was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories, poetry and essays, noted for his historical and autobiographical fiction. His most acclaimed works include '' The Bullfight'' (''Tōgyū'', 1949), ''The Roof Tile of Tempyō'' (''Tenpyō no iraka'', 1957) and ''Tun-huang'' (''Tonkō'', 1959).

Biography

Inoue was born into a family of physicians in

Asahikawa, Hokkaido is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiyama ...

in 1907, and later raised in Yugashima,

Izu Izu may refer to: Places *Izu Province, a part of modern-day Shizuoka prefecture in Japan **Izu, Shizuoka, a city in Shizuoka prefecture **Izu Peninsula, near Tokyo **Izu Islands, located off the Izu Peninsula People with the surname

*, Japane ...

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

. He was born in Hokkaido but is from Shizuoka Prefecture. In his essay "Hometown Izu", he wrote, "I was born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, but in the yearbooks and directories, most of my birthplace is Shizuoka Prefecture. When I write it myself, I write it separately from Asahikawa as my place of birth and Shizuoka Prefecture as my birthplace...". In My History of Self-Formation, he wrote, "It seems safe to assume that Izu, where I spent my childhood, was my true hometown, and that everything that would form the basis of my person was created here." During his high school years, he was an active practitioner of

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

. He first studied law and literature at

Kyushu University , abbreviated to , is a Japanese national university located in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu. It was the 4th Imperial University in Japan, ranked as 4th in 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, one of the top 10 Design ...

and later changed to philosophy at

Kyoto University , mottoeng = Freedom of academic culture , established = , type = National university, Public (National) , endowment = ¥ 316 billion (2.4 1000000000 (number), billion USD) , faculty = 3,480 (Teaching Staff) , administrative_staff ...

, where he graduated in 1936 with a degree in aesthetics and a thesis on

Paul Valéry Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry (; 30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945) was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction (drama and dialogues), his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, mus ...

. After winning the Chiba Kameo Prize for his early work ''Ryūten'', Inoue started working for the ''

Mainichi Shimbun The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English language news website called ''The Mainichi'' (previ ...

''. In 1937, he was drafted into the Sino-Japanese War, but soon returned due to illness and resumed his occupation at the ''Mainichi Shimbun''. His military service in northern China brought forth his interest in Chinese history. After the end of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

, Inoue won critical acclaim with his 1949 novellas ''

The Hunting Gun is a Japanese novella by Yasushi Inoue first published in 1949. Spanning in time between the mid 1930s and late 1940s, it tells the story of a love affair between a married man and his wife's cousin, recounted through three long letters. Plot In ...

'' (''Ryōjū'') and ''The Bullfight'', the latter earning him the

Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History The ...

. In the following years, he published several novels and short stories in a variety of genres: contemporary love stories, stories addressing social and political aspects of post-war Japan like ''

Kuroi Ushio is the first full-length novel by Japanese writer Yasushi Inoue, set against the background of the 1949 Shimoyama incident. It first appeared in serialised form in the literary magazine ''Bungei Shunjū (magazine), Bungei Shunjū'' in 1950 and l ...

'', historical novels set in accurately depicted settings like the 1957 ''The Roof Tile of Tempyō'' and the 1959 ''Tun-huang'' (''Tonkō''), and works with an autobiographical background like the 1975 ''Chronicle of My Mother'' (''Waga haha no ki''), which documented his mother's deterioration into senility. Inoue was elected a member of the

Japan Art Academy is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of Ed ...

in 1964 and received the

Order 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, science, technology, or anything related to culture in general; recipien ...

in 1976. He died in Tokyo in 1991 at the age of 83. He has a deep knowledge of shrines, temples, and Japan history, and has served as a supervisor and editorial committee member at several publishing companies.

Selected works

* 1937: ''Ryūten'' (流転) story * 1949: ''

'' (猟銃, ''Ryōjū'') novella * 1949: '' The Bullfight'' (闘牛, ''Tōgyū'') novella * 1950: ''

'' (黯い潮) novel * 1950: ''Shi to koi to nami'' (死と恋と波と) short story collection * 1951: ''

Life of a Counterfeiter , also translated as ''The Counterfeiter'', is a Japanese novella by Yasushi Inoue first published in 1951. Plot In early 1951, an art journalist receives an invitation for the 13th death anniversary of famous painter Keigaku Ōnuki. He remembe ...

'' (ある偽作家の生涯, ''Aru gisakka no shōgai'') short story collection * 1953: ''Asunaro monogatari'' (あすなろ物語) novel * 1956: ''

Hyōheki is a 1956 Japanese novel by Yasushi Inoue. It was awarded the prize of the Japan Art Academy in 1959. Plot Uozu and Kosaka, friends and mountaineers since their student days, plan to climb Mount Hotaka during the New Year's holidays. A few da ...

