Kaizo (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Kaizō was a Japan
ese general-interest magazine that started publication during the Taishō period
and printed many articles of socialist content. Kaizō can be translated into English as "Reorganize", "Restructure" or "Reconstruct".
, Yamamoto Sanehiko's company, called Kaizōsha (改造社), began publishing Kaizō. Although it is well known for carrying works of fiction, its sales grew because of the articles it carried pertaining to labor and social problems. At this time, due to the influence of the Russian Revolution
, Japan
ese intellectuals were also examining social issues and socialist thought. Essays by writers such as Christian socialist Kagawa Toyohiko, Marxist Kawakami Hajime
, and Yamakawa Hitoshi were published and helped the magazine gain popularity. It also published Shiga Naoya
's novel A Dark Night's Passing
(1921-37), and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's Quicksand
(1928-30). Another popular general-interest magazine Chūōkōron
(中央公論) was established before Kaizō, but sales of Kaizō overtook it despite its radical content.
, publications printing communist essays begin to suffer government oppression (Yokohama Incident). After police beat confessions out of "Communist" staffers, Kaizō was forced to "voluntarily" dissolve in 1944. Publication was resumed in 1946, but management was poor, and labor troubles exacerbated the situation, forcing Kaizō to cease publication in 1955.
- by Shiga Naoya
Quicksand
- by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
Nobuko
- by Miyamoto Yuriko
Kappa
- by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
The Wind Has Risen
- by Hori Tatsuo
Swirl of Flocking Crows - by Kuroshima Denji
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...
ese general-interest magazine that started publication during the 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...
and printed many articles of socialist content. Kaizō can be translated into English as "Reorganize", "Restructure" or "Reconstruct".
Beginnings
In 1919, after World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Yamamoto Sanehiko's company, called Kaizōsha (改造社), began publishing Kaizō. Although it is well known for carrying works of fiction, its sales grew because of the articles it carried pertaining to labor and social problems. At this time, due to the influence of the Russian Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, 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...
ese intellectuals were also examining social issues and socialist thought. Essays by writers such as Christian socialist Kagawa Toyohiko, Marxist Kawakami Hajime
Kawakami Hajime
was a Japanese Marxist economist of the Taishō and early Shōwa periods.Born in Yamaguchi, he graduated from Tokyo Imperial University. After writing for Yomiuri shimbun, he earned an economics professorship at Kyoto Imperial University. Increasingly inclined toward Marxism, he participated in the...
, and Yamakawa Hitoshi were published and helped the magazine gain popularity. It also published Shiga Naoya
Shiga Naoya
was a Japanese novelist and short story writer active during the Taishō and Showa periods of Japan.-Early life:Shiga was born in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture. His father, the son of a samurai, was a banker. The family moved to Tokyo when Shiga was three, to live with his grandparents, who...
's novel A Dark Night's Passing
A Dark Night's Passing
A Dark Night's Passing is the only full-length novel by Japanese writer Shiga Naoya. It was written in serialized form and published in Kaizo in between 1921 and 1937...
(1921-37), and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's Quicksand
Quicksand (novel)
is a novel by the Japanese author Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. It was written in serial format between 1928 and 1930 for the magazine Kaizō. The last of Tanizaki's major novels translated into English, it concerns a four-way bisexual love affair between upper-crust Osakans.-Title:The Japanese title, Manji,...
(1928-30). Another popular general-interest magazine Chūōkōron
Chuokoron
is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly...
(中央公論) was established before Kaizō, but sales of Kaizō overtook it despite its radical content.
Oppression
In 1942, during the middle of World War IIWorld 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...
, publications printing communist essays begin to suffer government oppression (Yokohama Incident). After police beat confessions out of "Communist" staffers, Kaizō was forced to "voluntarily" dissolve in 1944. Publication was resumed in 1946, but management was poor, and labor troubles exacerbated the situation, forcing Kaizō to cease publication in 1955.
Featured Works
A Dark Night's PassingA Dark Night's Passing
A Dark Night's Passing is the only full-length novel by Japanese writer Shiga Naoya. It was written in serialized form and published in Kaizo in between 1921 and 1937...
- by Shiga Naoya
Shiga Naoya
was a Japanese novelist and short story writer active during the Taishō and Showa periods of Japan.-Early life:Shiga was born in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture. His father, the son of a samurai, was a banker. The family moved to Tokyo when Shiga was three, to live with his grandparents, who...
Quicksand
Quicksand (novel)
is a novel by the Japanese author Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. It was written in serial format between 1928 and 1930 for the magazine Kaizō. The last of Tanizaki's major novels translated into English, it concerns a four-way bisexual love affair between upper-crust Osakans.-Title:The Japanese title, Manji,...
- by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
Nobuko
Nobuko
Nobuko is a Japanese name, used for females. Although written romanized the same way, the kanji can be different.-People:* Nobuko Aso, later Princess Tomohito of Mikasa...
- by Miyamoto Yuriko
Kappa
Kappa
Kappa is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, used to represent the voiceless velar stop, or "k", sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 20. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Kaph...
- by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Ryunosuke Akutagawa
was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story". He committed suicide at age of 35 through an overdose of barbital.-Early life:...
The Wind Has Risen
The Wind Has Risen
The Wind Has Risen The Wind Has Risen The Wind Has Risen (風立ちぬ - Kaze Tachinu）is a Japanese novel by Hori Tatsuo, written between 1936-37. It is set in a tuberculosis sanitarium in Nagano, Japan. The plot is rather uneventful, mostly following the condition of the female character's illness. It...
- by Hori Tatsuo
Hori Tatsuo
was a writer, poet, and translator in Showa period Japan.-Early life:Hori was born in Tokyo, and was a graduate of Tokyo Imperial University. While still a student, he contributed translations of modern French poets to a literary journal called Roba, which was sponsored by poet Murō Saisei...
Swirl of Flocking Crows - by Kuroshima Denji
Kuroshima Denji
was a Japanese author.-Works:One of modern Japan's most dedicated antimilitarist intellectuals, Kuroshima Denji is best known for his Siberian stories of the late 1920svivid descriptions of agonies suffered by Japanese soldiers and Russian civilians during Japan's invasion of the newly emerged...