Kazumi Takahashi
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese novelist and scholar of Chinese literature
in Showa period
Japan
. His wife was fellow writer Takako Takahashi
.
, and was a graduate of Kyoto University
. While still a student, he contributed to the Gendai Bungaku literary magazine
. He was encouraged to study the Chinese language
and Chinese history by fellow writer Eiji Yoshikawa
. He became a professor at Ritsumeikan University
in Kyoto
in 1959. During the widespread violent student protest movements in the 1960s against the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan
, Takahashi was an outspoken supporter of the radical student movement. He moved to Meiji University
briefly in 1966 before returning to Kyoto University in 1967.
His novel, Hi no utsuwa (1962), depicts the fall of a university dean from respectability due to his self-centered love affairs. Other works include Yuutsu naru Toha ("A Melancholy Faction", 1965) and Jashumon ("Heretical Faith", 1965–66).
Takahashi died of colon cancer at the young age of 39.
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 novelist and scholar of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
in Showa 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 wife was fellow writer Takako Takahashi
Takako Takahashi
is a noted Japanese author.-Biography:Takahashi was born in Kyoto, as the only child of well-to-do parents, with the maiden name of Takako Okamoto. In 1954 she received her undergraduate degree from Kyoto University in French, with a senior thesis on Charles Baudelaire. Six months later she married...
.
Biography
Takahashi was born in Naniwa-ku, OsakaNaniwa-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka City, Japan. It has an area of 4.37 km², and a population of 51,567.- General information :Largely a residential area itself, Naniwa-ku is adjacent to and has in recent years blurred into the Namba district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of...
, and was a graduate of Kyoto University
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
. While still a student, he contributed to the Gendai Bungaku 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...
. He was encouraged to study the Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Chinese history by fellow writer Eiji Yoshikawa
Eiji Yoshikawa
was a Japanese historical novelist, probably one of the best and most famous authors in the genre. Among his most well-known novels, most are revisions of past works. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three...
. He became a professor at Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan University has a growing reputation as one of the main private universities of Japan. It is part of a group of prestigious private universities in the Kansai area, called "Kan -Kan -Dou -Ritsu "...
in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
in 1959. During the widespread violent student protest movements in the 1960s against the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan
Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan
The was signed between the United States and Japan in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 1960. It strengthened Japan's ties to the West during the Cold War era...
, Takahashi was an outspoken supporter of the radical student movement. He moved to Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
briefly in 1966 before returning to Kyoto University in 1967.
His novel, Hi no utsuwa (1962), depicts the fall of a university dean from respectability due to his self-centered love affairs. Other works include Yuutsu naru Toha ("A Melancholy Faction", 1965) and Jashumon ("Heretical Faith", 1965–66).
Takahashi died of colon cancer at the young age of 39.