Hidemitsu Tanaka (田中 英光, Tanaka Hidemitsu; 10 January 1913 – 3 November 1949) was a novelist of the Buraiha genre in…Hidemitsu Tanaka (田中 英光, Tanaka Hidemitsu; 10 January 1913 – 3 November 1949) was a novelist of the Buraiha genre in Shōwa period Japan. His name was also pronounced "Tanaka Eiko" on occasion.
Toshimasa Shimamura (島村 利正, Shimamura Toshimasa; March 25, 1912 - November 25, 1981) was a noted Japanese author of…Toshimasa Shimamura (島村 利正, Shimamura Toshimasa; March 25, 1912 - November 25, 1981) was a noted Japanese author of fiction. Shimamura was born in Nagano Prefecture, and in 1931 graduated from college with an English degree. His first book was published in 1941, and in 1943 his book 暁雲 became the first of his several candidates for the Akutagawa Prize. He founded a company in 1955 which went bankrupt in 1962, after which he took up writing full-time. Shimamura won the 1979 Yomiuri Prize for Myōkō no aki.
Mitsuo Nakamura (中村 光夫, Nakamura Mitsuo; 5 February 1911 – 12 July 1988) was the pen-name of a writer of biographies…Mitsuo Nakamura (中村 光夫, Nakamura Mitsuo; 5 February 1911 – 12 July 1988) was the pen-name of a writer of biographies and stage-plays, and a literary critic active in Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Koba Ichirō.
Keinosuke Uekusa (植草 圭之助, Uekusa Keinosuke; 5 March, 1910 – 19 December, 1993) was a Japanese screenwriter, playwright…Keinosuke Uekusa (植草 圭之助, Uekusa Keinosuke; 5 March, 1910 – 19 December, 1993) was a Japanese screenwriter, playwright, and novelist. He is known for his longstanding friendship and collaborations with the filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
Kim Nae-seong (Korean: 김내성; May 29, 1909 – February 19, 1957) was a Korean writer. He graduated from the German…Kim Nae-seong (Korean: 김내성; May 29, 1909 – February 19, 1957) was a Korean writer. He graduated from the German literature course at Waseda University in Tokyo. He later moved to Seoul in what is today South Korea and made his debut in 1939 with The Demon Man, published in The Chosun Ilbo. He later worked on detective novels such as The White Mask and The White Tower. An unparalleled mystery fiction writer in colonial Korea, he was praised for his meticulously designed narratives and foreshadowing. As a writer of popular novels, he thought deeply on the mass appeal of literature and was active as a radio script writer after Korea's liberation from the Japanese rule. Ttolttoriui moheom (똘똘이의 모험, Ttolttori’s Adventure), penned and designed by Kim, was the first Korean children's drama, which also signaled the beginning of radio drama series. Beginning in 1949, his masterpiece Story of the Youth was published in serial form in the Hankook Ilbo. Many of his works were turned into TV shows and films. While working on The Star of Lost Paradise, which was serialized in the Kyunghyang Shinmun, he died of apoplexy in 1957.
Satomu Shimizu (清水 三十六, Shimizu Satomu; June 22, 1903 – February 14, 1967), better known by the pen name of Shūgorō…Satomu Shimizu (清水 三十六, Shimizu Satomu; June 22, 1903 – February 14, 1967), better known by the pen name of Shūgorō Yamamoto (山本 周五郎, Yamamoto Shūgorō), was a Japanese novelist and short-story writer active during the Shōwa period of Japan. He was noted for his popular literature, and is known to have published works under at least fourteen different pen names.
Hideo Kobayashi (小林 秀雄, Kobayashi Hideo; April 11, 1902 – March 1, 1983) was a Japanese author, who established…Hideo Kobayashi (小林 秀雄, Kobayashi Hideo; April 11, 1902 – March 1, 1983) was a Japanese author, who established literary criticism as an independent art form in Japan.
Mushitarō Oguri (小栗 虫太郎, Oguri Mushitarō; March 14, 1901 – February 10, 1946), born Eijirō Oguri, was a Japanese author…Mushitarō Oguri (小栗 虫太郎, Oguri Mushitarō; March 14, 1901 – February 10, 1946), born Eijirō Oguri, was a Japanese author and an important mystery novelist in pre-war Japan.
Tomoyoshi Murayama (村山 知義, Murayama Tomoyoshi; 18 January 1901 – 22 March 1977) was a Japanese artist, play writer…Tomoyoshi Murayama (村山 知義, Murayama Tomoyoshi; 18 January 1901 – 22 March 1977) was a Japanese artist, play writer, novelist and drama producer active during the Shōwa period in Japan.
