Kunikida Doppo
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
author
of novels and romantic poetry during the Meiji period
, noted as one of the inventors of Japanese naturalism
.
, Chiba prefecture
. His real name was Kunikida Tetsuo. While some doubt exists as to his biological father, Doppo was raised by his mother and her samurai
-class husband. The family moved to Tokyo
in 1874, but relocated to Yamaguchi prefecture
and Doppo grew up in Iwakuni. The rural area of Choshu left Doppo with a love of nature and influenced the naturalism which later appeared in his literature. Doppo quit school in order to help support his family in 1888, but left for school in Tokyo in 1889.
He studied at the English department of Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō (now Waseda University
). Interested in western democracy
, his politically defiant attitude toward the school's administration resulted in his expulsion from the school in 1891. When he was 21 years old, he was baptized by Uemura Masahisa
and became a Christian
. His religion and the poetry of William Wordsworth
influenced his later writing style.
Seinen bungaku ("Literature for Youth") in 1892 and began his journal Azamaukazaru no ki ("An Honest Record") in 1893, the same year he began teaching English
, mathematics, and history in Saiki, another rural area of Japan.
In 1894, he joined the news staff of the Kokumin Shimbun as a war correspondent
. His reports from the front during the First Sino-Japanese War
, which were collected and re-published after his death as Aitei Tsushin, ("Communiques to a Dear Brother") found high favor among the readers.
The following year Doppo settled with his parents in Tokyo, where he edited the magazine Kokumin no Tomo ("The Nation's Friend") and met his future wife, Sasaki Nobuko, on whom Arishima Takeo
is thought to have based his famous novel Aru Onna
. Against her parent's wishes (Nobuko's mother encouraged her to commit suicide rather than marry Doppo), the couple was married in November 1895. Doppo's ensuing financial difficulties caused the pregnant Nobuko to divorce him after only five months. The failed marriage had a traumatic effect on Doppo, and his depression and mental anguish over the separation can be seen in Azamukazaru no Ki ("An Honest Diary"), published from 1908–1909.
Shortly after his divorce, Doppo turned to the genre of romantic poetry when co-authored an anthology, Jojoshi ("Lyric Poems"), in 1897 with Tayama Katai and Matsuoka Kunio (a.k.a. Yanagita Kunio). Around this time Doppo published several poems that would eventually be collected in Doppo gin as well as the short story, Gen Oji ("Old Gen"). Through his poetic style, Kunikida introduced a fresh current into romantic lyrical literature.
Doppo remarried in 1898, to Enomoto Haruko, and published his first short-story collection, Musashino ("The Musashi Plain") in 1901, which portrayed people who fall behind the times.
However, Doppo's style began to change. Although Haru no Tori ("Spring Birds"), written in 1904, reportedly reached the highest level of romanticism in his era, his later works, such as Kyushi ("A Poor Man's Death") and Take no Kido (The Bamboo Gate), Kunikada indicate that he was turning more towards naturalism
over romanticism
.
Following the Russo-Japanese War
in 1905, Doppo started a publishing business that went bankrupt two years later. He contracted tuberculosis
in 1907 and died from the disease in 1908 at the age of 36. His grave is at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
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...
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:...
of novels and romantic poetry during the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, noted as one of the inventors of Japanese naturalism
Naturalism (literature)
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character...
.
Early life
Kunikida Doppo was born in ChōshiChoshi, Chiba
is a city located on the Pacific Ocean coast of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is the easternmost city in the Greater Tokyo Area. The easternmost point in the Greater Tokyo Area is Cape Inubō....
, Chiba prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
. His real name was Kunikida Tetsuo. While some doubt exists as to his biological father, Doppo was raised by his mother and her samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
-class husband. The family moved to 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...
in 1874, but relocated to Yamaguchi prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
and Doppo grew up in Iwakuni. The rural area of Choshu left Doppo with a love of nature and influenced the naturalism which later appeared in his literature. Doppo quit school in order to help support his family in 1888, but left for school in Tokyo in 1889.
He studied at the English department of Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō (now Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
). Interested in western democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, his politically defiant attitude toward the school's administration resulted in his expulsion from the school in 1891. When he was 21 years old, he was baptized by Uemura Masahisa
Uemura Masahisa
thumb|200px|Rev.Uemura Masahisa was a Japanese Christian pastor, theologian and critic of Meiji and Taishō periods.Uemura was the eldest son of Tojuiro and Tei, of the family of hatamoto . His birth name was Michitarō. Though his family was wealthy, they fell into bankruptcy at the time of the...
and became a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
. His religion and the poetry of William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
influenced his later writing style.
Literary career
Doppo founded a literary magazineLiterary 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...
Seinen bungaku ("Literature for Youth") in 1892 and began his journal Azamaukazaru no ki ("An Honest Record") in 1893, the same year he began teaching English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, mathematics, and history in Saiki, another rural area of Japan.
In 1894, he joined the news staff of the Kokumin Shimbun as a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
. His reports from the front during the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
, which were collected and re-published after his death as Aitei Tsushin, ("Communiques to a Dear Brother") found high favor among the readers.
The following year Doppo settled with his parents in Tokyo, where he edited the magazine Kokumin no Tomo ("The Nation's Friend") and met his future wife, Sasaki Nobuko, on whom Arishima Takeo
Arishima Takeo
was a Japanese novelist, short-story writer and essayist during the late Meiji and Taishō periods. His two younger brothers, and were also authors.-Early life:...
is thought to have based his famous novel Aru Onna
A Certain Woman
A Certain Woman is a Japanese novel by Arishima Takeo. The novel was written between 1911–1919. It deals with woman's place in Japanese society.-Release details:...
. Against her parent's wishes (Nobuko's mother encouraged her to commit suicide rather than marry Doppo), the couple was married in November 1895. Doppo's ensuing financial difficulties caused the pregnant Nobuko to divorce him after only five months. The failed marriage had a traumatic effect on Doppo, and his depression and mental anguish over the separation can be seen in Azamukazaru no Ki ("An Honest Diary"), published from 1908–1909.
Shortly after his divorce, Doppo turned to the genre of romantic poetry when co-authored an anthology, Jojoshi ("Lyric Poems"), in 1897 with Tayama Katai and Matsuoka Kunio (a.k.a. Yanagita Kunio). Around this time Doppo published several poems that would eventually be collected in Doppo gin as well as the short story, Gen Oji ("Old Gen"). Through his poetic style, Kunikida introduced a fresh current into romantic lyrical literature.
Doppo remarried in 1898, to Enomoto Haruko, and published his first short-story collection, Musashino ("The Musashi Plain") in 1901, which portrayed people who fall behind the times.
However, Doppo's style began to change. Although Haru no Tori ("Spring Birds"), written in 1904, reportedly reached the highest level of romanticism in his era, his later works, such as Kyushi ("A Poor Man's Death") and Take no Kido (The Bamboo Gate), Kunikada indicate that he was turning more towards naturalism
Naturalism (literature)
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character...
over romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
.
Following the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
in 1905, Doppo started a publishing business that went bankrupt two years later. He contracted tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1907 and died from the disease in 1908 at the age of 36. His grave is at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
In English
- River Mist & Other Stories. Kodansha America (1983) ISBN 087011591X
- Selected stories of Doppo Kunikida. Shichosha. ASIN: B00087VZWW
External links
- Literary Figures of Kamakura
- e-texts of Doppo's works at Aozora bunkoAozora BunkoAozora Bunko is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-of-copyright books or works that the authors wish to make freely available....
- Doppo Kunikida's grave