Shōhei Ōoka (; March 6, 1909 – December 25, 1988) was a Japanese novelist, literary critic, and lecturer and translator of French literature who was active during the
Shōwa period
Shōwa most commonly refers to:
* Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa
** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989
* Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...
. Ōoka belongs to the group of postwar writers whose
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
experiences at home and abroad figure prominently in their works. Over his lifetime, he contributed short stories and critical essays to almost every literary magazine in Japan.
Early life
Ōoka was born in the ward of
Ushigome in Tokyo (now part of
Shinjuku
, officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...
) to parents from
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...
. His father was a stockbroker and his mother was a
geisha
{{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha
{{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...
. Raised to study literature from early childhood, he mastered French while in high school. His parents also hired the famed literary critic
Kobayashi Hideo to be his tutor. Under Kobayashi's instruction, he made the acquaintance of poet
Nakahara Chūya, the critic , and others who would become well known literary figures. He entered
Kyoto Imperial University
, or , is a national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan.
The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen graduate schools, and t ...
School of Literature in April 1929, graduating in March 1932.
After graduation, he became a journalist with the '','' a pro-government newspaper, but quit after one year to devote himself to the study and translation of the works of
Stendhal
Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, , ), was a French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' ('' T ...
and other European writers into Japanese. In 1938, to support himself, he found a job as a translator with
Air Liquide
Air Liquide S.A. ( , ; literally " liquid air") is a French multinational company which supplies industrial gases and services to various industries including medical, chemical and electronic manufacturers. Founded in 1902, after Linde it is ...
(Teikoku Sanso), a Franco-Japanese industrial company based in
Kobe
Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
. In June 1943, he left their employ, and in November of the same year obtained a position at
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Minato, To ...
.
However, in 1944, he was drafted into the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
, given only three months of rudimentary training and sent to the front line at
Mindoro Island
Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous List of islands of the Philippines, island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is lo ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, where he served as his battalion's communications technician until his battalion was routed and numerous men killed. In January 1945, he was captured by American forces and sent to a prisoner of war camp on
Leyte Island
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has been ...
. Survival was very traumatic for Ōoka, who was troubled that he, a middle-aged and, to his way of thinking, unworthy soldier, had survived when so many others had not. He returned to Japan at the end of the year and lived at
Akashi, Hyōgo
file:Akashi City Hall.JPG, 260px, Akashi City Hall
file:Akashi Castle Hitsujisaruyagura.JPG, 260px, Akashi from Akashi Castle
is a Cities of Japan, city in southern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 305,925 in 1 ...
.
Literary career
It was not until his repatriation after the war's end that Ōoka began his career as a writer. On the recommendation of his childhood French tutor and mentor Kobayashi Hideo, he published an autobiographical short-story of his experiences as a prisoner of war entitled , published in English as ''Taken Captive: A Japanese POW's Story'', in three separate parts between 1948 and 1951. Its publication, along with winning the
Yokomitsu Riichi Prize in 1949, encouraged him to take up writing as a career.
His next work, ''Musashino Fujin'', (, "A Wife in Musashino", 1950), is a
psychological novel
In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of its characters. The mode of narration examin ...
patterned after the works of
Stendhal
Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, , ), was a French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' ('' T ...
.
His best-known novel, ''Nobi'' (, ''
Fires on the Plain'', 1951), was also well received by critics, and won the prestigious
Yomiuri Prize in 1951. Considered one of the most important novels of the postwar period and based loosely on his own wartime experiences in the Philippines, ''Nobi'' explores the meaning of human existence through the struggle for survival of men who are driven by starvation to cannibalism. It was subsequently made into a
prize-winning film by
Ichikawa Kon in 1959, although the film substantially changes the protagonist's relationship to the theme of cannibalism and Christianity.
In 1958, he veered from his usual subjects and produced ''Kaei'' (, "The Shade of Blossoms", 1958–1959), depicting an aging, naive nightclub hostess’s struggle and ultimate demise from the destructive forces of desire and wealth in the decadent 1950s
Ginza
Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...