Matsutarō Kawaguchi (川口松太郎, Kawaguchi Matsutarō; 1 October 1899 – 9 June 1985) was a Japanese writer of short stories…Matsutarō Kawaguchi (川口松太郎, Kawaguchi Matsutarō; 1 October 1899 – 9 June 1985) was a Japanese writer of short stories, novels, dramas and screenplays. He repeatedly collaborated on films of director Kenji Mizoguchi, and his books were adapted by directors such as Mikio Naruse and Kōzaburō Yoshimura.
Nakatarō Takamizawa (高見澤 仲太郎, Takamizawa Nakatarō; February 10, 1899 – December 12, 1989), better known by the pen name…Nakatarō Takamizawa (高見澤 仲太郎, Takamizawa Nakatarō; February 10, 1899 – December 12, 1989), better known by the pen name Suihō Tagawa (田河 水泡, Tagawa Suihō), was a Japanese manga artist.
Hitomi Takagaki (高垣 眸, Takagaki Hitomi; January 20, 1898 – April 2, 1983) was a Japanese writer. Several of her stories…Hitomi Takagaki (高垣 眸, Takagaki Hitomi; January 20, 1898 – April 2, 1983) was a Japanese writer. Several of her stories have been adapted for film and television.
Viscount Michiharu Mishima (三島 通陽, Mishima Michiharu; 1 January 1897 – 20 April 1965) was a novelist, playwright and…Viscount Michiharu Mishima (三島 通陽, Mishima Michiharu; 1 January 1897 – 20 April 1965) was a novelist, playwright and drama critic. His pen name was Shōdō Mishima (三島 章道 Mishima Shōdō).
Bunroku Shishi (獅子文六, Shishi Bunroku; 1 July 1893 – 13 December 1969), real name Toyoo Iwata (岩田豊雄, Iwata Toyoo), was a…Bunroku Shishi (獅子文六, Shishi Bunroku; 1 July 1893 – 13 December 1969), real name Toyoo Iwata (岩田豊雄, Iwata Toyoo), was a Japanese novelist, playwright and director of the Bungakuza theatre company. Shishi was born in Yokohama. In 1922 he traveled to France to study modern French theater, and worked in the atelier of Jacques Copeau.
Kanoko Okamoto (岡本 かの子, Okamoto Kanoko; 1 March 1889 – 18 February 1939) was the pen-name of Kano Ōnuki (大貫 カノ, Ōnuki…Kanoko Okamoto (岡本 かの子, Okamoto Kanoko; 1 March 1889 – 18 February 1939) was the pen-name of Kano Ōnuki (大貫 カノ, Ōnuki Kano), a Japanese author, tanka poet, and Buddhist scholar active during the Taishō and early Shōwa periods.
Hong Myong-hui or Hong Myung-hee (Korean: 홍명희; Hanja: 洪命熹; July 3, 1888 – March 5, 1968) was a Korean novelist during…Hong Myong-hui or Hong Myung-hee (Korean: 홍명희; Hanja: 洪命熹; July 3, 1888 – March 5, 1968) was a Korean novelist during the colonial period, and later a North Korean novelist and state official. He was born in Dongbu-ri, Goesan county, North Chungcheong Province, where he took part in the 3.1 Movement in 1919. In the 1920s, he served as an editor of The Dong-A Ilbo. Hong also was part of the Korean nationalist group Singanhoe which was founded in 1927. Hong founded the Democratic Independent Party with his comrades An Jae-hong, Kim Byung-ro, Kim Ho, Pak Yong-hee, I Kuk-ro and Kim Won-yong on 19 October 1947. Hong then became the chairman of the party. After the Korean War, he occupied various important positions in North Korea. He is buried in the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery in Hyongjesan-guyok, Pyongyang, North Korea. His grandson, Hong Sok-jung, is also a well known North Korean author.
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (谷崎 潤一郎, Tanizaki Jun'ichirō; 24 July 1886 – 30 July 1965) was a Japanese author who is considered…Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (谷崎 潤一郎, Tanizaki Jun'ichirō; 24 July 1886 – 30 July 1965) was a Japanese author who is considered to be one of the most prominent figures in modern Japanese literature. The tone and subject matter of his work range from shocking depictions of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions to subtle portrayals of the dynamics of family life within the context of the rapid changes in 20th-century Japanese society. Frequently, his stories are narrated in the context of a search for cultural identity in which the West and Japanese tradition are juxtaposed. He was one of six authors on the final shortlist for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964, the year before his death.
