a lecturer at Tohoku Imperial University

1947

• January — Resigns from the Mitsubishi Economic Research Institute and becomes a non-regular employee [嘱託] at the Institute of Social Science, Tokyo Imperial University [東京帝国大学社会科学研究所]
• June — Appointed as a Professor at Tokyo Imperial University and employed at their Institute of Social Science

1949

1952

1953

• January — Becomes a Secretary [理事] of the Institute of Statistical Research [財団法人統計研究会]
• May — Given a role at the Social Science section at the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo [東京大学大学院社会科学研究科] and becomes responsible for their theoretical economics and history of economics courses [理論経済学・経済史学専門課程]

1954

• December — Receives a doctorate in economics

1958

• March — Resigns from the University of Tokyo after reaching their mandatory retirement age
• April — Appointed as a Professor at the Department of Sociology, Hosei University

1968

• March — Resigns as Professor from Hosei University
• April — Becomes a lecturer for the Social Science section of the Graduate School of Hosei University [法政大学大学院社会科学研究科]
• Junes — Becomes a non-regular employee [嘱託] at the Institute for Economic Research, Rissho University [立正大学経済研究所]

1969

• March — Resigns as lecturer from the Graduate School of Hosei University

1972

• March — Resigns as non-regular employee from the Institute for Economic Research, Rissho University
• May 21 — Suffers a stroke and is bedridden thereafter

1977

• February 22 — Dies at home in Kugenuma, Fujisawa City [藤沢市鵠沼]

Publications

As author

• Theory of Economic Policy, Vol. 1 [経済政策論 上巻] (Kōbundō [弘文堂], 1936; reprinted 1948; 2nd ed. 1954; reprinted in SW7).
  • In the 1954 edition, "Vol. 1" was dropped from the title.
• Prolegomena to the Agrarian Question [農業問題序論] (Kaizōsha [改造社], 1947; 2nd ed. Aoki Shoten [青木書店], 1965; reprinted in SW8; reprinted Kobushi Bunko [こぶし文庫], 2014).
• Theory of Value [価値論] (Kawade Shobō [河出書房], 1947; reprinted Aoki Shoten [青木書店], 1965; reprinted in SW3; reprinted Kobushi Bunko [こぶし文庫], 1996).
• Introduction to Capital [資本論入門] (Hakujitsu Shoin [白日書院], 1948; 2nd. ed. Sōgen Bunko [創元文庫], 1952; reprinted Aoki Shoten [青木書店], 1968; reprinted in SW6; reprinted Kōdansha Gakujutsu Bunko [講談社学術文庫], 1977).
  • A reader's guide to Capital, Vol. 1.
• Studies on Capital [資本論の研究] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1949; reprinted in SW3).
• Introduction to Capital, Vol. 2 [資本論入門 第二巻解説] (Hakujitsu Sho'in [白日書院], 1949; reprinted in SW6; reprinted Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1977).
• Principles of Economics [経済原論] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1950–52; reprinted in SW1).
  • Published in 2 volumes. "経済原論" is the same title as Marshall's Principles of Economics in Japanese.
• For Social Science [社会科学のために] (Kōbundō [弘文堂], 1952; most of it reprinted in SW9-10).
• Studies on the Theory of Value [価値論の研究] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1952; reprinted in SW3).
• Theory of Crisis [恐慌論] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1953; reprinted in SW5; reprinted Iwanami Bunko [岩波文庫], 2010).
• Capital and Socialism [『資本論』と社会主義] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1954; reprinted in SW10; reprinted Kobushi Bunko [こぶし文庫], 1995).
• Studies on the Principles of Marxist Economics [マルクス経済学原理論の研究] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1959; reprinted in SW4).
• Methodology of Economics [経済学方法論] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1962; reprinted in SW9).
• Economics Seminar, Vol. 1: Method of Economics [経済学ゼミナール1 経済学の方法] (Hōsei Daigaku Shuppankai [法政大学出版会], 1963).
• Economics Seminar, Vol. 2: Issues in the Theory of Value [経済学ゼミナール2 価値論の問題点] (Hōsei Daigaku Shuppankai [法政大学出版会], 1963).
• Economics Seminar, Vol. 3: Problems of the Theory of Crisis and the Theory of Commercial Profit [経済学ゼミナール3 恐慌論・商業利潤論の諸問題] (Hōsei Daigaku Shuppankai [法政大学出版会], 1963).
• Principles of Economics [経済原論] (Iwanami Zensho [岩波全書], 1964; reprinted in SW2; reprinted Iwanami Bunko [岩波文庫], 2016).
  • The abridged but revised edition of the 1950-52 Principles of Economics.
• Fundamental Problems of Social Science [社会科学の根本問題] (Aoki Shoten [青木書店], 1966; reprinted in SW9-10).
• Discussion on Economics [経済学を語る] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1967).
• Economics as Social Science [社会科学としての経済学] (Chikuma Shobō [筑摩書房], 1969; most of it reprinted in SW9-10; reprinted Chikuma Gakugei Bunko [ちくま学芸文庫], 2016).
• Problems of Marxist Economics [マルクス経済学の諸問題] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1969; Part 1 reprinted in SW4, Part 2 in SW10).
• Economic Theory of Capital [資本論の経済学] (Iwanami Shinsho [岩波新書], 1969; reprinted in SW6).
• Fifty Years with Capital [資本論五十年] (Hōsei Daigaku Shuppankai [法政大学出版会], 1970–73).
  • Published in 2 volumes. In interviews, Uno details his intellectual biography.
• Theory of Economic Policy [経済政策論] (Kōbundō [弘文堂], 1971; reprinted in SW7).
  • The revised edition of the 1936 Theory of Economic Policy.
• Utility of Economics [経済学の効用] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1972).
• Selected Works of Uno Kōzō [宇野弘蔵著作集] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1973–74).
  • Published in 11 volumes [SW].
• Learning from Capital [資本論に学ぶ] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1975; reprinted Chikuma Gakugei Bunko [ちくま学芸文庫], 2015).
• Capital and Me [『資本論』と私] (Ochanomizu Shobō [御茶の水書房], 2008).

