Yaho Kitabatake
Encyclopedia
was a poet and children's fiction writer in Showa period
Japan
.
, Aomori Prefecture
as the sixth of ten children. After her graduation from high school, she moved to Tokyo
and attended the Jissen Women's University, but was forced to drop out due to illness (tuberculosis
spondylitis) after around 18 months. She returned to Aomori and found employment as a substitute teacher in 1924, but continued to struggle with her sickness. In 1926, she published her initial works in the literary magazine
Kaizo
. Around this time, she also met fellow writer Fukada Kyuya, with whom she started to live with as his common law
wife.
With Fukada, she returned to Tokyo in 1929, living at first in Abiko, Chiba
followed by Honjo
in Tokyo. Although they were living together as husband and wife, Fukada never officially registered the marriage with the city office due to strong opposition from his family over Yao's weak health.
Yao continued to write, but as her writing was affected by her strong Tohoku accent and lack of higher education, she relied on Fukada to copy edit her works. Fukada had the works published under his own name, and soon was receiving fame and adulation as a brilliant new author, not to mention the royalties from the works. However, leading literary critics Kobayashi Hideo
and Kawabata Yasunari eventually realized that Asunarao and Fukada's previous work Orokko no musume were not Fukada's works at all, but had been copy-edited (or to put it less charitably, plagiarized) from the writings of Kitabatake Yao; the scandal nearly ended Fukada's credibility as a writer
In March 1940, Fukada formally married Kitabatake Yao. However, in May 1941, Fukada happened to be reunited with his first love, Koba Shigeko (the daughter of Nakamura Mitsuo) in a chance meeting, and by August 1942, Shigeko gave birth to his illegitimate child. Yao soon found out about the affair, and Fukada quickly enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army
and fled to wartime China rather than return home.
mandated territories, who have come to live in a village in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. Although separated from their parents and elder brother, whom they miss very much, they are comforted and encouraged by kindly rural people surrounding them.
In 1948, Yao moved in with author and literary critic Shiroyanagi Yoshihiko (1921–1992) almost 20 years her junior. They lived together in Kamakura, Kanagawa
until her death of jaundice
at the age of 78.
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
Kitabatake Yaho was born in Aomori cityAomori, Aomori
is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...
, Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
as the sixth of ten children. After her graduation from high school, she 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...
and attended the Jissen Women's University, but was forced to drop out due to illness (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...
spondylitis) after around 18 months. She returned to Aomori and found employment as a substitute teacher in 1924, but continued to struggle with her sickness. In 1926, she published her initial works in 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...
Kaizo
Kaizo (magazine)
Kaizō was a Japanese general-interest magazine that started publication during the Taishō period and printed many articles of socialist content...
. Around this time, she also met fellow writer Fukada Kyuya, with whom she started to live with as his common law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
wife.
With Fukada, she returned to Tokyo in 1929, living at first in Abiko, Chiba
Abiko, Chiba
is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the town had an estimated population of 134,154 and a population density of 3110 persons per km²...
followed by Honjo
Honjo
Honjō or Honjo can refer to:Places* Honjō, Akita* Honjō, Nagano* Honjō, Ōita* Honjō, Saitama* Honjo StadiumPeople* Shigeru HonjōFictional characters* Mika Honjō of Ginban Kaleidoscope* Ren Honjo of Nana----...
in Tokyo. Although they were living together as husband and wife, Fukada never officially registered the marriage with the city office due to strong opposition from his family over Yao's weak health.
Yao continued to write, but as her writing was affected by her strong Tohoku accent and lack of higher education, she relied on Fukada to copy edit her works. Fukada had the works published under his own name, and soon was receiving fame and adulation as a brilliant new author, not to mention the royalties from the works. However, leading literary critics Kobayashi Hideo
Kobayashi Hideo
was a Japanese author, who established literary criticism as an independent art form in Japan.-Early life:Kobayashi was born in the Kanda district of Tokyo. He studied French literature at Tokyo Imperial University and graduated in 1927...
and Kawabata Yasunari eventually realized that Asunarao and Fukada's previous work Orokko no musume were not Fukada's works at all, but had been copy-edited (or to put it less charitably, plagiarized) from the writings of Kitabatake Yao; the scandal nearly ended Fukada's credibility as a writer
In March 1940, Fukada formally married Kitabatake Yao. However, in May 1941, Fukada happened to be reunited with his first love, Koba Shigeko (the daughter of Nakamura Mitsuo) in a chance meeting, and by August 1942, Shigeko gave birth to his illegitimate child. Yao soon found out about the affair, and Fukada quickly enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
and fled to wartime China rather than return home.
Literary career
In 1947, Yao formally divorced Fukada. She had already published her first story for children in a magazine called Ginga ("Galaxy") in 1946. The story was about sensitive and resilient children suffering from the loss of their parents and siblings during the war. This was followed by Jiro Buchin Nikki which was first serialized in Ginga from January to December 1947 and then published in book form the next year by Shinchosha. It is a full-length story of Jiro and his younger sister (nicknamed Buchin) repatriated from Japan's South PacificOceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
mandated territories, who have come to live in a village in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. Although separated from their parents and elder brother, whom they miss very much, they are comforted and encouraged by kindly rural people surrounding them.
In 1948, Yao moved in with author and literary critic Shiroyanagi Yoshihiko (1921–1992) almost 20 years her junior. They lived together in Kamakura, Kanagawa
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...
until her death of jaundice
Jaundice
Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...
at the age of 78.
See also
- List of Japanese authors