Hiratsuka Raichō (平塚 らいちょう, transliterated らいてう according to the historical kana orthography; born Hiratsuka Haru, 平塚…Hiratsuka Raichō (平塚 らいちょう, transliterated らいてう according to the historical kana orthography; born Hiratsuka Haru, 平塚 明; February 10, 1886 – May 24, 1971) was a Japanese writer, journalist, political activist, anarchist, and pioneering feminist in Japan.
Kansuke Naka (中 勘助, Naka Kansuke; 22 May 1885 – 3 May 1965) was a Japanese novelist and essayist. Naka was born in…Kansuke Naka (中 勘助, Naka Kansuke; 22 May 1885 – 3 May 1965) was a Japanese novelist and essayist. Naka was born in Tokyo. He lived in Hiratsuka from 1926 to 1932, and he was evacuated to Shizuoka Prefecture during World War II, but otherwise he spent most of his life in Tokyo. He married Kazuko Shimada in 1942. Naka was one of the students taught by Natsume Sōseki at the University of Tokyo before Sōseki gave up teaching to write for the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. It was Sōseki who arranged the serial publication in that paper of Naka's first novel Gin no saji ("The Silver Spoon"), a nostalgic depiction of his childhood and teens. The novel was published from 1911 to 1913 and translated in 1976 by Etsuko Terasaki. It is popular in Japan and is an account of life in Tokyo at the beginning of the 20th century during the Meiji era, replete with historical details as well as a contemporary sense of isolation; it follows Naka's psychological journey from childhood to adulthood. Naka also wrote Inu ("The Dog", 1922) and Rōkan (a collection of poems, 1935). Naka was praised by Tetsurō Watsuji, a leading critic, and also by Zhou Zuoren, for his rare willingness to criticize Japanese nationalists.
Saneatsu Mushanokōji (武者小路 実篤(實篤), Mushanokōji Saneatsu; 12 May 1885 – 9 April 1976) was a Japanese novelist…Saneatsu Mushanokōji (武者小路 実篤(實篤), Mushanokōji Saneatsu; 12 May 1885 – 9 April 1976) was a Japanese novelist, playwright, poet, artist, and philosopher active during the late Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan. Later on in life he requested that the pronunciation of his surname (as far as was concerned) be changed from the usual Mushanokōji, to Mushakōji, but without much success. He was nicknamed Musha and Futo-o by his colleagues.
Toshiko Tamura (田村 俊子, Tamura Toshiko; 25 April 1884 – 16 April 1945) was an early modern feminist novelist who wrote…Toshiko Tamura (田村 俊子, Tamura Toshiko; 25 April 1884 – 16 April 1945) was an early modern feminist novelist who wrote during the late Meiji era, Taishō era, and early Shōwa era. She wrote under the pen-names Roei (露英), Child Bird (鳥の子, Tori no ko), Toshiko Suzuki (鈴木 俊子, Suzuki Toshiko), Yukari (優香里, Yukari), Jun-Sheng (俊生), and Zuo Jun-zhi (佐俊芝), as well as under her maiden name Toshiko Satō (佐藤 俊子, Satō Toshiko) and her married name Toshiko Tamura, by which she is best known. Her birth name was Toshi Satō (佐藤 とし, Satō Toshi).
Ikuta Chōkō (生田長江, Ikuta Chōkō; 21 April 1882 - 11 January 1936) was the pen-name of a noted translator, author and…Ikuta Chōkō (生田長江, Ikuta Chōkō; 21 April 1882 - 11 January 1936) was the pen-name of a noted translator, author and literary critic in Taishō and Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Ikuta Kōji (生田弘治, Ikuta Kōji).
Kafū Nagai (永井 荷風, Nagai Kafū; 3 December 1879 – 30 April 1959) was a Japanese writer, editor and translator. His…Kafū Nagai (永井 荷風, Nagai Kafū; 3 December 1879 – 30 April 1959) was a Japanese writer, editor and translator. His novels Geisha in Rivalry and A Strange Tale from East of the River are noted for their depictions of life of the demimonde in early 20th-century Tokyo.
Hasegawa Manjirō (長谷川 萬次郎, né Yamamoto, 30 November 1875 – 11 November 1969), known by his pen name Hasegawa Nyozekan…Hasegawa Manjirō (長谷川 萬次郎, né Yamamoto, 30 November 1875 – 11 November 1969), known by his pen name Hasegawa Nyozekan (長谷川 如是閑), was a Japanese social critic and journalist during the Taishō and Shōwa eras. He was one of the most important and widely read supporters of liberalism and democracy in inter-war Japan.
