was a prominent post- World War II Japanese novelist, short-story writer, essayist,

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 ...

, and television documentary writer. He was distinguished by his knowledge, intellect, sense of humor and conversational skills, and although his style has been criticized as wordy and obtuse, he was one of the more popular Japanese writers in the late Shōwa period.

Early life

Kaikō was born in the Tennoji Ward of Osaka as the son of an elementary school teacher. In 1948, he enrolled in the Law Department of Osaka City University, but was often absent from class, as he had to take a variety of part-time jobs in order to pay for his tuition. While in school, rather than study law he was sidetracked by the works of

Motojirō Kajii was a Japanese writer in the early Shōwa period known for his poetic short stories. Kajii's works included , . and . His poetic works were praised by fellow writers including Yasunari Kawabata and Yukio Mishima. Today his works are admired for ...

Mitsuharu Kaneko was a Japanese poet and painter. He was a recipient of the Yomiuri Prize. Biography Mitsuharu Kaneko was born in Tsushima, Aichi and attended the private Catholic school Gyosei Gakuen in Tokyo. He published his first poetry collection ''Akatsu ...

and Atsushi Nakajima. He also translated the works of Sherwood Anderson and

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He wa ...

into Japanese. He graduated in 1953 and moved to Tokyo, where he took a job with Kotobukiya (the present

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 ...

), where he worked in the public-relations department. He married Yōko Maki, a poet.

Literary career

Kaikō published his first work, ''Na no nai machi'' (Nameless City, 1953) in 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 ...

''Kindai Bungaku'' soon after his move to Tokyo. It was largely ignored by critics. However, his second work, a short story titled ''Panniku'' (Panic, 1957) published in the ''Shin Nippon Bunkaku'', caused a sensation for its unusual concept and style. It was a story about a dedicated forester in a rural prefecture of Japan, who struggles against government incompetence and corruption. Kaikō wrote the story as a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

comparing human beings to mice. Kaikō won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1957 with his ''Hadaka no ōsama'' (The Naked King), a story critical of the pressures placed on school children by Japan's educational system. Kaikō is considered a

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

activist, respected in many Indochinese countries, in particular, for his vocal opposition to Japan's support of the United States' policies in Indochina in the 1960s. He was one of the founders of the '' Beheiren'' (''Betonamu ni heiwa o! Shimin rengo''), or the

League for Peace in Vietnam League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

. This activity was related to his experience as a war correspondent in Vietnam with the '' Asahi Shimbun;'' he was briefly imprisoned by the Viet Cong. These experiences translated into his novel, ''Kagayakeru yami'' (Into a Black Sun, 1968), an account of a Japanese journalist experiencing first-hand the life of the Americans and South Vietnamese troops in Vietnam. The novel won the prestigious

Mainichi Book Award 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 ...

. However, Kaikō had a wide range of topics in his repertory. ''Natsu no yami'' (Darkness in Summer, 1971) was essentially a romance between a reporter and an expatriate Japanese woman living in Europe. Kaikō enriched the Japanese language with the word "

apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

", to denote scavengers of recyclables, described in his novel, '' Japan's Threepenny Opera''. Considered a gourmet, in his later years, Kaikō wrote numerous essays on food and drink, as well as appearing on food-related or fishing-related TV shows and in TV commercials. He died of

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voice ...

. His grave is at the Shorei-in sub-temple of the Engaku-ji Temple complex,

Kamakura, Kanagawa 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 ...

Legacy

His former house in Chigasaki, Kanagawa has been preserved as a memorial museum.

References

* Powell, Irena. ''Japanese Writer in Vietnam: The Two Wars of Kaiko Ken (1931-89).'' Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Feb., 1998), pp. 219–244

Bibliography

*'' Japan's Threepenny Opera'', 1959. *English translations **''Into a Black Sun'', (English language edition: Kodansha America (1981). **''Five Thousand Runaways'' Dodd, Mead (1987) **''Darkness in Summer'' (with Cecilia Segawa Seigle), Peter Owen (1989). **''Giants and Toys'', in: ''Made in Japan and Other Japanese Business Novels'', transl.: Tamae K. Prindle. (1990). **''A Certain Voice'' in: ''Mother of Dreams and Other Short Stories'', ed. by Makoto Ueda

External links

Kaiko Takeshi Memorial Museum, Chigasaki, Kanagawa (Japanese site)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiko, Takeshi 1930 births 1989 deaths Japanese anti-war activists Japanese essayists 20th-century Japanese novelists Japanese male short story writers Japanese war correspondents War correspondents of the Vietnam War Writers from Osaka Akutagawa Prize winners Deaths from esophageal cancer Deaths from cancer in Japan 20th-century Japanese short story writers 20th-century essayists 20th-century Japanese screenwriters