MASAMUNE HAKUCHO

(1879–1962)

   Masamune Hakucho, given name Tadao, was a novelist, playwright, and literary critic from Okayama Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University in history and English and then worked for the Yomiuri newspaper writing about literature, fine arts, and theater. He penned his first work, Sekibaku (Loneliness, 1904), and in 1907 left the newspaper to become a full-time author. One year later he released another novel, Doko e (Where to?, 1908), which depicted the Russo-Japanese War from a young man’s perspective. During the 1920s, Masamune focused on literary criticism and gained respect in the public eye for his opinions. In 1935, the government asked Masamune, along with Shimazaki Toson and Tokuda Shusei, to establish the Japan P.E.N. Club, and he served as its president twice, more recently from 1943–1947. Masamune was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in 1950 and died of pancreatic disease at 83.