Sazanami Iwaya (巖谷 小波, Iwaya Sazanami; 4 July 1870 - 5 September 1933) was a Japanese writer, children's author, oral…Sazanami Iwaya (巖谷 小波, Iwaya Sazanami; 4 July 1870 - 5 September 1933) was a Japanese writer, children's author, oral storyteller, German literature scholar, journalist and haiku poet from the Meiji and Taishō eras. His birthname was Sueo Iwaya (巖谷季雄, Iwaya Sueo). Pseudonyms include Sazanami Sanjin (漣山人), Rakutenkyo (楽天居) and Ōe Sazanami (大江小波). He is regarded as a pioneer of Japanese children's literature who ushered the history of modern children's literature by publishing Japan's first original children's story, “Koganemaru” (Hakubunkan, 1891).
Tatsuko Miyake (三宅 竜子, Miyake Tatsuko, née Tanabe, 4 February 1868 − 18 July 1943), known by her pen name Kaho Miyake…Tatsuko Miyake (三宅 竜子, Miyake Tatsuko, née Tanabe, 4 February 1868 − 18 July 1943), known by her pen name Kaho Miyake (三宅 花圃, Miyake Kaho), was a Japanese novelist, essayist, and poet. She has long been associated with joryū bungaku ("women's literature"), acknowledged as the first woman to have written in the modern period. Her most notable work is Yabu no uguisu (藪の鶯, lit. "Warbler in the Grove"), published in 1888.
Kōda Shigeyuki (幸田 成行; 23 July 1867 – 30 July 1947), pen name Kōda Rohan (幸田 露伴; Japanese pronunciation: [koː.da (|)…Kōda Shigeyuki (幸田 成行; 23 July 1867 – 30 July 1947), pen name Kōda Rohan (幸田 露伴; Japanese pronunciation: [koː.da (|) ɾoꜜ.haɴ]), was a Japanese author. His daughter, Aya Kōda, was also a noted author who often wrote about him. Kōda wrote "The Icon of Liberty", also known as "The Buddha of Art" or "The Elegant Buddha", in 1889. A house in which Kōda lived, Kagyū-an (蝸牛庵; snail cottage), was rebuilt in 1972 by the Meiji Mura museum. Kōda was one of the first persons to be awarded the Order of Culture when it was established in 1937.
Natsume Sōseki (; Japanese: 夏目 漱石; born Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目 金之助); 9 February 1867 – 9 December 1916) was a Japanese…Natsume Sōseki (; Japanese: 夏目 漱石; born Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目 金之助); 9 February 1867 – 9 December 1916) was a Japanese novelist, poet, and scholar. He is considered one of the greatest writers in modern Japanese history and is often called the first modern novelist of Japan. Sōseki's fiction explored themes of individualism, loneliness, and the conflict between traditional Japanese values and the rapid Westernization of the Meiji era. His major works include I Am a Cat (1905), Botchan (1906), Sanshirō (1908), Kokoro (1914), and his unfinished final novel Light and Dark (1916). Born on the cusp of the Meiji Restoration, Sōseki had a turbulent childhood, having been given up for adoption twice. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University and became a scholar of English literature. In 1900, he was sent by the Japanese government to study in London, where he spent two miserable years marked by poverty, racial alienation, and a severe nervous breakdown. Upon his return to Japan, he succeeded Lafcadio Hearn as a lecturer in English literature at Tokyo Imperial University. In 1905, he achieved fame with the publication of the satirical novel I Am a Cat. This success prompted him to begin a prolific writing career, and in 1907, he resigned from his university post to become a full-time author for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, a move that marked the birth of the professional artist in modern Japan. For the rest of his life, Sōseki published a novel a year while also writing poetry and literary criticism. His work is characterized by its psychological depth, its blend of humor and pessimism, and its exploration of the human ego. Throughout his adult life, he suffered from severe stomach ulcers and recurring bouts of mental illness, including paranoid delusions, which deeply affected his work and personal life. Sōseki died from complications of his stomach condition in 1916 at the age of 49, leaving his final novel, Light and Dark, unfinished. His influence on Japanese literature is profound, and he remains one of the country's most beloved and widely read authors. His portrait appeared on the 1,000-yen banknote from 1984 to 2004.
