Masamune Hakuchō
Masamune Hakuchō, the pen-name of Masamune Tadao, was a significant figure in early 20th-century Japanese literature, known for his contributions as a literary critic, dramatist, and fiction writer within the naturalistic school. Born in 1879 in Okayama prefecture, he grew up in a family with a notable educational background and received a classical Japanese education in his youth. His early exposure to Christianity, particularly through American missionaries and the influential lectures of Uchimura Kanzo, shaped his formative years, although he later distanced himself from these beliefs as he pursued a literary career.
Masamune began his writing journey with short stories such as "Jin'ai" and became a prominent drama critic by the 1920s. His work evolved into philosophical and autobiographical writings that reflected a skeptical view of contemporary society and art. Following World War II, he experienced a resurgence in creativity, addressing themes of disillusionment and the nuclear threat in his essays, most notably in his collection "Doubt and Belief." His later years were marked by personal challenges, including a battle with cancer, during which he returned to Christianity. Masamune Hakuchō passed away in 1962, leaving a lasting legacy in Japanese literature.
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Masamune Hakuchō
Author
- Born: March 3, 1879
- Birthplace: Honami, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
- Died: October 28, 1962
- Place of death: Tokyo, Japan
Biography
Masamune Hakuchō is the pen-name of Masamune Tadao, an influential literary critic, dramatist, and fiction writer who was part of the naturalistic school of Japanese literature in the first half of the twentieth century. He was born in 1879 in Honami village, Okayama prefecture, Japan. His father, Uraji, was the head of the village, an elementary school principal, and a moneylender; his mother, Mine, came from samurai stock. Masamune’s childhood was spent in Honami, where he received a classical Japanese education.
In 1894, he visited Okayama, Japan, and came into contact with American Christian missionaries. He began reading the Bible and attending a church. In 1896, he went to hear the leading Japanese Christian intellectual, Uchimura Kanzo, lecturing on Western literature in Tokyo. As a result, he decided to enroll in Tokyo Senmon Gakko (later Waseda University), graduating in 1901. During that time he was baptized by Pastor Uemura Masahisa and started living an austere religious life. However, by the time he graduated from college he had begun to drift away from his Christian beliefs, mainly because the practice of Christianity seemed incompatible with a life in literature.
After several years of translating Western classics, Masamune joined the staff of a newspaper and became its drama critic in 1904, the same year as his first fiction, a short story, was published. He soon became a leading member of the new naturalistic school of fiction that appeared in the late Meiji era, from about 1907 until 1912, writing stories like “Jin’ai (1907; “Dust,” 1970) and “Doko-e” (1908). He started writing plays in 1912 as naturalism began to wane, and in 1915 he produced the first of his many autobiographical writings.
From 1916 until 1921, Masamune was disillusioned, moving frequently and writing little. However, in 1921 he settled in Oiso and began writing again, primarily producing literary criticism and philosophical and autobiographical sketches that were written with a skeptical point of view. By 1926, he was recognized as a leading drama critic, and the following year he published a significant essay examining the work of Dante. He returned to Tokyo in 1933.
Masamune produced little new work from 1937 through 1945, but he remained an active member of Japan’s literary community. In 1940, he became director of the National Arts Council, in 1943 he assumed the presidency of Japanese PEN, and in 1944 he headed the Japan Patriotic Literary Society. His home in Tokyo was destroyed during World War II and he was forced to evacuate to Karuizawa. The war left him deeply disillusioned and alienated.
When the war was over, however, Masamune experienced a renewed burst of creative activity, and he wrote numerous essays, a history of the naturalistic movement, and short stories. He expressed concern that Japanese literature was failing to renew itself and became increasingly absorbed with the nuclear threat. His collection of essays, Doubt and Belief, reflects his postwar concerns and fears. His two-volume set of essays, Autumn of This Year, won the Yomiuri Prize in 1959.
Masamune was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1962. In his search for consolation, he once again embraced the Christian faith. He died in 1962, and his funeral was conducted by the daughter of Pastor Uemura.