Masajirō Kojima facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Masajirō Kojima
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Masajirō Kojima
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| Native name |
小島 政二郎
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| Born | January 31, 1894 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | March 24, 1994 (aged 100) Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Resting place | Yanaka Cemetery, Tokyo. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | Japanese |
| Alma mater | Keio University |
| Genre | children's literature, novels |
Masajirō Kojima (小島 政二郎, Kojima Masajirō, January 31, 1894 – March 24, 1994) was a famous Japanese novelist. He wrote many books during a time in Japan called the Shōwa period.
About Masajirō Kojima
Masajirō Kojima was born in Tokyo, Japan. His family owned a clothing business. He went to Keio University to study. There, he learned about old Japanese books. He also read many books by European writers. He especially liked the works of Nagai Kafū and Mori Ōgai.
His journey as a writer started when he was a student. He wrote short stories for his university's literature magazine. This magazine was called Mita Bungaku.
Early Writing Career
After finishing university in 1918, Kojima worked with children's literature. He helped edit a special magazine for kids. This magazine was named Akai Tori, which means "Red Bird". He also wrote many stories just for children.
However, Kojima soon became known for writing serious books for adults. One of his famous stories was Ichimae Kanban. This book was about the life of a professional storyteller. Another important story was Ie, which means "Family". It told the tale of relatives who had to leave their home.
Popular Novels and Themes
Kojima became very popular for his fiction stories. Some of these included Midori no Kishi ("Green Knight") and Kaiso ("Seaweed"). He also wrote Hitozuma Tsubaki ("Tsubaki, a Married Woman"). Many of his books explored different human relationships. Because of this, his stories were often made into movies.
His book Ganchu no Hito ("Centre of Attention") was very special. It was like a history of Taishō period Japanese literature. It showed how he became interested in writing. Famous writers like Natsume Sōseki and Kikuchi Kan praised this work. In 1927, he was one of the people who carried the coffin at the funeral of Akutagawa Ryunosuke.
Later Life and Works
After World War II, Kojima wrote many books about real people. One of these was Taifu no Me no yo no. This title means "Like the Eye of a Typhoon". It was later renamed Suzuki Miekichi. He also wrote Ogai, Kafu, Mantaro. This book was about the three writers he admired most. Another biographical work was Encho.
Kojima lived in Kamakura for a short time in the 1930s. But he soon moved back to Tokyo. He spent many years on the review committees for two important literary awards. These were the Akutagawa Prize and the Naoki Prize.
He returned to Kamakura in 1944. He lived there until he passed away in 1994. He was 100 years old when he died. In 1983, he had an accident at home and broke his leg. He stayed in the hospital for the rest of his life. Even from his hospital bed, he kept writing until he was in his 90s. His grave is at the Tenno-ji temple in Yanaka Cemetery.
