(26 December 1927 – 26 January 1997) was a Japanese author, whose real name was Tomeji Kosuge. (小菅留治). Over fifty of his books were published through the course of his lifetime, including both full-length novels and short story anthologies. The focus of his writing was

historical fiction 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 ...

. Before he became an author, he had been a business journalist and before that a high school teacher.

Published works

Over 23 million of his paperbacks have been printed. His work has been adapted for both television and film. Five recent full-length films have been based on his work. Three of them directed by

Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy (''The Twilight Samurai'', ''The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor''). Biography He was born in Osaka, but due to his father's job ...

are * ''

The Twilight Samurai ''The Twilight Samurai'' is a 2002 Japanese historical drama film co-written and directed by Yoji Yamada and starring Hiroyuki Sanada and Rie Miyazawa. Set in mid-19th century Japan, a few years before the Meiji Restoration, it follows the life ...

'' (2002) * ''

The Hidden Blade is a 2004 film set in 1860s Japan, directed by Yoji Yamada. The plot revolves around several samurai during a time of change in the ruling and class structures of Japan. The film was written by Yamada with Yoshitaka Asama and, like its predecesso ...

'' (2004) * '' Love and Honor'' (2006). In addition, Hana no Ato (2010) was turned into a movie and directed by Kenji Nakanishi.

Historical setting

'' The Bamboo Sword and Other Samurai Tales'', a collection of eight short stories, is a work of historical fiction. The stories are set in

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

Japan (1603-1867) and depict the lives of people from all walks of life, but revolve mainly around

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

characters. The Edo Period (1603-1867) was a 264 year period of relative peace in Japanese history. This historical period was full of political upheaval and intrigue, rivalry and betrayals. During this time, the samurai struggled to retain their sense of pride and meaning in life as they attempted to settle into mundane jobs and family life. This struggle can be seen throughout ''The Bamboo Sword and Other Samurai Tales'' and other works by Fujisawa, who always highlighted the humanity of his characters in his stories. His stories, thus, offer the reader a means to understand Japanese history and culture in a more real sense And through unflowery prose.

Awards

In 1973, Fujisawa received the 69th

Naoki Prize The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for the ...

(1973上) for ''Ansatsu no Nenrin'' (''Annals of Assassination''). He would go on to win six further literary awards, among them the

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 ...

in 1994. ''

'' (2002), which was in part based on the title story, ''The Bamboo Sword and Other Samurai Tales'', won the 2003

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

. It was also nominated for an Oscar in the ''Best Foreign Language Film'' category.

Sources

* https://web.archive.org/web/20080101070758/http://www.shochikufilms.com/film/detail.php?product_code=269

References

External links

J'Lit , Authors : Shuhei Fujisawa* , Books from Japan

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujisawa, Shuhei 1927 births 1997 deaths People from Yamagata Prefecture 20th-century Japanese novelists Writers from Yamagata Prefecture