was a novelist and essayist in

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

Japan.

Early life

Yamaguchi was born in the

Azabu is an area in Minato,Tokyo, Japan. Built on a marshy area of foothills south of central Tokyo, its coverage roughly corresponds to that of the former Azabu Ward, presently consisting of nine official districts: Azabu-Jūban, Azabudai, Azabu ...

district of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

to a working-class family. He was forced to support himself through college, attending the Kokugakuin University. After graduation, he went to work for the publishing company Kawade Shobō, but that company went bankrupt a couple of years later. He then found employment as the editor of a

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

magazine published by Kotobukiya (the forerunner of

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...

); his colleagues at the same magazine included Kaikō Ken and Yanagihara Ryōhei. The advertising campaign he mounted popularized

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

as a tourist destination as well as promoting Suntory

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden cask ...

Literary career

Yamaguchi's true literary career started in 1954, when he began contributing works to the magazine of

literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

ism, ''Gendai Hyoron'' ("Contemporary Criticism"). Yamaguchi won the 1963 Naoki Prize for his novel, ("The Refined Lifestyle of Mr. Everyman"), which appeared serialized in the women's monthly magazine, ''

Fujin Gahō ''Fujin Gahō'' (婦人画報; ''Illustrated Women’s Gazette'') is a Japanese language monthly women's magazine in Japan. Founded in 1905, it is one of the oldest magazines in the country. History and profile ''Fujin Gahō'' was established in ...

'', from 1961-2. This story about an average

white-collar worker A white-collar worker is a person who performs professional, desk, managerial, or administrative work. White-collar work may be performed in an office or other administrative setting. White-collar workers include job paths related to government, ...

in Tokyo set the tone for many of his future works, which mock the new affluence of urban society in the 1960s, in contrast to the bitter war and post-war period. The novel was adapted into a film, ''

The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman is a 1963 Japanese Satire, satirical comedy film directed by Kihachi Okamoto and based on the Naoki Prize winning novel by Hitomi Yamaguchi. Plot Eburi, an advertising department employee, promises two women's magazine editors to write a masterp ...

'', directed by

Kihachi Okamoto was a Japanese film director who worked in several different genres. Career Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted into the Air Force 1943 and entered World War II, an experience that had a profound effect on his late ...

. Other noted works are: ''Majime ningen'' ("A Serious Person"), ''Izakaya Choji'', ''Ketsu zoku'' ("Blood Relations"), ''Kazoku'' (Family) and ''Waga machi'' ("Our Town"). ''Nanjamonja'' is a humorous account of travels around Japan. Yamaguchi also wrote a biography on

Yoshino Hideo was a ''tanka'' poet in Shōwa period Japan. Early life Yoshino was born in Takasaki city, Gumma prefecture, as the second son in a family of textile wholesalers. Of weak constitution, he was raised by his grandmother in Tomioka, Gunma. He enrol ...

, in which he describes his own experiences during the period he lived in

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

, in the house next door to

Kawabata Yasunari was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal an ...

from 1945-1948. During his time in Kamakura, he attended the , where his teachers included the philosopher and science historian, , the ''

tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the ''Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short poem ...

'' poet, Yoshino Hideo, and the novelist and poet,

Takami Jun was the pen-name of a Japanese novelist and poet active in Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Takami Yoshio. Early life Takami was born in Mikuni, Fukui (part of the present-day city of Sakai),Kunitachi 250px, Daigaku-dori and sakura is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 76,423 in 38,825 households, and a population density of 9,400 persons per km2. Approximately 41.9% of ...

, in the outskirts of Tokyo. ''Dansei jishin'' ("Man Himself"), a series of witty essays about the joys and sorrows of everyday life, was serialized in the weekly magazine, ''Shukan Shincho'', from 1963 until his death in 1995 for a total of 1,614 episodes. Yamaguchi was an amateur

shogi , also known as Japanese chess, is a strategy board game for two players. It is one of the most popular board games in Japan and is in the same family of games as Western chess, ''chaturanga, Xiangqi'', Indian chess, and '' janggi''. ''Shōgi'' ...

player and published a book chronicling his games against

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

players fought with a rook handicap (''hisha ochi'') advantage. His opponents included Yasuharu Ōyama,

Makoto Nakahara is a retired Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan. He is one of the strongest shogi players of the Shōwa period (1926–1989) and holds the titles of Lifetime Kisei, Lifetime Meijin, , Lifetime Ōi, and Lifetime ...

, Kunio Yonenaga, among others.. Yamaguchi died in 1995. His grave is in

Uraga, Kanagawa is a subdivision of the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located on the south eastern side of the Miura Peninsula, at the northern end of the Uraga Channel, at the entrance of Tokyo Bay. History With the establishment of the T ...

Explanatory notes

External links

Literary Figures of Kamakura
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamaguchi, Hitomi 1926 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Japanese novelists Japanese essayists Japanese literary critics People from Tokyo Naoki Prize winners 20th-century essayists Japanese shogi players

Early life

Literary career

See also

Explanatory notes

External links