Yamamoto Shugoro
Encyclopedia
was the pen name
of , a Japanese
novelist and short-story
writer active during the Showa period
of Japan
. He was noted for his popular literature, and is known to have published works under at least fourteen different pen names.
city in Yamanashi prefecture
, to a family in impoverished circumstances. Lack of money forced him to drop out of secondary school, but he continued his education part time, while living as a boarder above a used books store. His pen-name came from the name of the store where he lived.
called Sumadera fukin, and a stage drama in three acts, called Horinji iki, which were both published in 1926. His early works were aimed primarily at children. In 1932, he turned to popular stories for adults with Dadara Dambei, which received little serious notice from the literary world, so he continued to write popular detective stories
and adventure stories for juvenile audiences. These included a series of short stories with samurai
themes from 1940–1945, and stories on heroic historical women from 1942–1945, both themes being preeminently suitable for wartime Japan
.
His preference for historically-themed writings
carried over into the postwar era, with Momi no ki wa nokotta (The Fir Trees Remain) and the Flower Mat. His works are characterized by a marked sympathy for the underdog, a dislike of authority, and with homage to traditional, popular virtues. His Nihon Fujin Fudoki (Lives of Great Japanese Women) was nominated for the 17th Naoki Award, one of Japan’s most prestigious literary prizes, but Shūgorō refused to accept, stating modestly that his “popular writings” should not be considered “literature”.
Many of his works were turned into movies
(Takashi Miike
filmed his novel Sabu), or into television series.
Yamamoto died in Yokohama
of acute pneumonia
, and his grave is at the Kamakura
Public Cemetery.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of , a Japanese
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...
novelist and short-story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer active during the 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...
of 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 was noted for his popular literature, and is known to have published works under at least fourteen different pen names.
Early life
Yamamoto was born in what is now OtsukiOtsuki, Yamanashi
is a city located in Yamanashi, Japan. It was founded on August 8, 1954. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 29,803 and the density of 106 persons per km². The total area is 280.30 km².-Kōshū Kaidō:...
city in Yamanashi prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
, to a family in impoverished circumstances. Lack of money forced him to drop out of secondary school, but he continued his education part time, while living as a boarder above a used books store. His pen-name came from the name of the store where he lived.
Literary career
Yamamoto's literary debut was with a short storyShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
called Sumadera fukin, and a stage drama in three acts, called Horinji iki, which were both published in 1926. His early works were aimed primarily at children. In 1932, he turned to popular stories for adults with Dadara Dambei, which received little serious notice from the literary world, so he continued to write popular 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...
and adventure stories for juvenile audiences. These included a series of short stories with 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...
themes from 1940–1945, and stories on heroic historical women from 1942–1945, both themes being preeminently suitable for wartime Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
.
His preference for historically-themed writings
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
carried over into the postwar era, with Momi no ki wa nokotta (The Fir Trees Remain) and the Flower Mat. His works are characterized by a marked sympathy for the underdog, a dislike of authority, and with homage to traditional, popular virtues. His Nihon Fujin Fudoki (Lives of Great Japanese Women) was nominated for the 17th Naoki Award, one of Japan’s most prestigious literary prizes, but Shūgorō refused to accept, stating modestly that his “popular writings” should not be considered “literature”.
Many of his works were turned into movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
(Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike
is a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over seventy theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing fifteen productions...
filmed his novel Sabu), or into television series.
Yamamoto died in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
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...
, and his grave is at the 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...
Public Cemetery.
Legacy
A literary prize, the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize, was established in 1987 on the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Shinchō Society for the Promotion of Literary Arts (Shinchō Bungei Shinkō Kai). It is awarded annually to a new work of fiction considered to exemplify the art of storytelling. The winner receives a commemorative gift and a cash award of 1 million yen.Major works
- Lives of Great Japanese Women (日本婦道記, 1942–1945)
- The Fir Trees Remain (樅ノ木は残った, 1954–1958)
- The Tales Of Dr. Redbeard (赤ひげ診療譚, 1958)
- The Tale Of Blue Beka Boat (青べか物語, 1960)
- A City Without Seasons (季節のない街, 1962)
- Sabu (さぶ, 1963)
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
- SanjuroSanjurois a 1962 black-and-white Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune. It is a sequel to Kurosawa's previous film Yojimbo, with Mifune reprising his role as a wandering ronin...
, Akira Kurosawa's film adaptation of the short story Peaceful Days