In a back alley near Shibuya Station in central Tokyo is a pillar commemorating the spot where Yamaji Aizan’s home was located. Aizan was a social critic and historian who lived from 1865 to 1917. His writing is of interest because he was a member of the first generation to grow up following the Meiji Restoration. He witnessed first-hand the tremendous change that Japan experienced at that time. He also played an important role in introducing European and American ideas to a Japanese audience as a writer for the Minyū’sha, the company established by Tokutomi Sōho to publish the journal Kokumin no tomo and the newspaper Kokumin shinbun. Aizan later established his own journal, the Dokuritsu hyōron. During his career, Aizan published many books and hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics. Today he has largely been forgotten in Japan, and his work is almost completely unknown abroad. This website contains an overview of his life, translations of his work, articles about people with whom he had a connection, essays on related topics, images and reviews of relevant books.