As co-author

• Uno Kōzō and Umemoto Katsumi [梅本克己], Social Science and the Dialectic [社会科学と弁証法] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1976; reprinted Kobushi Bunko [こぶし文庫], 2006).
• Uno Kōzō, Ōuchi Tsutomu [大内力] and Ōshima Kiyoshi [大島清], Capitalism: Its Development and Structure [資本主義——その発達と構造] (Kadokawa Sensho [角川選書], 1978).
• Uno Kōzō and Fuji'i Hiroshi [藤井洋], The Archetype of Modern Capitalism [現代資本主義の原型] (Kobushi Bunko [こぶし文庫], 1997).

As editor

• Studies on the Bloc Economy as Seen through the Sugar Industry [糖業より見たる広域経済の研究] (Kurita Shoten [栗田書店], 1944).
  • "広域経済" is the Japanese translation of 'Großraumwirtschaft'.
• Lectures on the Principles of Economics [経済原論 経済学演習講座] (Seirin Shoin [青林書院], 1955; 2nd ed. Seirin Shoin Shinsha [青林書院新社], 1969; Q&A section reprinted in SW2).
• Economics [経済学] (Kadokawa Zensho [角川全書], 1956; reprinted Kadokawa Sophia Bunko [角川ソフィア文庫], 2019).
  • Published in 2 volumes.
• Studies on Land Tax Reform [地租改正の研究] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1957–58).
  • Published in 2 volumes.
• The Present State of the Rural Economy in Japan under Economic Stability [日本農村経済の実態——経済安定下における] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1961).
• Capital Studies, Vol. 1: Commodity, Money and Capital [資本論研究1 商品・貨幣・資本] (Chikuma Shobō [筑摩書房], 1967).
• Capital Studies, Vol. 2: Surplus Value and Accumulation [資本論研究2 剰余価値・蓄積] (Chikuma Shobō [筑摩書房], 1967).
• Capital Studies, Vol. 3: Distribution Process of Capital [資本論研究3 資本の流通過程] (Chikuma Shobō [筑摩書房], 1967).
• Capital Studies, Vol. 4: Production Price and Profit [資本論研究4 生産価格・利潤] (Chikuma Shobō [筑摩書房], 1968).
• Capital Studies, Vol. 5: Interest and Rent [資本論研究5 利子・地代] (Chikuma Shobō [筑摩書房], 1968).

As co-editor

• Capital Studies: Commodity and Process of Exchange [資本論研究——商品及交換過程] (Kawade Shobō [河出書房], 1948).
• Capital Studies: Process of Distribution [資本論研究——流通過程] (Kawade Shobō [河出書房], 1949).
• Studies on Marxist Economics: Festschrift for Prof. Ōuchi Hyōe on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday, Vol. 1 [マルクス経済学の研究——大内兵衛先生還暦記念論文集（上）] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1953).
• The World Economy and the Japanese Economy: Festschrift for Prof. Ōuchi Hyōe on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday, Vol. 2 [世界経済と日本経済——大内兵衛先生還暦記念論文集（下）] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1956).
• Japanese Capitalism and Agriculture [日本資本主義と農業] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1959).
• Dictionary of Capital [資本論辞典] (Aoki Shoten [青木書店], 1961).

