1909 – 1942

Born in Yotsuya, Tokyo. Graduated from the Faculty of Literature at the University of Tokyo. Raised in a family of classical Chinese scholars, he worked as a teacher at Yokohama Women’s High School while also pursuing creative writing. After resigning from teaching, he was assigned to Palau as a textbook editor for the South Seas Bureau. In 1942, he published “Sangetsuki“（”The Moon Over the Mountain”）and Moji-ka (“The Whirlpool of Characters”) in the magazine Bungakukai. In the same year, his work Hikari to Kaze to Yume（”Light, Wind and Dreams”） was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize. After returning to Japan, he focused solely on writing, but his chronic asthma worsened, and he passed away suddenly at the age of 33. His notable works include Meijin-den（”The Legend of Master”）, Deshi（”The Disciple”）, Riryo, and Mariyan.