Shimazaki Toson
Encyclopedia
is the pen-name of Shimazaki Haruki, a Japanese
author
, active in the Meiji
, Taishō
and early Shōwa period
s of Japan
. He began his career as a romantic poet, but went on to establish himself as a major proponent of naturalism
in Japanese fiction.
, Gifu Prefecture
and spent his childhood in the old post town of Magome-juku in the countryside of the Kiso District
, which he left in 1881. He subsequently wrote about many aspects of life in this area, including in his most famous novel Before the Dawn, which was modeled on the life of his father, Shimazaki Masaki, who went insane and died by the time Tōson was fourteen, leading to Tōson being raised by friends of his family. Later, his oldest sister would also die from mental disorders. Tōson later described his nature as "melancholy inherited from my parents."
Tōson graduated from Meiji Gakuin University
in 1891, and the following year he began teaching English at Meiji Women's School. Around this time, he became interested in literature through his friendship with essayist and translator Kochō Baba (馬場孤蝶 Baba Kochō) and Shūkotsu Togawa (戸川秋骨 Togawa Shūkotsu). Tōson joined a literary group associated with the literary magazine
Bungakukai (文學界) and he also began to contribute translations to Jogaku Zasshi (女学雑誌 Magazine of Women's Learning). The suicide in 1894 of his close friend, the Romantic writer Kitamura Tokoku
, came as a great shock and would have a major impact on Tōson's own writings.
In late 1895 Tōson resigned his teaching position in Tokyo. The following year he moved to Sendai
in northern Japan to accept a teaching position at Tohoku Gakuin University
. His first verse collection, Wakanashū (若菜集 Collection of Young Herbs, 1897) was published while he was in Sendai, and its success launched him on his future career.
His first novel, The Broken Commandment
(破戒 Hakai) was published in 1906. It was considered a landmark in Japanese realism and is thus regarded as the first Japanese naturalist
novel. It is a story of a burakumin
schoolteacher, who keeps his out-caste status secret until near the end of the story. While he was writing, each of his three children died of illness.
His second novel, Haru (春 Spring, 1908) is a lyrical and sentimental autobiographical account of his youthful days with the Bungakukai group of writers.
His third novel, Ie (家 Family, 1910–1911) is considered by many to be his masterpiece. It depicts the slow moving decline of two provincial families to whom the protagonist is related.
Tōson created a major scandal with his next novel, Shinsei (新生 New Life, 1918–1919). A more emotional work than Ie, it is an autobiographical account of his own extramarital relations with his niece, Komako, and the knowledge that her father (his elder brother) knew of the incestuous affair, but concealed it. When Komako became pregnant, Tōson fled to France
to avoid the confrontation with his relatives, abandoning the girl. Tōson attempts to justify his behavior by revealing that his father had committed a similar sin and that he could not avoid the curse of his lineage. The general public did not see it that way and Tōson was censured on many fronts for his behavior and for what was perceived as a gross vulgarity by attempting to capitalize on the disgraceful incident by turning it into a novel.
On his return to Japan, Tōson accepted a teaching post at Waseda University
. He then wrote Yoakemae (夜明け前 Before the Dawn, 1929–1935) starting in 1929, a historical novel about the Meiji Restoration
from the point of view of a provincial activist in the Kokugaku
(Nativism or National Learning) school of Hirata Atsutane
. The hero, Aoyama Hanzō, is a thinly veiled representation of Tōson's father, Shimazaki Masaki. After greeting the restoration of direct rule by the Emperor as a restoration of Japanese national tradition, the protagonist ends up dying in bitterness and disappointment. Yoake mae was serialized in the literary magazine Chūō kōron over a six-year period and was later released as a two-part novel.
In 1935, Tōson became the founding chairman of the Japanese chapter of the International PEN
organization. In 1936 he traveled to Buenos Aires to represent Japan at the International PEN Club meeting there, also visiting the United States and Europe on this trip. In 1943, he began serializing Tōhō no mon (東方の門 The Gate to the East), a sequel to Yoake mae,but it was left unfinished when Tōson died of a stroke at the age of 71, in 1943. His grave is at the temple of Jifuku-ji, in Ōiso
, Kanagawa Prefecture
.
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:...
, active in the Meiji
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 :...
, 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 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...
s 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 began his career as a romantic poet, but went on to establish himself as a major proponent of 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...
in Japanese fiction.
Early life
Tōson was born in what is now part of the city of NakatsugawaNakatsugawa, Gifu
is a city located in the Tōnō region of Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1952.-History:During Japan's Edo period, Nakatsugawa was a post town, known as Nakatsugawa-juku, one of the 69 Stations of the Nakasendō along the Nakasendō. The travel route ran from the Nihonbashi in...
, Gifu Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
and spent his childhood in the old post town of Magome-juku in the countryside of the Kiso District
Kiso District, Nagano
is a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.As of November 1, 2005, the district has an estimated population of 34,759. The total area is 1,546.26 km².Historically, the district was once known as Nishichikuma District until May 1, 1968....
, which he left in 1881. He subsequently wrote about many aspects of life in this area, including in his most famous novel Before the Dawn, which was modeled on the life of his father, Shimazaki Masaki, who went insane and died by the time Tōson was fourteen, leading to Tōson being raised by friends of his family. Later, his oldest sister would also die from mental disorders. Tōson later described his nature as "melancholy inherited from my parents."
