Shiga Naoya
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
novel
ist and short story
writer active during the Taishō
and Showa
periods of Japan
.
city, Miyagi prefecture
. His father, the son of a samurai
, was a banker. The family moved to Tokyo
when Shiga was three, to live with his grandparents, who were largely responsible for raising him. Shiga's mother died when he was thirteen and his father remarried not long after. Shiga graduated from the Gakushuin
Peer's School and attended Tokyo Imperial University, where he met Uchimura Kanzō
(who converted him to Christianity
). However, he left university without graduating.
. His literary career began with a handwritten literary magazine
Boya ("Perspective"), which was circulated within their literary group at the school. In 1910 Shiga contributed the story Abashiri made ("To Abashiri") to the first issue of the literary magazine
Shirakaba ("White Birch").
In longer works, Shiga generally adhered to the indigenous I Novel
literary form, which uses the author's subjective recollection of his own experiences, but he established his reputation with a number of short stories, including Kamisori ("The Razor", 1910), Seibei no hyotan ("Seibei and the Gourd", 1913) and Manazuru ("Manazuru", 1920). These were followed by novels, including Otsu Junkichi (1912), Wakai ("Reconciliation", 1917), and his major work, An'ya Koro ("A Dark Night's Passing
", 1921–1937), which was serialized in the radical socialist
magazine Kaizō.
Shiga's terse style influenced many later writers, and was praised by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
and Agawa Hiroyuki. However, other contemporaries, notably Dazai Osamu, were strongly critical of this "sincere" style.
During his lifetime Shiga moved house more than 20 times. He wrote stories connected with most of the places he lived in, including Kinosaki ni te ("At Cape Kinosaki") and Sasaki no bai ("In the case of Sasaki"). He lived in the hot spring resort town of Atami, Shizuoka
from the war years onwards. Frequent visitors to his house included the writer Hirotsu Kazuo
and the film director Yasujirō Ozu
.
by the Japanese government in 1949.
Shiga suffered the fate of many authors who are successful in their early years, combined with the fatal weakness of authors specializing in the autobiographical novel
– after a while there is little or nothing left to write about. During the last 35 years of his life he occasionally appeared as a guest writer in various literary journals, where he reminisced about his early association with various Shirakaba school writers, or his former interest in Christianity, and he was given the title Shosetsu no Kami-sama (“God of Fiction”) by his fans, but he produced very little new work. He died of pneumonia
, after a long illness, at the age of 88.
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...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist 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 Taishō
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
and Showa
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...
periods 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...
.
Early life
Shiga was born in IshinomakiIshinomaki, Miyagi
is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2010, the city had an estimated population of 164,294 and a population density of 295.83 persons per km²...
city, Miyagi prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
. His father, the son of a 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...
, was a banker. 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...
when Shiga was three, to live with his grandparents, who were largely responsible for raising him. Shiga's mother died when he was thirteen and his father remarried not long after. Shiga graduated from the Gakushuin
Gakushuin
The or Peers School is an educational institution founded in Tokyo in 1877, during the Meiji period, for the education of the children of the Japanese aristocracy, though it eventually also opened its doors to the offspring of extremely wealthy commoners...
Peer's School and attended Tokyo Imperial University, where he met Uchimura Kanzō
Uchimura Kanzo
was a Japanese author, Christian evangelist, and the founder of the Nonchurch Movement of Christianity in the Meiji and Taishō period Japan.-Early life:...
(who converted him to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
). However, he left university without graduating.
Literary career
While Shiga was at the Gakushuin he became friends with Saneatsu Mushanokōji and Kinoshita RigenKinoshita Rigen
Viscount was the pen-name of Japanese author Kinoshita Toshiharu, noted for his tanka poetry, active in Meiji period and Taishō period Japan.-Early life:...
. His literary career began with a handwritten literary magazine
Literary 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...
Boya ("Perspective"), which was circulated within their literary group at the school. In 1910 Shiga contributed the story Abashiri made ("To Abashiri") to the first issue of the literary magazine
Literary 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...
Shirakaba ("White Birch").
In longer works, Shiga generally adhered to the indigenous I Novel
I Novel
is a literary genre in Japanese literature used to describe a type of confessional literature where the events in the story correspond to events in the author's life. This genre was founded based on the Japanese reception of Naturalism during the Meiji period. Many authors believed form reflected...
literary form, which uses the author's subjective recollection of his own experiences, but he established his reputation with a number of short stories, including Kamisori ("The Razor", 1910), Seibei no hyotan ("Seibei and the Gourd", 1913) and Manazuru ("Manazuru", 1920). These were followed by novels, including Otsu Junkichi (1912), Wakai ("Reconciliation", 1917), and his major work, An'ya Koro ("A Dark Night's Passing
A Dark Night's Passing
A Dark Night's Passing is the only full-length novel by Japanese writer Shiga Naoya. It was written in serialized form and published in Kaizo in between 1921 and 1937...
", 1921–1937), which was serialized in the radical socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
magazine Kaizō.
Shiga's terse style influenced many later writers, and was praised by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Ryunosuke Akutagawa
was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story". He committed suicide at age of 35 through an overdose of barbital.-Early life:...
and Agawa Hiroyuki. However, other contemporaries, notably Dazai Osamu, were strongly critical of this "sincere" style.
During his lifetime Shiga moved house more than 20 times. He wrote stories connected with most of the places he lived in, including Kinosaki ni te ("At Cape Kinosaki") and Sasaki no bai ("In the case of Sasaki"). He lived in the hot spring resort town of Atami, Shizuoka
Atami, Shizuoka
is a city located in the eastern end of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 39,755 and a population density of 645 people per km². The total area is 61.56 km².-Geography:...
from the war years onwards. Frequent visitors to his house included the writer Hirotsu Kazuo
Hirotsu Kazuo
was a novelist and literary critic active in the Shōwa period Japan.-Early life:Hirotsu was born in Tokyo as the second son of the novelist Hirotsu Ryurō. He had problems completing middle school due to his complete incompetence in mathematics...
and the film director Yasujirō Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...
.
Later life
Shiga was awarded the Order of CultureOrder of Culture
The is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art, literature or culture; recipients of the order also receive an annuity for life...
by the Japanese government in 1949.
Shiga suffered the fate of many authors who are successful in their early years, combined with the fatal weakness of authors specializing in the autobiographical novel
Autobiographical novel
An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fiction elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction...
– after a while there is little or nothing left to write about. During the last 35 years of his life he occasionally appeared as a guest writer in various literary journals, where he reminisced about his early association with various Shirakaba school writers, or his former interest in Christianity, and he was given the title Shosetsu no Kami-sama (“God of Fiction”) by his fans, but he produced very little new work. He died of 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...
, after a long illness, at the age of 88.
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
Translation
- Dunlop, Lane, The Paper Door and Other Stories by Shiga Naoya, San Francisco: North Point, 1987. ISBN 0-86547-419-2