Kojima Masajiro
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
novel
ist active during the Shōwa period
of Japan
.
to a family of clothing merchants. While attending Keio University
he studied Edo period
Japanese literature
and the works of European authors. He was especially attracted to the works of Nagai Kafū and Mori Ōgai
. His literary career began as a student, when he contributed short stories to the journal of Keio University's literature department, Mita Bungaku
.
After graduation in 1918, he worked with children's literature
, editing the literary magazine
, Akai Tori ("Red Bird"), and writing tales for children.
However, Kojima established himself as a mainstream author with serious, adult-orientated stories, such as Ichimae Kanban,("One Card") based on the life of a professional storyteller, and Ie ("Family"), the story of relatives who were forced out of their home. He later gained a reputation as a writer of popular fiction with such stories as Midori no Kishi ("Green Knight"), Kaiso ("Seaweed"), and Hitozuma Tsubaki ("Tsubaki, a Married Woman"). As many of his works dealt with human relationships, his writings were a favorite of movie directors and script writers.
His Ganchu no Hito ("Centre of Attention"), a semi-documentary work on his awakening to the possibilities of literature was almost a history of Taishō period
Japanese literature
, and was highly praised by the famed authors Natsume Sōseki
and Kikuchi Kan
.
After World War II
he wrote a number of biographical works, including Taifu no Me no yo no ("Like the Eye of a Typhoon"), (later retitled, Suzuki Miekichi), Ogai, Kafu, Mantaro, about the three writers he respected, and Encho.
Kojima lived briefly in Kamakura
, Kanagawa prefecture
in the 1930s but returned to Tokyo shortly afterwards. He returned to Kamakura in 1944, where he lived till his death in 1994 at the age of 100. He served many years on the review committee for the Akutagawa Prize
and the Naoki Prize
.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist active during the Shōwa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Biography
Kojima was born in the plebian Shitaya district of TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to a family of clothing merchants. While attending Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
he studied Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
Japanese literature
Japanese literature
Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
and the works of European authors. He was especially attracted to the works of Nagai Kafū and Mori Ōgai
Mori Ogai
was a Japanese physician, translator, novelist and poet. is considered his major work.- Early life :Mori was born as Mori Rintarō in Tsuwano, Iwami province . His family were hereditary physicians to the daimyō of the Tsuwano Domain...
. His literary career began as a student, when he contributed short stories to the journal of Keio University's literature department, Mita Bungaku
Mita Bungaku
Mita Bungaku is a Japanese literary journal founded in 1910 at Keio University which published early works by young Japanese authors such as Yōjirō Ishizaka, Kyōka Izumi, Hakushū Kitahara, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki,, Takitarō Minakami, Kojima Masajirō, and Ayako Sono.-Founding:Mita Bungaku was founded...
.
After graduation in 1918, he worked with children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, editing the literary magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
, Akai Tori ("Red Bird"), and writing tales for children.
However, Kojima established himself as a mainstream author with serious, adult-orientated stories, such as Ichimae Kanban,("One Card") based on the life of a professional storyteller, and Ie ("Family"), the story of relatives who were forced out of their home. He later gained a reputation as a writer of popular fiction with such stories as Midori no Kishi ("Green Knight"), Kaiso ("Seaweed"), and Hitozuma Tsubaki ("Tsubaki, a Married Woman"). As many of his works dealt with human relationships, his writings were a favorite of movie directors and script writers.
His Ganchu no Hito ("Centre of Attention"), a semi-documentary work on his awakening to the possibilities of literature was almost a history of Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
Japanese literature
Japanese literature
Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
, and was highly praised by the famed authors Natsume Sōseki
Natsume Soseki
, born ', is widely considered to be the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji period . He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, Chinese-style poetry, and fairy tales...
and Kikuchi Kan
Kan Kikuchi
, known by his pen name Kan Kikuchi , was a Japanese author born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. He established the publishing company Bungeishunjū, the monthly magazine of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association and both the Akutagawa and Naoki Prize for popular literature...
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he wrote a number of biographical works, including Taifu no Me no yo no ("Like the Eye of a Typhoon"), (later retitled, Suzuki Miekichi), Ogai, Kafu, Mantaro, about the three writers he respected, and Encho.
Kojima lived briefly in Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
, Kanagawa prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
in the 1930s but returned to Tokyo shortly afterwards. He returned to Kamakura in 1944, where he lived till his death in 1994 at the age of 100. He served many years on the review committee for the Akutagawa Prize
Akutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
and the Naoki Prize
Naoki Prize
The Naoki Prize is a Japanese literary award presented semiannually. The official name is Naoki Sanjugo Prize. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo...
.