was the
pen name of a
Japanese author, novelist, and playwright in
Shōwa period
Shōwa may refer to:
* Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa
* Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu
Japanese eras
* Jōwa (Heian ...
Japan. His real name was .
Biography
Born in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
and a graduate of
Kansai University
, abbreviated as or , is a private non-sectarian and coeducational university with its main campus in Suita, Osaka, Japan and two sub-campuses in Sakai and Takatsuki, Osaka. Founded as Kansai Law School in 1886, It has been recognized as one o ...
, Hōjō moved to
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, ...
in 1926 and found employment with the
Hakone Tozan Railway. In 1933, he quit his job to devote his attention to
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
, becoming a student with
Okamoto Kido and
Hasegawa Shin. He became a leading member of the ''
shinpa'' modern drama movement in the 1930s.
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 was active in writing ''kokumingeki'' (government propaganda plays) such as ''
Tamna Tunnel'', intended to help the war effort.
[ page 621]
Hōjō was author of more than 200 plays and the leader of commercial theatre in Japan after
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 ...
, working in a wide range of genres, from
kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is though ...
, to ''shinpa'' and
Takarazuka Revue
The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals and stories adapted from films, novels, manga, and Japa ...
s. In ''Behind the Flower Garden'' in 1960, he wrote a play in which actor Shotaro Hanayagi had to play both the male and female leads.
[
His psychological dramas about average citizens appealed to mainstream audiences. He is especially known for his screenplay adaptations of '']Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...
'', '' Genji Monogatari'', and many other historical dramas.
Hōjō was awarded numerous literary awards in his career, including the Shinchosha
is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in Yaraichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award.
Books
* Haruki Murakami: '' Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (19 ...
Prize, the Yomiuri Literary Award and the Kikuchi Kan Prize
The honors achievement in all aspects of Japanese literary culture. It was named in honor of Kikuchi Kan. The prize is presented annually by the literary magazine '' Bungei Shunjū'' and the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature.
Hist ...
. In 1987, he was designated a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government.
His grave is at the temple Ryuho-ji in Ofuna, Kamakura, where he lived for many years.
Filmography
* '' Koi sugata kitsune goten'' (恋すがた狐御殿) (1956), writer
See also
* Japanese literature
*List of Japanese authors
This is an alphabetical list of writers who are Japanese, or are famous for having written in the Japanese language.
Writers are listed by the native order of Japanese names, family name followed by given name to ensure consistency although some ...
References
*
*
External links
Monuments with Hojo Hideji’s poem, Tsukudajima, Tokyo
Notes
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hojo, Hideji
1902 births
1996 deaths
People from Osaka
20th-century Japanese dramatists and playwrights
Kansai University alumni
Yomiuri Prize winners
20th-century Japanese screenwriters