'' (氷壁) novel * 1957: ''The Roof Tile of Tempyō'' (天平の甍, ''Tenpyō no iraka'') novel * 1958: ''Kitaguni'' (北国) poetry collection * 1959: ''Lou-Lan'' (楼蘭, ''Ro-ran'') short story collection * 1959: ''Tun-huang'' (敦煌, ''Tonkō'') novel * 1960: ''Yodo dono no nikki'' (淀どの日記) novel * 1962: ''Chikūkai'' (地中海) poetry collection * 1963: ''Wind and Waves'' (風濤, ''Fūtō'') novel * 1967: ''Kaseki'' (化石) novel * 1967: ''Unga'' (運河) poetry collection * 1968: ''Oroshiyakoku suimutan'' (おろしや国酔夢譚) novel * 1969: ''Journey Beyond Samarkand'' (西域物語, ''Seiiki monogatari'') novel * 1971: ''Kisetsu'' (季節) poetry collection * 1975: ''Chronicle of My Mother'' (わが母の記, ''Waga haha no ki'') novel * 1976: ''Enseiro'' (遠征路) poetry collection * 1979: ''Zen shishū'' (全詩集) poetry collection * 1981: ''Hongakubō ibun'' (本覺坊遺文) novel * 1989: ''Confucius'' (孔子, ''Kōshi'') novel

Awards

* 1936: Chiba Kameo Prize for ''Ryūten'' * 1950:

for ''The Bullfight'' * 1957:

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The , also known as MEXT or Monka-shō, is one of the eleven Ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan. Its goal is to improve the development of Japan in relation with the international community ...

Award for ''The Roof Tile of Tempyo'' * 1959:

Mainichi The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English language news website called ''The Mainichi'' (previ ...

Press Prize for ''Tun-huang'' * 1959:

Award for ''Hyōheki'' * 1961:

Noma Literary Prize The Noma Literary Prize (''Noma Bungei Shō'') was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association (''Noma Hōkō Kai'') in accordance with the last wishes of Seiji Noma (1878–1938), founder and first president of the Kodansha publishing co ...

for ''Yodo dono no nikki'' * 1963:

Yomiuri Prize The is a literary award in Japan. The prize was founded in 1949 by the Yomiuri Shinbun Company to help form a "strong cultural nation". The winner is awarded two million Japanese yen and an inkstone. Award categories For the first two years, a ...

for ''Wind and Waves'' * 1969: Japanese Literature Grand Prix for ''Oroshiyakoku suimutan'' * 1976: Order of Culture * 1980:

Kikuchi Kan Prize The honors achievement in all aspects of Japanese literary culture. It was named in honor of Kikuchi Kan. The prize is presented annually by the literary magazine ''Bungei Shunjū'' and the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature. Histor ...

* 1984:

Asahi Prize The , established in 1929, is an award presented by the Japanese newspaper ''Asahi Shimbun'' and Asahi Shimbun Foundation to honor individuals and groups that have made outstanding accomplishments in the fields of arts and academics and have greatl ...

* 1989: Noma Literary Prize for ''Confucius''

Adaptations (selected)

;Films * 1954: ''Kuroi Ushio'', directed by

Sō Yamamura was a Japanese actor and film director. He was also known by the name Satoshi Yamamura, while his actual birth name is Koga Hirosada. Yamamura graduated from University of Tokyo. In 1942, Yamamura and Isao Yamagata formed the ''Bunkaza Theatre ...

* 1955: ''Asunaro monogatari'', directed by Hiromichi Horikawa * 1961: '' Ryōjū'', directed by

Heinosuke Gosho was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who directed Japan's first sound film, '' The Neighbor's Wife and Mine'', in 1931. His films are mostly associated with the shomin-geki (lit. "common people drama") genre. Among his most noted works ...

* 1972: '' Kaseki'', directed by

Masaki Kobayashi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, best known for the epic (genre), epic trilogy ''The Human Condition (film series), The Human Condition'' (1959–1961), the samurai films ''Harakiri (1962 film), Harakiri'' (1962) and ''Samurai Reb ...

* 1989: '' Sen no Rikyū: Honkakubō ibun'', directed by

Kei Kumai was a Japanese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he began work as a director's assistant. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his first film, '' Nihon r ...

* 2012: ''Waga no haha no ki'', directed by

Masato Harada is a Japanese film director, film critic, and sometimes an actor; he is best known to foreign audiences as Omura in ''The Last Samurai'' and as Mr Mita in ''Fearless (2006 film), Fearless''. In both his acting roles he portrayed the villain who w ...

Inoue's works have also repeatedly been adapted for television and the stage.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inoue, Yasushi 1907 births 1991 deaths 20th-century Japanese novelists Japanese historical novelists People from Asahikawa Kyoto University alumni Akutagawa Prize winners Yomiuri Prize winners 20th-century Japanese male writers Presidents of the Japan Writers’ Association