1888 – 1948

Born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture. His real name was Hiroshi. He graduated from Kyoto Imperial University. During his university years, he studied modern British drama and participated in the third and fourth iterations of Shinshichō (“New Tides of Thought”). In 1916, he published Okujō no Kyōjin（”The Housetop Madman”）and Chichi Kaeru （”The Father returns”）. After graduating, he joined the Jiji Shinpō* newspaper as a journalist. While working as a reporter, he published Mumei Sakka no Nikki（”Anonymous Writer’s Diary”）and Tadanaokyō Gyōjōki （”On the Conduct of Lord Tadanao”） in Chūō Kōron magazine in 1918. The following year, in 1919, he released Onshū no Kanata ni （”Beyond the Pale of Vengeance”）. Afterward, he dedicated himself fully to writing and, in the following year, serialized Shinju Fujin（”Madame Pearl”） in both the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun and the Tokyo Mainichi Shimbun. He also published works such as Tōjūrō no Koi （”Tōjūrō’s love”）, Han-jijo-den （”Semi-Autobiography”）, Teiso mondo（”The Chastity Debate”）, and Junange（”Passion flowers “）. In 1923, he declared, “I have grown tired of speaking only when asked,” and founded the literary magazine Bungei Shunjū. He played a significant role in establishing the Akutagawa Prize, the Naoki Prize, and the Japan Writers’ Association, among many other contributions to the literary world.