1897 – 1945
Miki Kiyoshi (1897–1945) was a Japanese philosopher associated with the Kyoto School who sought to synthesize Western existentialism and Marxism with Japanese philosophical thought. A student of Nishida Kitarō, he studied in Germany under Heinrich Rickert and Martin Heidegger before returning to Japan as a prolific public intellectual. He died in Toyotama Prison in September 1945, weeks after Japan's surrender, having been arrested for sheltering a communist friend.
Developed the 'Logic of Imagination' (構想力の論理), a distinctive theory of human creativity and historical formation
Pioneered the integration of Marxist historical materialism with Nishida's philosophy of pure experience
Introduced Heideggerian existentialism to Japanese philosophical discourse in the 1920s–30s
Wrote extensively as a public intellectual bridging academic philosophy and cultural criticism
Offered critical internal analysis of Kyoto School figures, including scrutiny of Nishida's political writings