★It is written by Cheng Ma, a researcher at the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences! The author has collected relevant information for many years, and has a deep research on Minoru Takeuchi's life experience, academic path, and academic achievements.
★A biography of Minoru Takeuchi, "one of the pioneers and founders of modern Chinese studies in Japan"! Author Cheng Ma and Takeuchi Minoru have a close relationship, and Takeuchi Minoru himself has also reviewed the book and proposed revisions.
★A systematic, detailed biography of the scholar, for the study of Takeuchi Minoru himself, as well as the history of academic exchanges between China and Japan.

The book "Biography of Minoru Takeuchi" consists of 12 chapters. It begins with Minoru Takeuchi's family background and childhood, elaborately detailing his working experience at the China Research Institute, as well as his in-depth research in many fields such as modern Chinese literature, Mao Zedong, and Sino-Japanese relations. The book also particularly mentions the experience of Takeuchi who was received by Mao Zedong in 1960 when he was a member of the Japanese literary delegation visiting China for the first time. This meeting had an important influence on Minoru Takeuchi's academic career.

Cheng Ma

He is a researcher at the Comparative Literature Research Office of the Institute of Literature, Social Sciences of China.
His major works include “Lu Xun's Study in Japan”, “Communication and Renewal: The Relationship between Lu Xun and Japanese Literature”, “The Theory of Literary Values”, “Chinese Psychological Disorder: The Cult of Completion”, and so on. His translations include “The Collected Works of Minoru Takeuchi”(10 volumes) and more.

Preface
Chapter 1: Japanese Heritage and Chinese Hometown
1. Japanese Heritage
2. Chinese Hometown
3. Times of Chaos and Turmoil
Chapter 2: The “Amphibious” Citizens of Manchukuo
1. Moving to Manchuria
2. Living Between Two “Nationalities”
3. First Return to the Motherland
Chapter 3: The “Apprentice” Who Never Fought
1. Returning to Japan to Study
2. Experiencing “Apprentice Service” firsthand
3. Benefiting from the Kyoto School
Chapter 4: Devoting Oneself to Chinese Studies
1. Research Seminars and Workshops
2. Translating Modern Chinese Literature
3. At the China Research Institute
Chapter 5: Moving Back and Forth Between Japan and China
1. A Japanese Communist Party Member
2. Traveling Between Japan and China
3. Research on Japan-China Relations
Chapter 6: Mao Zedong Studies
1. From Hearing About Mao Zedong to Meeting Him
2. “Mao Zedong’s Poems and Life”
3. Research on Mao Zedong’s Life and Thought
Chapter 7: During the Cultural Revolution
1. Anticipating the “Ideological Struggles”
2. Questioning the Cultural Revolution
3. The “Collected Works of Mao Zedong” and Supplementary Volumes
Chapter 8: Resigning from Teaching and Becoming a Freelance Writer
1. Resigning Courageously
2. Immersing Himself in Chinese Studies and Japan-China Relations
3. The Restoration of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and China
Chapter 9: Expanding Modern Chinese Studies
1. Returning to Kyoto
2. The Modern China Research Society
3. Studying the Later Phase of the Cultural Revolution
Chapter 10: Accompanying China’s Reform and Opening Up
1. Rejoicing at the Fall of the “Gang of Four”
2. Deepening Chinese Studies
3. Returning to China
Chapter 11: Comparative Studies of Japanese and Chinese Cultures
1. “Friendship is Easy, but Understanding is Difficult”
2. Promoting Comparative Cultural Studies
3. A Comparison of Japanese and Chinese Tea Cultures
Chapter 12: Nostalgia for Chinese Culture
1. “Chinese Thought” and “Sinic Thought”
2. Publication of Books in Both Chinese and Japanese
3. Nostalgia: A Cultural Concept
Appendix: Chronology of Minoru Takeuchi’s Works and Translations
Minoru Takeuchi: A Pioneer in Post-War Japanese Chinese Studies
The Extensity and Depth of Japanese Mao Zedong Studies
—In Memory of Mr. Minoru Takeuchi, a Leading Expert in Mao Zedong Studies
Mr. Minoru Takeuchi: “It’s Time to Go Now”
Postscript