TACHIHARA MASAAKI

(1926–1980)

   Tachihara Masaaki was born to Korean parents in Japan-occupied Korea. After his father’s death in 1931, he moved with his mother to Japan and subsequently changed his Korean name, Kim Yun Kyu, several times in accordance with Japanese name laws for Koreans and eventually became a naturalized Japanese citizen (see ZAINICHI LITERATURE). As a student at Waseda University, he became interested in the novels of Kawabata Yasunari and the literary criticism of Kobayashi Hideo. Tachihara’s affection for medieval culture, in particular no theater, and his love of gardens are reflected in his writings. His first novel, Bakushu (Autumn Wheat, 1945), published in the literary journal Bungei Kenkyukai (Literary Studies Association), was well received by critics, and he won the Naoki Prize for his novel Shiroi Kesho (White Poppy, 1965). One of his books, Yume wa kareno o (1979; tr. Wind and Stone, 1991), has been translated into English along with other stories. He lived in Kamakura from 1950 until his death of esophageal cancer.