As translator

• Friedrich Engels, 'Über historischen Materialismus' [史的唯物論について], Marx-Engels Complete Works, Vol. 12 [マルクス＝エンゲルス全集 第十二巻] (Kaizōsha [改造社], 1928).
• Karl Marx, 'Die moralisierende Kritik und die kritisierende Moral' [道学的批判と批判学的道徳], Marx-Engels Complete Works, Vol. 3 [マルクス＝エンゲルス全集 第三巻] (Kaizōsha [改造社], 1929).
• Walter Bagehot, Lombard Street [ロンバード街——ロンドンの金融市場] (Iwanami Bunko [岩波文庫], 1941).

Uno's works in English translation

• Principles of Political Economy: Theory of a Purely Capitalist Society, trans. Thomas T. Sekine (Brighton: The Harvester Press, 1980).
  • Translation of the abridged 1964 Iwanami Zensho edition of Principles of Economics.
• The Types of Economic Policies under Capitalism, trans. Thomas T. Sekine, ed. John R. Bell (Leiden: Brill, 2016).
  • Translation of the 1971 edition of Theory of Economic Policy.
• Theory of Crisis, trans. Ken C. Kawashima (Leiden: Brill, 2020).

Bibliography

Books

• Book: Joe, Hyeon-soo. Politische Ökonomie als Gesellschaftstheorie. Studien zur Marx-Rezeption von Isaak Iljitsch Rubin und Kozo Uno. German. Diss. Philipps-Universität. Marburg. 1995.
• Book: Louisa Lange, Elena. Value without Fetish: Uno Kōzō's Theory of 'Pure Capitalism' in Light of Marx's Critique of Political Economy. Brill. Leiden. 2021. 978-90-04-44990-9. 10.1163/j.ctv1v7zbws.

Essays

• Clarke. Simon. March 1989. The Basic Theory of Capitalism: A Critique of Itoh and the Uno School. Capital and Class. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160326123233/https://homepages.warwick.ac.uk/~syrbe/pubs/itoh.pdf. 26 March 2016. 37. 10.1177/030981688903700108. 145736353.
• Web site: Foster. John Bellamy. Marxism and the Uno School. The Basic Theory of Capitalism: The Forms and Substance of the Capitalist Economy by Makoto Itoh. https://web.archive.org/web/20070310224608/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1132/is_n8_v41/ai_8340823/print. 2007-03-10.
• Kincaid. J.. Finance, Trust and the Power of Capital. Historical Materialism. 14. 1. 31–48. Brill. 2006. 10.1163/156920606776690992.
• Kubota. Ken. The Dialectical Presentation of the General Notion of Capital in the Light of Hegel's Philosophy: On the Logical Analysis of Political Economy with Special Consideration of Adorno and the Research Results of Rubin, Backhaus, Reichelt, Uno, and Sekine. Revista Dialectus. 9. 2020. 18. 39–65. 10.4444/100.100.
• Pozo. Luis M.. Dialectics and Deconstruction in Political Economy. https://web.archive.org/web/20070311000452/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3780/is_200110/ai_n8954156/print. 2007-03-11.
• Saraka. Sean. Review of Albritton's "Dialectics and Deconstruction in Political Economy". 2006-08-27. 2006-10-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20061012062140/http://clogic.eserver.org/2002/saraka.html. dead.
• Thomas T. Sekine. Sekine. Thomas T.. Uno-Riron: A Japanese Contribution to Marxian Political Economy. Journal of Economic Literature. 13. 1975. 847–877. 10.4444/34.100.
• Web site: Simoulidis. John. Levels of Analysis and the Concept of Interest: an Unoist Approach. https://web.archive.org/web/20070926224758/http://nodo50.org/cubasigloXXI/congreso06/conf3_simoulidis.pdf. 26 September 2007.

External links

• Verified, continuously updated selected bibliography with links and materials. (Broken link. See partial fix for same link at end of page for Isaak Rubin. Also check for other pages re value form school likely to need same fix)

Notes and References

1. This chronology for the most part follows the one that can be found in 降旗節雄・伊藤誠共編『マルクス理論の再構築——宇野経済学をどう活かすか』社会評論社、2000年、311-12頁
2. 宇野弘蔵『経済学を語る』東京大学出版会、1967年、15-20頁