Yamaguchi Hitomi
Encyclopedia
was a popular novelist and essayist in Shōwa period
Japan
.
district of Tokyo
to a working class family. He was forced to support himself through college, attending the Kokugakuin University
. After graduation, he went to work for the publishing company, Kawade Shobo, but that company went bankrupt a couple of years later. He then found employment as the editor of a wine
magazine published by Kotobukiya (the forerunner of Suntory
); his colleagues at the same magazine included Kaikō Ken and Yanagihara Ryōhei. The advertising campaign he mounted popularized Hawaii
as a tourist destination as well as promoting Suntory whiskey.
Yamaguchi won the 1963 Naoki Prize
for his novel, Eburimanshi no yuga na seikatsu ("The Refined Lifestyle of Mr. Everyman"), which appeared serialized in the women's monthly magazine, Fujin Gaho, from 1961-2. This story about an average white-collar worker
in Tokyo set the tone for many of his future works, which mock the new affluence of urban society in the 1960s, in contrast to the bitter war and post-war period.
Other noted works are: Majime ningen ("A Serious Person"), Izakaya Choji, Ketsu zoku ("Blood Relations"), Kazoku (Family) and Waga machi ("Our Town"). Nanjamonja is a humorous account of travels around Japan.
Yamaguchi also wrote a biography on Yoshino Hideo, in which he describes his own experiences during the period he lived in Kamakura
, in the house next door to Kawabata Yasunari
from 1945-1948. During his time in Kamakura, he attended the Kamakura Academia, where his teachers included the philosopher and science historian, Saegusa Hiroto, the tanka
poet, Yoshino Hideo, and the novelist and poet, Takami Jun
. After that, he moved to Kunitachi, in the outskirts of Tokyo.
Dansei jishin ("Man Himself"), a series of witty essays about the joys and sorrows of everyday life, was serialized in the weekly magazine, Shukan Shincho, from 1963 until his death in 1995 for a total of 1,614 episodes.
Yamaguchi died in 1995. His grave is in Uraga
, Yokosuka, Kanagawa
.
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...
.
Early life
Yamaguchi was born in the AzabuAzabu
is an area within Minato in Tokyo, Japan, built on a marshy area of foothills south of central Tokyo. Its coverage roughly corresponds to that of the former Azabu Ward, presently consisting of nine official districts: Azabu-Jūban, Azabudai, Azabu-Nagasakachō, Azabu-Mamianachō, Nishi-Azabu,...
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...
to a working class family. He was forced to support himself through college, attending the Kokugakuin University
Kokugakuin University
Kokugakuin University is a private university, whose main office is located in Tokyo's Shibuya district...
. After graduation, he went to work for the publishing company, Kawade Shobo, but that company went bankrupt a couple of years later. He then found employment as the editor of a wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
magazine published by Kotobukiya (the forerunner of Suntory
Suntory
is a Japanese brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan. Its business has expanded to other fields, and the company now offers everything from soft drinks to sandwich chains...
); his colleagues at the same magazine included Kaikō Ken and Yanagihara Ryōhei. The advertising campaign he mounted popularized Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
as a tourist destination as well as promoting Suntory whiskey.
Literary career
Yamaguchi's true literary career started in 1954, when he began contributing works to the magazine of literary criticism, Gendai Hyoron ("Contemporary Criticism").Yamaguchi won the 1963 Naoki Prize
Naoki Prize
The Naoki Prize is a Japanese literary award presented semiannually. The official name is Naoki Sanjugo Prize. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo...
for his novel, Eburimanshi no yuga na seikatsu ("The Refined Lifestyle of Mr. Everyman"), which appeared serialized in the women's monthly magazine, Fujin Gaho, from 1961-2. This story about an average white-collar worker
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
in Tokyo set the tone for many of his future works, which mock the new affluence of urban society in the 1960s, in contrast to the bitter war and post-war period.
Other noted works are: Majime ningen ("A Serious Person"), Izakaya Choji, Ketsu zoku ("Blood Relations"), Kazoku (Family) and Waga machi ("Our Town"). Nanjamonja is a humorous account of travels around Japan.
Yamaguchi also wrote a biography on Yoshino Hideo, in which he describes his own experiences during the period he lived in Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
, in the house next door to Kawabata Yasunari
Yasunari Kawabata
was a Japanese short story writer and novelist whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award...
from 1945-1948. During his time in Kamakura, he attended the Kamakura Academia, where his teachers included the philosopher and science historian, Saegusa Hiroto, the tanka
Waka (poetry)
Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...
poet, Yoshino Hideo, and the novelist and poet, Takami Jun
Jun Takami
was the pen-name of a Japanese novelist and poet active in Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Takama Yoshio.-Early life:Jun Takami was born in Fukui city, Fukui Prefecture, as the illegitimate son of the prefecture's governor...
. After that, he moved to Kunitachi, in the outskirts of Tokyo.
Dansei jishin ("Man Himself"), a series of witty essays about the joys and sorrows of everyday life, was serialized in the weekly magazine, Shukan Shincho, from 1963 until his death in 1995 for a total of 1,614 episodes.
Yamaguchi died in 1995. His grave is in Uraga
Uraga
is a subdivision of the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located on the south eastern side of the Miura Peninsula, at the northern end of the Uraga Channel, at the entrance of Tokyo Bay.-History:...
, Yokosuka, Kanagawa
Yokosuka, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 419,067 and a population density of 4,160 people per km². It covered an area of 100.62 km²...
.