was a Japanese scholar and translator of American literature.

Life and career

A repatriate from

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...

, he graduated from Kagawa Prefectural Takamatsu High School in

Takamatsu 270px, Takamatsu City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Takamatsu city center 270px, View from Yashima to Takashima port is a city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 414,134 in 190120 households and a popul ...

Kagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the southwest and Tok ...

, and in 1966 from

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 ...

's Literature Department, School of English Literature. After giving up his

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

study in 1972 at Tokyo University, he began teaching at the College of Liberal Arts of

Chiba University is a national university in the city of Chiba, Japan. It offers Doctoral degrees in education as part of a coalition with Tokyo Gakugei University, Saitama University, and Yokohama National University. The university was formed in 1949 from exist ...

, where he became an assistant professor in 1974, transferring a year later to

Tokyo Metropolitan University , often referred to as TMU, is a Public Research University, public research university in Japan. Origin The origin of Tokyo Metropolitan University was Prefectural Higher School, under the old system of education, established by Tokyo Prefec ...

, also as an assistant professor. In 1986 he became an assistant professor at The College of Liberal Arts of Tokyo University, before becoming a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

in 1992. From 1998 he was for two years chairperson of the American Literature Society of Japan, and from 1999, also for two years, chairperson of the English Literary Society of Japan. After retiring in 2001, he was named professor emeritus of Tokyo University, and professor at

Tsurumi University is a private university in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Tsurumi University traces its origin to Tsurumi Girls' High School, which was established in 1925. In 1953, Tsurumi Girls' Junior College was established, and it was chartered as ...

. In 2012 he retired. On December 14, 2013 he died from

hepatocellular carcinoma Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer in adults and is currently the most common cause of death in people with cirrhosis. HCC is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It occurs in t ...

Editor

*''アメリカ文学ミレニアム'' ("A Millennium of American Literature"), Vol. 1-2, Nanundo, 2001

Translations

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

, ''さようなら、ミス・ワイコフ'' ("Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff"), Shinchosha, 1972 * Alan White, ''埋葬の土曜日'' ("The Long Day's Dying"; American title: "Death Finds the Day") Rippu Shobo, 1974 *Van Wyck Brooks, ''アメリカ成年期に達すほか'' ("America’s Coming-of-Age and others")『アメリカ古典文庫』研究社、1975 *Wilson McCarthy, ''S・S特命部隊'' ("The Detail"), Rippu Shobo, 1980 *

John Barth John Simmons Barth (; born May 27, 1930) is an American writer who is best known for his postmodern and metafictional fiction. His most highly regarded and influential works were published in the 1960s, and include ''The Sot-Weed Factor'', a ...

, ''キマイラ'' ("

Chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...

"), Shinchosha, 1980 * MacDonald Harris『ヘミングウェイのスーツケース』新潮社 1991 のち文庫 *

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

Complete Short Stories, 1-2 Nanundo, 1994 *Suki Kim, ''通訳/インタープリター'' ("The Interpreter"), Shueisha, 2007

References

External links

Professor Kunishige's Nathaniel Hawthorne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunishige, Junji Academic staff of the University of Tokyo Academic staff of Chiba University Academic staff of Tsurumi University Academic staff of Tokyo Metropolitan University People from Manchukuo 1942 births 2013 deaths Deaths from liver cancer University of Tokyo alumni 20th-century Japanese translators