Kodo Nomura
Encyclopedia
was the pen-name of Nomura Osakazu, a novelist and music critic in Shōwa period
Japan
. He also used the pen-name Araebisu for his music criticism
. He is famous for his creation of the fictional detective Zenigata Heiji
.
county, Iwate prefecture
in northern Japan, the younger son of a farmer. As a youth, he loved to read, and one of his favorite works was the Chinese classic
Outlaws of the Marsh
. He was sent to boarding school
in Morioka
, where he met Kindaichi Kyosuke
, later a noted linguist
and Namura's life-long friend. One year behind him in the same school was future poet Ishikawa Takuboku
. He attended Tokyo Imperial University, but left to work as a journalist for the Hochi Shimbun
, a newspaper based in Tokyo
. He continued to work as a journalist for the paper until it merged with the Yomiuri Shimbun
in 1942.
s, which appeared in serialized form in the literary journal Bungei Shunju. His most famous work was a series of detective stories
set in the Edo period
called Zenigata Heiji torimono hikae ("The Casebook of Detective Zenigata Heiji
", 1931–1958). The first episode appeared in Bungei Shunju in 1931, and (with a hiatus during World War II
, the story continued for 383 episodes over the next 26 years. The main characters in the story were modeled after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective pair, Sherlock Holmes
and Dr Watson
. The popularity of the story led to a movie adaptation in the year the novel was first publication. Between 1931 and 1967, a total of 30 movies and an extremely long-running and popular television series (1966–84), were made. The story won the Kikuchi Prize in 1958.
Nomura wrote other novels, including another detective series, Ikeda Daisuke torimono hikae ("The Casebook of Ikeda Daisuke"), but none were as popular as Zenigata Heiji.
Nomura died of acute pneumonia
in 1963. His personal fortune (over 100 million yen) was set into a scholarship fund for aspiring writers. He had previously (in 1956) donated his entire library to his home town of Shiwa in Iwate prefecture, where it now resides in a memorial museum erected in his honor.
Nomura's daughter was the novelist Matsuda Keiko (1916–1940).
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...
. He also used the pen-name Araebisu for his music criticism
Music criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
. He is famous for his creation of the fictional detective Zenigata Heiji
Zenigata Heiji
is Japanese fictional character, the hero of a series of Japanese novels, films and TV programmes set in the Edo period of Japanese history. He is a policeman who catches criminals by throwing coins, the zeni of the title, thus Zenigata Heiji. The hero was created by novelist Kodō Nomura in 1937...
.
Early life
Nomura was born in the rural district of ShiwaShiwa District, Iwate
is a district located in Iwate, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 60,586 and a density of 197.79 persons per km². The total area is 306.31 km².There are two towns within the district.*Shiwa*Yahaba-District Timeline:...
county, Iwate prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
in northern Japan, the younger son of a farmer. As a youth, he loved to read, and one of his favorite works was the Chinese classic
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...
Outlaws of the Marsh
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
. He was sent to boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Morioka
Morioka, Iwate
is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 300,740 and a population density of 588.11 persons per km². The total area is 489.15 km²....
, where he met Kindaichi Kyosuke
Kyosuke Kindaichi
was an eminent Japanese linguist from Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. He is chiefly known for his dictations of yukar, or sagas of the Ainu people. Linguist Haruhiko Kindaichi was his son....
, later a noted linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and Namura's life-long friend. One year behind him in the same school was future poet Ishikawa Takuboku
Ishikawa Takuboku
was a Japanese poet. He died of tuberculosis. Well known as both a tanka and 'modern-style' or 'free-style' poet, he began as a member of the Myōjō group of naturalist poets but later joined the "socialistic" group of Japanese poets and renounced naturalism.-Major works:His major works were two...
. He attended Tokyo Imperial University, but left to work as a journalist for the Hochi Shimbun
Sports Hochi
, previously known as literally widely informing newspaper, is a Japanese language daily sports newspaper. As of 2002, it has a circulation of a million.It is an affiliate newspaper of Yomiuri Shimbun.-External links:*...
, a newspaper based in 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...
. He continued to work as a journalist for the paper until it merged with the Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
in 1942.
Literary career
While working as a journalist, Nomura began to write popular fiction, notably historical novelHistorical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
s, which appeared in serialized form in the literary journal Bungei Shunju. His most famous work was a series of detective stories
Detective Story
Detective Story is a film noir which tells the story of one day in the lives of the various people who populate a police detective squad. It features Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix, Cathy O'Donnell, Lee Grant, among others. The movie was adapted by Robert Wyler and Philip Yordan...
set in 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....
called Zenigata Heiji torimono hikae ("The Casebook of Detective Zenigata Heiji
Zenigata Heiji
is Japanese fictional character, the hero of a series of Japanese novels, films and TV programmes set in the Edo period of Japanese history. He is a policeman who catches criminals by throwing coins, the zeni of the title, thus Zenigata Heiji. The hero was created by novelist Kodō Nomura in 1937...
", 1931–1958). The first episode appeared in Bungei Shunju in 1931, and (with a hiatus during 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...
, the story continued for 383 episodes over the next 26 years. The main characters in the story were modeled after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective pair, Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and Dr Watson
John Watson (Sherlock Holmes)
John H. Watson, M.D. , known as Dr. Watson, is a character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Watson is Sherlock Holmes's friend, assistant and sometime flatmate, and is the first person narrator of all but four stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon.-Name:Doctor Watson's first...
. The popularity of the story led to a movie adaptation in the year the novel was first publication. Between 1931 and 1967, a total of 30 movies and an extremely long-running and popular television series (1966–84), were made. The story won the Kikuchi Prize in 1958.
Nomura wrote other novels, including another detective series, Ikeda Daisuke torimono hikae ("The Casebook of Ikeda Daisuke"), but none were as popular as Zenigata Heiji.
Nomura died of acute pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in 1963. His personal fortune (over 100 million yen) was set into a scholarship fund for aspiring writers. He had previously (in 1956) donated his entire library to his home town of Shiwa in Iwate prefecture, where it now resides in a memorial museum erected in his honor.
Nomura's daughter was the novelist Matsuda Keiko (1916–1940).
External links
See also
- Japanese literatureJapanese literatureEarly 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...
- List of Japanese authors