. The setting had changed but the recurring themes had not. His characters were still adrift and struggling for survival in an inhospitable environment. ''Kaei'' won the in 1961.
From 1953 to 1954, he was a
Fulbright Visiting Professor at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
. He was also a lecturer on French literature at
Meiji University
is a Private university, private research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Originally founded as Meiji Law School () by three lawyers in 1881, it became a university in April 1920.
As of May 2023, Meiji has 32,261 undergradu ...
in Tokyo.
In the late 1960s, he revisited the subject of the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
and the Japanese defeat in the Philippines to produce the detailed historical novel ''Reite senki'' (, "A Record of the
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte (; ; ) in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the overall command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fou ...
", 1971). He compiled and researched an enormous amount of information for three years in order to produce it. As with all his writing, it looks at war critically from the perspective of a person who, despite ethical reservations, was forced to serve. The novel won the .
He was invited to become a member of the
Japan Art Academy in November 1971 but declined to join, partly, he said, on account of his former experience of soldier and prisoner of war.
Along with translations and fiction, he also devoted himself to writing the critical biographies of and Nakahara Chūya, which won the
Noma Literary Prize
The Noma Literary Prize (''Noma Bungei Shō'') was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association (''Noma Hōkō Kai'') in accordance with the last wishes of Seiji Noma (1878–1938), founder and first president of the Kodansha publishing c ...
in 1974. He was awarded the prestigious
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 January 1976 and the
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
The are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan. They honor the best in crime fiction and critical/biographical work published in the previous year.
MWJ Award for Best Novel winners (1948–1951, 1976–present)
MWJ Award for Be ...
in March 1978.
He died in 1988 at the age of 79. His grave is at the
Tama Cemetery
in Tokyo is the largest municipal cemetery in Japan. It is split between the cities of Fuchū, Tokyo, Fuchu and Koganei, Tokyo, Koganei within the Tokyo Metropolis. First established in April 1923 as , it was redesignated Tama Cemetery in 1935. ...
in the outskirts of Tokyo. He was posthumously awarded a second Yomiuri Prize in 1989 for a biography of
Natsume Sōseki
, born , was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels ''Kokoro'', ''Botchan'', ''I Am a Cat'', ''Kusamakura (novel), Kusamakura'' and his unfinished work ''Light and Darkness (novel), Light and Darkness''. He was also a scholar of Br ...
.
In October 1994, the Japanese writer
Kenzaburō Ōe
was a Japanese writer and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His novels, short stories and essays, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issue ...
, when awarded the
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
of literature, mentioned Shohei Ōoka as one of the Japanese writers who "created the way to the Nobel Prize" for him
See also
*
Japanese literature
Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japa ...
*
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 ...
*
The Second Generation of Postwar Writers
References
* Ōoka, Shohei. ''Fires on the Plain''. Tuttle Publishing (2001). .
* Ōoka, Shohei. ''Taken Captive: A Japanese POW's Story''. Wiley (1996). .
* Ōoka, Shohei. ''The Shade of Blossoms''. University of Michigan Press (1998).
* Ōoka, Shohei. ''A Wife in Musashino''. Center for Japanese Studies University of Michigan (2004). .
* Stahl, David C. ''The Burdens of Survival: Ōoka Shohei's Writings on the Pacific War''. University of Hawai'i Press (2003). .
External links
Shohei Ōokaat J'Lit Books from Japan
at JLPP (Japanese Literature Publishing Project)
at JLPP (Japanese Literature Publishing Project)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ooka, Shohei
1909 births
1988 deaths
Kyoto University alumni
20th-century Japanese novelists
Japanese literary critics
Japanese male short story writers
Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II
Japanese prisoners of war
Mystery Writers of Japan Award winners
Yomiuri Prize winners
People from Shinjuku
Writers from Tokyo
20th-century Japanese translators
World War II prisoners of war held by the United States
Imperial Japanese Army soldiers
Burials at Tama Cemetery