Motojiro Kajii
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
author
in the early Shōwa period
of Japan
. He left masterpieces of poetic short stories such as "The Lemon", "Winter Days", and "Under the Cherry Trees". An obscure writer all his short life, his stories were praised by Kawabata
in several articles, and today his works are appreciated for their finely tuned self-observation and descriptive power.
As short his lifetime and body of work were, Kajii left a modest footprint on Japan's culture. His story "Lemon" being a staple of textbooks, many a high schooler emulated its protagonist's act of leaving a lemon in a department store. And his opening sentence is often quoted by Japanese people"Why is the Cherry Blossom (Sakura) cherished?" about the cherry-blossoms-watching custom of hanami
.
in 1901. He attended grade school in Tokyo from 1909 to 1911, middle school in Toba from 1911 to 1914, and Osaka Prefectural Kitano High School from 1914 to 1919. In September 1919, Kajii entered Kyoto
's famous Third Higher School (Kyoto-Sanko, a junior college
); while a student there, he was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis
in 1920.
); there, he helped his old high school friends found a literary coterie magazine, Aozora (青空; "Blue Skies").
In 1925, he published the short story "The Lemon" in Aozora.
From 1927 to 1928, Kajii spent several times in Yugashima on the Izu Peninsula
for his health. At this time, he visited the famous writer Yasunari Kawabata
and they became friends, playing go
together several times a week.
After Aozora stopped publishing in 1927, he wrote in Bungei Toshi (文芸都市; "The Literary City"), another literary coterie magazine.
and rested at home.
In 1931, his friends the famous poet Tatsuji Miyoshi
and Ryūzō Yodono, sensing his death near, decided to publish his first book , a collection of his short stories.
In 1932, he wrote his first novella for Chūōkōron
(中央公論), his first appearance in the commercial magazine, who had commissioned it.
But on March 24, 1932, tuberculosis took his life at age 31.
(Not listed are unpublished or unfinished stories, printed later in Complete Works.)
Books
- May 1931, collection (stories #1-18)
No dedicated book, but some short stories scattered:
Non-English translations
Reviews
Amateur translations (original texts are public domain)
Misc
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:...
in the early Shōwa 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 left masterpieces of poetic short stories such as "The Lemon", "Winter Days", and "Under the Cherry Trees". An obscure writer all his short life, his stories were praised by Kawabata
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...
in several articles, and today his works are appreciated for their finely tuned self-observation and descriptive power.
As short his lifetime and body of work were, Kajii left a modest footprint on Japan's culture. His story "Lemon" being a staple of textbooks, many a high schooler emulated its protagonist's act of leaving a lemon in a department store. And his opening sentence is often quoted by Japanese people"Why is the Cherry Blossom (Sakura) cherished?" about the cherry-blossoms-watching custom of hanami
Hanami
is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms or ume blossoms. From the end of March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan, and around the first of February on the island of Okinawa...
.
(1901–1924) Early life and education
Motojirō Kajii was born in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
in 1901. He attended grade school in Tokyo from 1909 to 1911, middle school in Toba from 1911 to 1914, and Osaka Prefectural Kitano High School from 1914 to 1919. In September 1919, Kajii entered 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:...
's famous Third Higher School (Kyoto-Sanko, a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
); while a student there, he was diagnosed with pulmonary 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 1920.
(1924–1928) Launching his literary career
In 1924, Kajii entered the Tokyo Imperial University (where he majored in English literatureEnglish literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
); there, he helped his old high school friends found a literary coterie magazine, Aozora (青空; "Blue Skies").
In 1925, he published the short story "The Lemon" in Aozora.
From 1927 to 1928, Kajii spent several times in Yugashima on the Izu Peninsula
Izu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
for his health. At this time, he visited the famous writer Yasunari Kawabata
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...
and they became friends, playing go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
together several times a week.
After Aozora stopped publishing in 1927, he wrote in Bungei Toshi (文芸都市; "The Literary City"), another literary coterie magazine.
(1928–1932) Late career and death
In September 1928, Kajii returned to OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and rested at home.
In 1931, his friends the famous poet Tatsuji Miyoshi
Tatsuji Miyoshi
was a Japanese poet, literary critic, and literary editor active during the Shōwa period of Japan. He is known for his rather lengthy free verse poetry, which often portray loneliness and isolation as part of contemporary life, but which are written in a complex, highly literary style reminiscent...
and Ryūzō Yodono, sensing his death near, decided to publish his first book , a collection of his short stories.
In 1932, he wrote his first novella for Chūōkōron
Chuokoron
is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly Japanese literary magazine is a monthly...
(中央公論), his first appearance in the commercial magazine, who had commissioned it.
But on March 24, 1932, tuberculosis took his life at age 31.
Japanese
Stories in magazines- - January 1925
- - 1925
- - October 1926
- - April 1927
- - December 1927
- - December 1927
- - December 1927
- - 1928
- - July 1928
- - June 1930
- - 1930
- - January 1931
- - 1932, novella
(Not listed are unpublished or unfinished stories, printed later in Complete Works.)
Books
- May 1931, collection (stories #1-18)
-
- -- posthumously -- - 1947 (ed. Takao Nakatani) Kyoto: Kōtō Shoin - 1948 (ed. Takao Nakatani) Kyoto: Kōtō Shoin - 1955, selected correspondence (ed. Takao Nakatani) - 1959 (ed. Takao Nakatani) Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō - 2000 (ed. Sadami Suzuki) Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō
Translations
English translationsNo dedicated book, but some short stories scattered:
- In scholar papers, such as:
- Kajii Motojiro: an anthology of short stories translated into English (1977)
- Three stories of Kajii Motojiro: a study and translation (1978)
- The Private World of Kajii Motojiro (1982)
- The Translator as Reader and Writer: English versions of Japanese short fiction by Kajii Motojiro (1982)
- In magazines, such as:
- "Translating Kajii Motojiro - includes translation of two stories 'The Ascension/drowning of K' and 'The lemon'" in The Literary Review (1996)
- In anthologies, such as:
- "Mating" in The Shōwa Anthology (1984)
- "Lemon" in The Oxford book of Japanese short stories (1997)
- "Mire" in Tokyo stories: a literary stroll (2002)
- "Lemon" in The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature, Vol. 1 (2005)
- In web pages, amateur translations on Internet (see external links below).
Non-English translations
- French: Le citron (1987, 1996) - partial translation of Remon (stories #1,8,9,10,11,13,16,18)
- Russian: Limon (2004) - full translation of Remon (stories #1-18)
Quotes
- " Dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! You have to believe it. Otherwise, you couldn't possibly explain the beauty of the cherry blossoms. I was restless, lately, because I couldn't believe in this beauty. But I have now finally understood: dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! You have to believe it. "
External links
General- A complete list of stories by Kajii (with literal English and Romaji titles) at Griffe - World's Literature
Reviews
- A short English review of the French partial edition of Remon in Bohème Magazine (July 2004)
Amateur translations (original texts are public domain)
- "An Inner Landscape" (tr. Tony Gonzalez)
- "Caress" (tr. Ursula Owen)
- "The Feeling on the Bluff" text and annotated Word format (tr. Ursula Owen)
- "Lemon" plus a comment (tr. C Seu)
- "Beneath the Cherry Trees" (tr. Morgan Giles)
- "Blue Sky" (tr. Morgan Giles)
Misc
- Matsusaka Castle Ruins, "The scenery which Kajii Motojiro loved" - the basis for "In a Castle Town"
- Audiobook in Japanese (mp3)
- Motojiro Kajii's grave