Tōson graduated from Meiji Gakuin University
Meiji Gakuin University
is one of the Christian universities in Tokyo and Yokohama which was established in 1863. The Reverend Dr. James Curtis Hepburn was one of the founders and the first president...
in 1891, and the following year he began teaching English at Meiji Women's School. Around this time, he became interested in literature through his friendship with essayist and translator Kochō Baba (馬場孤蝶 Baba Kochō) and Shūkotsu Togawa (戸川秋骨 Togawa Shūkotsu). Tōson joined a literary group associated with 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...
Bungakukai (文學界) and he also began to contribute translations to Jogaku Zasshi (女学雑誌 Magazine of Women's Learning). The suicide in 1894 of his close friend, the Romantic writer Kitamura Tokoku
Kitamura Tokoku
was the pen name of Kitamura Montarō , a Japanese poet, essayist, and one of the founders of the modern Japanese romantic literary movement in the late Meiji period of Japan.- Early life :...
, came as a great shock and would have a major impact on Tōson's own writings.
In late 1895 Tōson resigned his teaching position in Tokyo. The following year he moved to Sendai
Sendai, Miyagi
is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku Region. In 2005, the city had a population of one million, and was one of Japan's 19 designated cities...
in northern Japan to accept a teaching position at Tohoku Gakuin University
Tohoku Gakuin University
is a private university in Sendai, Japan. It was founded under a Christian background is a private university in Sendai, Japan. It was founded under a Christian background is a private university in Sendai, Japan. It was founded under a Christian background (specifically the German Reformed...
. His first verse collection, Wakanashū (若菜集 Collection of Young Herbs, 1897) was published while he was in Sendai, and its success launched him on his future career.
Literary career
Tōson was lauded by literary critics for the establishment of a new Japanese verse form in Wakanashu and as one of the creators of the Meiji Romanticism (明治浪漫主義 Meiji Rōman Shugi) literary movement. He eventually published four other collections of poems, but after the turn of the century he turned his talents to prose fiction.His first novel, The Broken Commandment
The Broken Commandment
The Broken Commandment is a Japanese novel written by Tōson Shimazaki published in 1906 under the title Hakai The Broken Commandment. The novel deals with the burakumin, formerly known as eta...
(破戒 Hakai) was published in 1906. It was considered a landmark in Japanese realism and is thus regarded as the first Japanese naturalist
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...
novel. It is a story of a burakumin
Burakumin
are a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and Japanese residents of Korean and Chinese descent....
schoolteacher, who keeps his out-caste status secret until near the end of the story. While he was writing, each of his three children died of illness.
His second novel, Haru (春 Spring, 1908) is a lyrical and sentimental autobiographical account of his youthful days with the Bungakukai group of writers.
His third novel, Ie (家 Family, 1910–1911) is considered by many to be his masterpiece. It depicts the slow moving decline of two provincial families to whom the protagonist is related.
Tōson created a major scandal with his next novel, Shinsei (新生 New Life, 1918–1919). A more emotional work than Ie, it is an autobiographical account of his own extramarital relations with his niece, Komako, and the knowledge that her father (his elder brother) knew of the incestuous affair, but concealed it. When Komako became pregnant, Tōson fled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to avoid the confrontation with his relatives, abandoning the girl. Tōson attempts to justify his behavior by revealing that his father had committed a similar sin and that he could not avoid the curse of his lineage. The general public did not see it that way and Tōson was censured on many fronts for his behavior and for what was perceived as a gross vulgarity by attempting to capitalize on the disgraceful incident by turning it into a novel.
On his return to Japan, Tōson accepted a teaching post at 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...
. He then wrote Yoakemae (夜明け前 Before the Dawn, 1929–1935) starting in 1929, a historical novel about the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
from the point of view of a provincial activist in the Kokugaku
Kokugaku
Kokugaku was a National revival, or, school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Tokugawa period...
(Nativism or National Learning) school of Hirata Atsutane
Hirata Atsutane
was a Japanese scholar, conventionally ranked as one of the four great men of kokugaku studies, and one of the most significant theologians of the Shintō religion. His literary name was Ibukinoya.-Life and thought:...
. The hero, Aoyama Hanzō, is a thinly veiled representation of Tōson's father, Shimazaki Masaki. After greeting the restoration of direct rule by the Emperor as a restoration of Japanese national tradition, the protagonist ends up dying in bitterness and disappointment. Yoake mae was serialized in the literary magazine Chūō kōron over a six-year period and was later released as a two-part novel.
In 1935, Tōson became the founding chairman of the Japanese chapter of the International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
organization. In 1936 he traveled to Buenos Aires to represent Japan at the International PEN Club meeting there, also visiting the United States and Europe on this trip. In 1943, he began serializing Tōhō no mon (東方の門 The Gate to the East), a sequel to Yoake mae,but it was left unfinished when Tōson died of a stroke at the age of 71, in 1943. His grave is at the temple of Jifuku-ji, in Ōiso
Oiso, Kanagawa
is a town located in Naka District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 32,725 and a density of 1,910 persons per km². The total area was 17.18 km².-Geography:...
, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
.
Published works
Tōson's major works include:- Wakanashū (若菜集 Collection of Young Herbs)
- The Broken CommandmentThe Broken CommandmentThe Broken Commandment is a Japanese novel written by Tōson Shimazaki published in 1906 under the title Hakai The Broken Commandment. The novel deals with the burakumin, formerly known as eta...
(破戒 Hakai) - Haru (春 Spring)
- Ie (家 Family)
- Shinsei (新生 New Life)
- Before the Dawn (夜明け前 Yoakemae)
External links
- Video: Dr. Shimizu's office, where the heroine of "Life of a Woman" by Tōson Shimazaki was hospitalized.
- Shimazaki Tōson Memorial Museum
- e-texts of 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....
site - Literary Figures of Kamakura
- Toson Shimazaki's grave