was a Japanese novelist of the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

. His real name was Akira Kawakami (川上亮, ''Kawakami Akira''). Born in

Osaka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture ...

, he dropped out of the school of liberal arts in

Tokyo University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

and joined Ken'yusha. After struggling with the rise of naturalist literature yet remaining a popular author until his death, he died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at age 40.

Aozora Bunko Aozora Bunko (, literally the "Blue Sky Library", also known as the "Open Air Library") is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-o ...

has a digitalized collection of his works.ºî²ÈÊÌºîÉÊ¥ê¥¹¥È¡§Àî¾å Èý»³
at www.aozora.gr.jp

Notes

University of Tokyo alumni People from Osaka Suicides by sharp instrument in Japan 1869 births 1908 suicides 1908 deaths 19th-century Japanese novelists 20th-century Japanese novelists {{Japan-writer-stub