Jun Ishikawa (author)
Encyclopedia
was the pen-name of a modernist
author
, translator and literary critic active in Shōwa period
Japan
. His real name (written in the same kanji
) was Ishikawa Kiyoshi.
district of Tokyo
as the son of a banker. He graduated from the Tokyo School of Foreign Languages ' onMouseout='HidePop("69058")' href="/topics/Tokyo_University_of_Foreign_Studies">Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
) with a degree in French literature
. After graduation, he served a tour of duty in the Imperial Japanese Navy
from 1922–1923, following which he was hired by Fukuoka University
as a professor of French literature
. His early career involved translating works such as Anatole France
’s Les lilies rouges and Nobel Prize
-winning author André Gide
’s L'Immoraliste into Japanese
.
The next year, he was resigned from the university due to controversy over his participation in student protest movements. He returned to Tokyo and began a bohemian existence, living out of cheap pensions while translating Andre Gide's Les Caves du Vatican and Molière
's Le Misanthrope and Tartuffe.
for his story Fugen (普賢, The Bodhisattva).
In early 1938, when Japan's war against China
was at its height, Ishikawa published the brilliantly ironic Marusu no uta (マルス の 歌, Mars' Song), an antiwar story soon banned for fomenting antimilitary thought http://www.counterpunch.org/jun04122003.html.
His first novel, Hakubyo (白描, Plain Sketch, 1940) was a criticism of Stalinism
. During the war years, he turned his attention to non-fiction, producing biographies on Mori Ōgai
and Watanabe Kazan
. However, his main interest was in the comic verses of the Temmei era of the Edo period
(狂歌, Kyoka), of which he became a master. He wrote poetry using the pen-name of .
Along with the likes of Osamu Dazai, Sakaguchi Ango, and Oda Sakunosuke
, Ishikawa was known as a member of the Buraiha
(literally "Ruffian") tradition of anti-conventional literature. In the post-war period, he wrote Ogon Densetsu (黄金 伝説, Legend of Gold, 1946) and Yakeato no Iesu (焼跡 の イエス, Jesus in the Ashes, 1946). The author Abe Kobo became his pupil.
He also continued his work in essays, which took two forms. In Isai hitsudan (夷斎 筆談, Isai’s Discourses, 1950–1951), he covered a wide range of topics in art, literature and current events, in an irreverent, and at times, bitter, style. On the other hand, Shokoku Kijinden (諸国 畸人伝 , Eccentrics and Gallants from around the country, 1955–1957), is a series of biographical sketches of unusual persons from various points in Japanese history.
He turned also to ancient Japanese history, with the serial publication of Shinshaku Kojiki (新釈 古事記, Another Translation of the Kojiki), Hachiman Engi (八幡 縁起, Origins of Gods of Hachiman, 1957) and Shura (修羅, Demons, 1958), in which he explored the origin of Japanese nation and conflict between the Jōmon
and Yayoi
peoples.
In 1964 he went to a journey to the Soviet Union
and western Europe
together with Abe Kobo. It was his first overseas travel, and resulted in Seiyu Nichiroku (西游 日録, A Record of a Journey West, 1965).
In 1967 he joined Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio and Abe Kobo in issuing a statement for protesting the destruction of Chinese art
during the Chinese Cultural Revolution
.
Ishikawa was immensely popular in the post-war era, and won numerous awards. His Edo Bungaku Shoki (江戸 文学 掌記, A Brief Survey of Edo Literature, 1980), won the Yomiuri Literary Award.
He died of lung cancer
while working on his last novel, Hebi no Uta (蛇 の 歌, A Song of Snakes, 1988),
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, translator and literary critic active in 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...
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...
. His real name (written in the same kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
) was Ishikawa Kiyoshi.
Early life
Ishikawa was born in the AsakusaAsakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
district of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; 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...
as the son of a banker. He graduated from the Tokyo School of Foreign Languages ' onMouseout='HidePop("69058")' href="/topics/Tokyo_University_of_Foreign_Studies">Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
TUFS is a specialized institution only in foreign language, international affairs and foreign studies, thus it is not as well-known as other big universities such as University of Tokyo and Kyoto University...
) with a degree in French literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
. After graduation, he served a tour of duty in the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
from 1922–1923, following which he was hired by Fukuoka University
Fukuoka University
is a private university in Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest general university in western Japan, with more than 20,000 students. It is sometimes mistaken for a national university...
as a professor of French literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
. His early career involved translating works such as Anatole France
Anatole France
Anatole France , born François-Anatole Thibault, , was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters...
’s Les lilies rouges and Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning author André Gide
André Gide
André Paul Guillaume Gide was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1947. Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism between the two World Wars.Known for his fiction as well as his autobiographical works, Gide...
’s L'Immoraliste into Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
.
