Elements of Max Weber’s model of rationalization in the political analysis of Maruyama Masao

Maruyama Masao was one of the most influential political theorists and social scientists in postwar Japan. Many of his works were translated into other languages and his theories are still often discussed in fields like the history of ideas and in political science. In this paper, some theoretical elements in Maruyama’s work borrowed from Max Weber’s sociology of religion, notably his theory of ethical development and its relation to the sociology of law and the political sociology are scrutinized. Reconstructing these links enables us to better understand Maruyama’s theoretical approach. For this purpose, first, Weber’s model of ethical development is explicated, and, second, its influence in three of Maruyama’s influential texts are highlighted