Aeba Kōson (饗庭 篁村; August 15, 1855 – June 20, 1922) was a Japanese author, theater critic, and calligraphy master. His…Aeba Kōson (饗庭 篁村; August 15, 1855 – June 20, 1922) was a Japanese author, theater critic, and calligraphy master. His real name is Yosaburou Aeba (饗庭與三郎). He was also called "The Master of the Bamboo Hut" (竹の屋主人). He was born in Shitaya Ryuusenji-cho in Taitō Ward, Tokyo. Among his works is his translation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue. He is buried in Somei cemetery in Tokyo.
Yumie Nishiogi (西荻 弓絵; born September 3, 1960) is a Japanese screenwriter. Born in Tokyo and graduated from Keio…Yumie Nishiogi (西荻 弓絵; born September 3, 1960) is a Japanese screenwriter. Born in Tokyo and graduated from Keio University.
Ira Ishida (石田 衣良, Ishida Ira; born March 8, 1960) is a Japanese novelist and TV commentator. After graduating from…Ira Ishida (石田 衣良, Ishida Ira; born March 8, 1960) is a Japanese novelist and TV commentator. After graduating from Seikei University, he worked for a number of different advertising production companies and as a freelance copywriter. In 1997, he published his first short story collection, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, which won the 36th All Yomimono New Mystery Writer's Prize. In 2003, he won the Naoki Prize for 4teen. His novels describe the culture of young people in Japan, particularly young women and otaku without a college education. Many of his works have been adapted for manga and television. As an actor, he made his first appearance in a leading role in the 2006 film Love My Life. Ishida's pen name, Ishida Ira, was derived by splitting his real family name Ishidaira.
Yuka Murayama (村山由佳, Murayama Yuka) (born 1964) is a Japanese writer. She has won the Subaru Literary Newcomer Prize…Yuka Murayama (村山由佳, Murayama Yuka) (born 1964) is a Japanese writer. She has won the Subaru Literary Newcomer Prize, the Naoki Prize, and the Shibata Renzaburo Prize.
Kimitake Hiraoka (平岡 公威, Hiraoka Kimitake; 14 January 1925 – 25 November 1970), known by his pen name Yukio Mishima (三島…Kimitake Hiraoka (平岡 公威, Hiraoka Kimitake; 14 January 1925 – 25 November 1970), known by his pen name Yukio Mishima (三島 由紀夫, Mishima Yukio), was a Japanese novelist, playwright, short story writer, actor, martial artist, model, and the leader of an attempted coup d'état that culminated in his seppuku. He is considered one of the most important postwar stylists of the Japanese language. Mishima was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times in the 1960s—including in 1968 when the award went to his countryman and benefactor Yasunari Kawabata. Mishima's works include the novels Confessions of a Mask and The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, and the autobiographical essay Sun and Steel. Mishima's work is characterized by "its luxurious vocabulary and decadent metaphors, its fusion of traditional Japanese and modern Western literary styles, and its obsessive assertions of the unity of beauty, eroticism, and death," according to the author Andrew Rankin. Mishima's political activities made him a controversial figure; he remains so in Japan to the present day. From his mid-30s onwards, Mishima's far-right ideology and reactionary beliefs became increasingly evident. He extolled the traditional culture and spirit of Japan, and opposed what he saw as Western-style materialism, along with Japan's postwar democracy, globalism, and communism, worrying that by embracing these ideas the Japanese people would lose their "national essence" (kokutai) and distinctive cultural heritage to become a "rootless" people. In 1968, Mishima formed the Tatenokai ("Shield Society"), a private militia, for the purpose of protecting the dignity of the emperor as a symbol of national identity. The Tatenokai are interpreted by scholars as attempting to reclaim Japan's prewar values of loyalty. Yukio Mishima believed the traditions that made Japan great had been weakened by postwar Japan. Although the Tatenokai were legally allowed in postwar Japan, their ideology directly opposed the newfound pacifism that was adopted. On 25 November 1970, Mishima and four members of his militia entered a military base in central Tokyo, took its commandant hostage, and unsuccessfully tried to inspire the Japan Self-Defense Forces to rise up and overthrow Article 9 of the 1947 Constitution to restore autonomous national defense and the divinity of the emperor. The incident ended with Mishima's suicide by seppuku, which had been planned.
Shion Miura (三浦 しをん, Miura Shion; born 1976) is a Japanese writer. She has won the Naoki Prize, the Oda Sakunosuke…Shion Miura (三浦 しをん, Miura Shion; born 1976) is a Japanese writer. She has won the Naoki Prize, the Oda Sakunosuke Prize, and the Japan Booksellers' Award. Her work has been adapted for film and television, and her books have been translated into Indonesian, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, English, German and Italian.
