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

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

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 Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

makers in Tochigi City,

Tochigi Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,897,649 (1 June 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi ...

. 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 The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...

. 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'' ( "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 and publisher. He established the publishing company Bungeishunjū, the monthly magazine of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association and both ...

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 took his own life at the age ...

, 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 60 pla ...

and

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler’s works, which include psychological dramas and narratives ...

. 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 (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 know ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he openly criticized Japan's wartime military government for its censorship policies (which had stopped the serialisation of his novel ''Robō no ishi'', "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 , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

as a member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

. In 1965, he was awarded the prestigious

Order of Culture The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...

. He died in

Yugawara is a List of towns in Japan, 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 Yugaw ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, in 1974, leaving his last serialised work ''Dakuryū'' ( "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 Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

and

Hella Wuolijoki Hella Wuolijoki (née Ella Marie Murrik; 22 July 1886Hella Wuolijoki biography
, e ...

. His works have also repeatedly been adapted for film and television. In 1996, Yamamoto's house in Mitaka,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, 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, was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Uchida chose the stage name Tomu, a transliteration of the English Tom, written in Kanji characters meaning "to spit out dreams". Biography Early career After leaving junio ...

) * 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 19 ...

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

Noboru Nakamura was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Biography After graduating from the Tokyo Imperial University Faculty of Letters in 1936, Nakamura joined the Shochiku film studios, working as an assistant director for Torajirō Saitō and Yas ...

) * 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-win ...

) * 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). Li ...

) * 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 t ...

)

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