Tanaka Hidemitsu

Tanaka Hidemitsu ( Japanese 田中 英 光 , writer's pseudonym : 出 方 名 英 光 , Dekatana Hidemitsu ; born October 1, 1913 in Tokyo ; † November 3, 1949 ) was a Japanese writer who is also known as a representative of the Buraiha ( 無 頼 派 ).

Life

Hidemitsu was the son of from Kōchi originating historian Iwasaki Kyosen in the district of Akasaka , Tokyo born. He grew up in Kamakura , where he also went to school.

He studied politics and economics at Waseda University . During his student days he took part in the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as a rower in eighth position . After graduating, he worked in the Yokohama company . In 1937 he married Kojima Kiyo (?) ( 小島 喜 代 ). In 1940 Hidemitsu was awarded the Iketani Shinzaburō Prize . He moved to Shizuoka with his family in 1944, but left his wife and child three years later in 1947 to live in wild marriage in Shinjuku.

He joined the Japanese Communist Party at the instigation of his brother . The experiences with joining the party as well as his amorous experiences in Shinjuku form the background of his literary work. He met Dazai Osamu and became his student. Dazai's suicide shocked Hidemitsu and the subsequent pill addiction visibly changed his character. In May 1949 he stabbed his lover with whom he lived in a maddened state. In November 1949 he committed suicide at the grave of Dazai Osamu in Mitaka .

His son Tanaka Kōji is also a writer.

Works (selection)

• 1940 Orinposu no kajitsu ( オ リ ン ポ ス の 果 実 )
• 1941 Ware wa umi no ko ( わ れ は 海 の 子 )
• 1944 Waga sayuki ( 我 が 西遊記 )
• 1946 Ai no tegami ( 愛 の 手紙 )
• 1949 Ai to nikushimi no kizu ni ( 愛 と 憎 し み の 傷 に )
• 1949 Chikashitsu kara ( 地下室 か ら )
• 1949 Sayonara ( さ よ う な ら )
• 1950 Uso ( 嘘 )
• 1950 Tanaka Eikō senshū ( 田中英 光 選集 ), selected works in 2 volumes
• 1964–65 Tanaka Eikō zenshū ( 田中英 光 全集 ), complete edition in 11 volumes
• 1992 Sakura / ai to seishun to seikatsu ( 桜 ・ 愛 と 青春 と 生活 )
• 1994 Shi-Dazai Osamu ( 師 太宰 治 )

Web links

• List of works at Aozora
• Tanaka Hidemitsu in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Also in short form because of his height: Dekai , which means huge in Japanese. Sometimes the Sino-Japanese reading Eikō is found instead of Hidemitsu.
2. ↑ 歴 史 散 歩 岩崎 鏡 川 . (No longer available online.) Kōchi City, 1998, archived from the original on October 31, 2007 ; Retrieved March 21, 2011 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Tanaka is the family name, Hidemitsu the first name.