The next year, he was resigned from the university due to controversy over his participation in student protest movements. He returned to Tokyo and began a bohemian existence, living out of cheap pensions while translating Andre Gide's Les Caves du Vatican and Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's Le Misanthrope and Tartuffe.
Literary career
His literary career began in 1935, when he began writing a series of short stories, starting with Kajin (佳人, Lady), and Hinkyu mondo (貧窮 問答, Dialog on Poverty) in which he depicted the struggles of a solitary writer attempting to create a Parnassian fiction. In 1936 he won the fourth annual Akutagawa PrizeAkutagawa 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...
for his story Fugen (普賢, The Bodhisattva).
In early 1938, when Japan's war against China
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
was at its height, Ishikawa published the brilliantly ironic Marusu no uta (マルス の 歌, Mars' Song), an antiwar story soon banned for fomenting antimilitary thought http://www.counterpunch.org/jun04122003.html.
His first novel, Hakubyo (白描, Plain Sketch, 1940) was a criticism of Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
. During the war years, he turned his attention to non-fiction, producing biographies on 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...
and Watanabe Kazan
Watanabe Kazan
was a Japanese painter, scholar and statesman member of the samurai class.- Early life :He was born Watanabe Sadayasu in Edo to a poor samurai family, and his artistic talent was developed from an early age. His family served the lord of the Tahara Domain, located in present day Aichi prefecture....
. However, his main interest was in the comic verses of the Temmei era of the 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....
(狂歌, Kyoka), of which he became a master. He wrote poetry using the pen-name of .
Along with the likes of Osamu Dazai, Sakaguchi Ango, and Oda Sakunosuke
Oda Sakunosuke
was a Japanese writer. He is often grouped together with Osamu Dazai and Ango Sakaguchi as the Buraiha. Literally meaning ruffian or hoodlum faction, this label was not a matter of a stylistic school but one bestowed upon them by conservative critics disparaging the authors' attitudes and subject...
, Ishikawa was known as a member of the Buraiha
Buraiha
The were a group of dissolute writers who expressed the aimlessness and identity crisis of post-World War II Japan. While not comprising a true literary school, the Buraiha writers were linked together by a similar approach to subject matter and literary style. The main characters in works of the...
(literally "Ruffian") tradition of anti-conventional literature. In the post-war period, he wrote Ogon Densetsu (黄金 伝説, Legend of Gold, 1946) and Yakeato no Iesu (焼跡 の イエス, Jesus in the Ashes, 1946). The author Abe Kobo became his pupil.
He also continued his work in essays, which took two forms. In Isai hitsudan (夷斎 筆談, Isai’s Discourses, 1950–1951), he covered a wide range of topics in art, literature and current events, in an irreverent, and at times, bitter, style. On the other hand, Shokoku Kijinden (諸国 畸人伝 , Eccentrics and Gallants from around the country, 1955–1957), is a series of biographical sketches of unusual persons from various points in Japanese history.
He turned also to ancient Japanese history, with the serial publication of Shinshaku Kojiki (新釈 古事記, Another Translation of the Kojiki), Hachiman Engi (八幡 縁起, Origins of Gods of Hachiman, 1957) and Shura (修羅, Demons, 1958), in which he explored the origin of Japanese nation and conflict between the Jōmon
Jomon period
The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC.The term jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the pottery style characteristic of the Jōmon culture, and which has markings made using sticks with cords wrapped around them...
and Yayoi
Yayoi period
The is an Iron Age era in the history of Japan traditionally dated 300 BC to 300 AD. It is named after the neighbourhood of Tokyo where archaeologists first uncovered artifacts and features from that era. Distinguishing characteristics of the Yayoi period include the appearance of new...
peoples.
In 1964 he went to a journey to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
together with Abe Kobo. It was his first overseas travel, and resulted in Seiyu Nichiroku (西游 日録, A Record of a Journey West, 1965).
In 1967 he joined Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio and Abe Kobo in issuing a statement for protesting the destruction of Chinese art
Chinese art
Chinese art is visual art that, whether ancient or modern, originated in or is practiced in China or by Chinese artists or performers. Early so-called "stone age art" dates back to 10,000 BC, mostly consisting of simple pottery and sculptures. This early period was followed by a series of art...
during the Chinese Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
.
Ishikawa was immensely popular in the post-war era, and won numerous awards. His Edo Bungaku Shoki (江戸 文学 掌記, A Brief Survey of Edo Literature, 1980), won the Yomiuri Literary Award.
He died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
while working on his last novel, Hebi no Uta (蛇 の 歌, A Song of Snakes, 1988),
In English
- Ishikawa, Jun. The Legend of Gold and Other Stories. Trans. William J. Tyler. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1988. ISBN 0824820703
- Ishikawa, Jun. The Bodhisattva. Columbia University Press (1990). Trans. William J. Tyler. ISBN 0231069626