was a Japanese novelist and playwright. His real name was written as "山本勇造" but pronounced the same as his pen name.

Biography

Yamamoto was born to a family of

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...

makers in Tochigi City,

Tochigi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the ...

. After finishing high school, he started an apprenticeship and later worked in the family business, before eventually entering the German literature department at

Tokyo Imperial 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 ...

. While still a student, he contributed to the literary magazine ''Shinshicho''. He debuted as a playwright with ''The Crown of Life'' (1920) and gained a reputation for his solidly crafted plays, notably ''Sakazaki, Lord Dewa'' (1920) and ''Dōshi no hitobito'' (lit. "Comrades", 1923). A recurring theme were social injustices, suffered by women in particular, while the contemporary settings of his early plays later gave way to historical ones. In 1926 he turned to novels, known for their clarity of expression and dramatic composition, and also wrote children's books. Together with

Kan Kikuchi , 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 Bungeishunjū (magazine), of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association ...

and

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa , art name , was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him. He committed suicide at the age of ...

, he helped establish the Japanese Writers Association (Nihon Bungeika Kyōkai). In addition to his own writings, Yamamoto translated the works of European dramatists into Japanese, including

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

and

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

. Yamamoto opposed the use of enigmatic expressions in written Japanese and advocated the limited use of ''

furigana is a Japanese reading aid consisting of smaller kana or syllabic characters printed either above or next to kanji (logographic characters) or other characters to indicate their pronunciation. It is one type of ruby text. Furigana is also kn ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he openly criticized Japan's wartime military government for its censorship policies (which a.o. had stopped the serialisation of his novel ''Robō no ishi'', lit. "A stone by the wayside"). On the other hand, Yamamoto was involved in establishing a guide issued by the government which gave instructions on how to write children's stories, and later joined the Patriotic Association for Japanese Literature (1942–1945). Between 1947 and 1953, Yamamoto served in the National Diet as a member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or ...

. In 1965, he was awarded the prestigious

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; recipient ...

. He died in

Yugawara is a town located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 23,267 and a population density of 570 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Yugawara is located in the fa ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

, in 1974, leaving his last serialised work ''Dakuryū'' (lit. "Muddy stream") unfinished.

Legacy

Yamamoto's works have been translated into English, French, German and other languages. His play ''The Sad Tale of a Woman, the Story of Chink Okichi'' served as the basis for the 1940 play '' Die Judith von Shimoda'' by Bertolt Brecht and Hella Wuolijoki. His works have also repeatedly been adapted for film and television. In 1996, Yamamoto's house in Mitaka,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, which had been expropriated during the occupation period following World War II, was converted into the Mitaka City Yūzō Yamamoto Memorial Museum. A museum dedicated to his memory was also opened in his hometown Tochigi.

Works (selected)

* 1920: ''Crown of Life'' (生命の冠, ''Inochi no kanmuri'') stage play * 1920: ''Infanticide'' (嬰児殺し, ''Eijigoroshi'') stage play * 1921: ''Sakazaki, Lord Dewa'' (坂崎出羽守, ''Sakazaki Dewa no Kami'') stage play * 1923: ''Dōshi no hitobito'' (同志の人々) stage play * 1926: ''Nami'' (波) novel * 1929: ''The Sad Tale of a Woman, the Story of Chink Okichi'' (''Nyonin Aishi, Tojin Okichi monogatari'') stage play * 1933: ''Onna no isshō'' (女の一生) novel * 1935: ''Shinjitsu ichiro'' (真実一路) novel * 1937: ''Robō no ishi'' (路傍の石) novel * 1938: ''Sensō to futari no fujin'' (戦争と二人の夫人)

Film and television adaptations (selected)

* 1936: ''Seimei no kanmuri'' (dir.

Tomu Uchida , born Tsunejirō Uchida on 26 April 1898, was a Japanese film director. The stage name "Tomu" translates to “spit out dreams”. Early career Uchida started out at the Taikatsu studio in the early 1920s, but came to prominence at Nikkatsu, ad ...

) * 1937: ''Shinjitsu ichiro: Chichi no maki/Haha no maki'' (dir.

Tomotaka Tasaka was a Japanese film director. Career Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, he began working at Nikkatsu's Kyoto studio in 1924 and eventually came to prominence for a series of realist, humanist films made at Nikkatsu's Tamagawa studio in the late 193 ...

) * 1938: ''Robō no ishi'' (dir. Tomotaka Tasaka) * 1952: '' Nami'' (dir.

Noboru Nakamura was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Biography After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University in 1936, Nakamura joined the Shochiku film studios, working as an assistant director for Torajirō Saitō and Yasujirō Shimazu. He debu ...

) * 1955: ''Onna no isshō'' (dir. Noboru Nakamura) * 1955: ''Robō no ishi'' (dir. Kenkichi Hara) * 1962: ''Nami'' (dir.

Tadashi Imai was a Japanese film director known for social realist filmmaking informed by a left-wing perspective. His most noted films include ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) and ''Bushido, Samurai Saga'' (1963). Life Although leaning towards left-wing p ...

) * 1964: ''A Pebble by the Wayside'' a.k.a. ''Wayside Pebble'' (''Robō no ishi'', dir.

Miyoji Ieki was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He often made adolescents the protagonists of his films, which addressed political themes through personal drama. His most noted works include '' Stepbrothers'' (1957) and '' Naked Sun'' (1958). ...

) * 1993: ''Shinjitsu ichiro'' (dir.

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won ...

)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamamoto, Yuzo 1887 births 1974 deaths University of Tokyo alumni Japanese writers Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Writers from Tochigi Prefecture Politicians from Tochigi Prefecture