was the

pen-name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

of a noted translator, author and literary critic in Taishō and

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. His real name was .

Biography

Ikuta was born in what is now part of the town of

Hino, Tottori is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Hino District, Tottori, Hino District, Tottori Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 2,591 in 1,223 households and a population density of 19 persons per km². The total area of t ...

, and was educated at St Andrew’s School in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, a school run by the

Anglican Church in Japan The ''Nippon Sei Ko Kai'' (), abbreviated as NSKK, sometimes referred to in English as the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan, is the national Christianity, Christian church representing the Province of Japan (, ) within the Anglican Communion. ...

. In 1898 he converted to

Unitarianism Unitarianism () is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian sect of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the wikt:unitary, unitary God in Christianity, nature of God as the singular and unique Creator deity, creator of the universe, believe that ...

. He moved to Tokyo the following year and was accepted into the First Higher School in 1900. He was accepted into the Department of Literature of

Tokyo Imperial University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...

in 1903. While in Tokyo, he became friends with Ueda Bin, who suggested his nickname. He graduated in 1906, and after returning briefly to Tottori to get married, moved into rooms provided by

Yosano Tekkan Yosano Hiroshi (与謝野寛; 26 February 1873 – 26 March 1935), known by his pen name was a Japanese author and poet active in late Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa era. His wife was fellow author Yosano Akiko. His grandson was politicia ...

and

Yosano Akiko , known by her pen name Yosano Akiko (Shinjitai: , Kyūjitai: , ), was a Japanese author, poet, feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji era as well as the Taishō era, Taishō and early Shōwa eras of Japan. She is one ...

in Kōjimachi, Tokyo, where he taught as an English language instructor at a women’s college until 1909. This was also the start of his association with women’s literature, and his literary circle included

Okamoto Kanoko , born , was the pen-name of a Japanese author, tanka poet, and Buddhist scholar active during the Taishō and early Shōwa periods of Japan. Early life Kanoko's maiden name was Ōnuki Kano. She was born in Aoyama, Akasaka-ku (present day Mina ...

Yamakawa Kikue was a Japanese essayist, activist, and socialist feminist who contributed to the development of feminism in modern Japan. Born into a highly-educated family of the former samurai class, Yamakawa graduated from the private women's college Jos ...

and

Hiratsuka Raichō Hiratsuka Raichō (, transliterated according to the historical kana orthography; born Hiratsuka Haru, ; February 10, 1886 – May 24, 1971) was a Japanese writer, journalist, political activist, anarchist, and pioneering feminist in Japan. ...

. In 1909, Ikuta began his translation of

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

’s ''

Thus Spoke Zarathustra ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None'' (), also translated as ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'', is a work of philosophical fiction written by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche; it was published in four volumes between 1883 and 1885. ...

'' into Japanese, which was completed in 1911. The same year, he also assisted Hiratsuka in the publication of her literary magazine ''Bluestocking''. He continued to work on translation of Nietzsche from 1916 through 1929, eventually translating all of Nietzsche’s works into Japanese. He also translated

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

’s ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'' in 1922. Also around this time, Ikuta began a correspondence with the

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

Sakai Toshihiko was a Japanese socialist. He advocated opposition to the Russo-Japanese War, founded the Heiminsha and published the newspaper ''Heimin Shimbun''. He formed the Japan Socialist Party and the Japanese Communist Party, and became the first gene ...

and the

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

Ōsugi Sakae was a prominent Japanese anarchist who was jailed multiple times for his writings and activism. He was murdered alongside his partner, Itō Noe, in what became known as the Amakasu Incident. Biography Ōsugi was born on January 17, 1885. ...

. This led to an interest in the works of

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

, and he translated ''Das Kapital'' into Japanese in 1919. However, his flirtation with Marxism was short-lived, and he had distanced himself from Marxist ideals by 1923. His interest in anarchism lasted longer, and he maintained a correspondence with Takamure Itsue for many years. He translated

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

’s ''

Divine comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poetry, narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of ...

'' in 1924. From 1925 to 1930 Ikuta moved to

Yuigahama is a beach near Kamakura, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The relation between the beach and its neighboring areas is complex. Although Yuigahama is legally the entire 3.2 km beach that goes from Inamuragasaki, which separates it from ...

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

. At some point before this time, he contracted Hansen’s Disease. He left Kamakura before the physical effects of the disease became apparent, and he lived in

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

, Tokyo, until his death in 1936. His final work was a translation of Dumas’s ''Camellia''. Ikuta's grave is at

Hase-dera is the main temple of the Shingon-shu Buzan-ha, Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism. The temple is located in Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Main Hall is a National Treasure (Japan), National Treasure of Japan. Overview Accord ...

in Kamakura.

References

* Chieko Irie Mulhern
"Japanese Women Writers: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook"
Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994, , pg. 133 * Yoshimi Takeuchi, Richard Calichman (Eds.)
" What Is Modernity?: Writings Of Takeuchi Yoshimi"
Columbia University Press, 2005, , pg. 169

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikuta, Choko 1881 births 1936 deaths Japanese Protestants University of Tokyo alumni Japanese literary critics Translators of Dante Alighieri Writers from Tottori Prefecture Deaths from leprosy 20th-century Japanese translators Infectious disease deaths in Japan

Biography

See also

References

Notes