was a

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of a novelist in Taishō and Shōwa period Japan. His real name was .

Early life

Naoki Sanjūgo was born in what is now

Chūō-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It has an area of 8.88 km2, and a population of 60,085. It houses Osaka's financial district, as well as the Osaka Prefecture offices and principal shopping and tourist areas. Consulates Various c ...

. The noted historian Uemura Seiji, specialist in East Asian history, was his brother. Against the wishes of his father, Naoki attended the preparatory schools of Waseda University to study

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

but was forced to drop out of school on occasion due to his inability to pay the tuition. In 1920, he collaborated with Ton Satomi,

Masao Kume Masao (written: 正雄, 正夫, 正生, 正男, 正郎, 雅雄, 雅央, 雅夫, 雅勇, 雅男, 昌雄, 昌夫, 昌男, 昌朗, 昌郎, 昌大, 政雄, 政夫, 政男, 政於, 征夫, 優夫, 聖雄, 利生, 将雄, 将夫 or 眞男) is a masculine ...

, and

Isamu Yoshii Count was a Japanese ''waka (poetry), tanka'' poet and playwright active in Taishō period, Taishō and Shōwa period Japan. Attracted to European romanticism in his youth, his later works were more subdued. Early life Yoshii Isamu was born in th ...

on the literary journal ''Ningen'' ("Human"). He returned to Osaka shortly after

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

of 1923. At first, he attempted to work at a cosmetics company, but was soon drawn back to the literary world.

Literary career

At the invitation of

Matsutarō Kawaguchi was a Japanese writer of short stories, novels, dramas and screenplays. He repeatedly collaborated on the films of director Kenji Mizoguchi. Biography Kawaguchi was born in the plebeian Asakusa district of Tokyo into an impoverished family. He ...

, Naoki started working in Osaka as editor of the

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 letter ...

''Kuraku'' ("Joys and Sorrows"), contributed his own works of fiction as well, and soon began publishing novels. Although interested in the new trends toward the cinema, he experimented with movie script-writing but failed to interest any

movie studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...

s. In 1927, he moved back to Tokyo where opportunities looked more promising. He obtained a post at the literary magazine '' Bungeishunjū'', where he developed a reputation for writing scathing

literary criticism 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 ...

, mixed with scandalous gossip about the writer, which outraged many of his contemporaries. In 1929, he had an

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

, ''Yui Kongen Taisakki'', serialized in a weekly magazine, and a similar historical novel about the Satsuma Rebellion, ''Nangoku Taiheiki'', serialized in a newspaper following year. The success of these established him firmly as a writer of

popular fiction Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is a term used in the book-trade for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre, in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre. A num ...

. His novel ''Mito Komon Kaikokuki'', a fictional history of the travels of Tokugawa Mitsukuni in disguise around the country was the basis of a movie starring

Ryūnosuke Tsukigata was a Japanese actor known especially for his work in jidaigeki in film and television. His real name was Kiyoto Monden. Career Born in Miyagi Prefecture, Tsukigata entered the actor's school at Nikkatsu in 1920, but earned his first starring ro ...

and was the first of nearly fifty of his novels to be made into movies. It later metamorphosed into the extremely long-running television series '' Mito Kōmon'', which remains popular to this day and which is largely responsible for turning the historical Tokugawa Mitsukuni into a folk hero. Naoki had a reputation for being eccentric, as evidenced by his choice of a

, which he changed four times between ages 31 and 35 to match his age (skipping over 34, as four is an

unlucky number Numerology (also known as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, of the letters in ...

according to Japanese

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

). When he reached age 35 (''Sanjūgo''), he decided to keep the same name from that point onward. As well as historical novels such as ''Araki Mataemon'' and ''Odoriko Gyojoki'', Naoki wrote biographies of historical figures — including Kusunoki Masashige, Ashikaga Takauji, and Genkuro Yoshitsune — and contemporary social fiction, including ''Nihon no Senritsu'' ("Japan Shudders") and ''Hikari: Tsumi to Tomoni'' ("Light: With Crime").

Death

Naoki died in 1934 at the age of 43 from an acute case of Japanese encephalitis. Yasunari Kawabata, with whom Naoki shared a common interest in the game of go, wrote the eulogy for his funeral. His grave is at the temple of Chōshō-ji in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama.

Legacy

In 1935, on the suggestion of

Kikuchi Kan , also known as Kan Kikuchi (which uses the same kanji as his real name), was a Japanese author. He established the publishing company Bungeishunjū, the monthly magazine of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association and both the Akutagawa ...

(founder of the '' Bungeishunjū'' magazine), Naoki's name was given to an award for popular fiction, the Naoki Prize. Alongside the Akutagawa Prize for new writers, it is one of the most prestigious

literary award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony. Ma ...

s in Japan.

References

*Fukuyama, Hikomaro. ''Naoki Sanjūgo Nyumon-Konna omoshiroi hito data''. Shinpu Shobo. ASIN: 488269574X (Japanese)

External links