, also known as Kan Kikuchi (which uses the same

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

as his real name), was a Japanese

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

and publisher. He established the publishing company

Bungeishunjū is a Japanese publishing company known for its leading monthly magazine '' Bungeishunjū''. The company was founded by Kan Kikuchi in 1923. It grants the annual Akutagawa Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Japan, as well a ...

, the monthly

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association and both the

Akutagawa Akutagawa (written: 芥川) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese poet and writer *, Japanese composer and conductor, son of Akutagawa Ryunosuke *, Japanese painter * David Akutagawa (1937–2008), Japanese-Can ...

and

Naoki Prize The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for ...

for popular literature. He came to prominence for the plays ''Madame Pearl'' and ''Father Returns'', but his ample support for the Imperial Japanese war effort led to his marginalization in the postwar period. He was also the head of Daiei Motion Picture Company (currently

Kadokawa Pictures Kadokawa Daiei Studio Co., Ltd., formerly is the film production division of the Japanese company the Kadokawa Corporation. History In 1945, Genyoshi Kadokawa established Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., focusing on the publishing business. ...

). He was known to have been an avid player of

mahjong Mahjong (English pronunciation: ; also transliterated as mah jongg, mah-jongg, and mahjongg) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played ...

Early life and career

Kikuchi was born on December 26, 1888, in

Takamatsu file:Takamatsu City Hall.jpg, 270px, Takamatsu City Hall file:Takamatsu city center area Aerial photograph.2007.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Takamatsu city center file:Takamatsu200910cut.JPG, 270px, View from Yashima to Takashima port is a capital ...

Kagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Pr ...

, Japan. In 1904–1905 after the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

, literature in Japan grew more modern. French

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

was one of the first influences that immersed into Japan's literature. Building from the famous and classic works from the West, which include diaries and autobiographies, Japanese writers formulated a style of fictional writing that is eventually called ''shinkyo-shosetsu''. Other major influences from Western countries in Europe in addition to works from India and China contributed to the creation of modern literature in Japan. In comparison to literature in European countries, new Japanese literature did not achieve as much popularity; few works of Japanese

playwrights A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwrigh ...

were translated into European languages. Kikuchi Kan saw the language barrier and inaccuracy of translation as part of the central cause for this.

Irish influences

In 1924, shortly after

Kaoru Osanai , was a Japanese theater director, playwright, and actor central in the development of modern Japanese theater. Biography Kaoru Osanai was born on July 26, 1881, in Hiroshima, the second son of Director of Hiroshima Army Garrison Hospital, Takes ...

opened

Tsukiji Little Theatre Tsukiji (築地) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. Literally meaning "reclaimed land", it lies near the Sumida River on land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the 18th century during the Edo period. The eponymous Tsukiji fish market opened in 193 ...

, Kikuchi Kan was the most celebrated playwright in Japan. Kan was widely claimed as "a playwright who transformed Irish plays into a Japanese context," including

John Millington Synge Edmund John Millington Synge (; 16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909), popularly known as J. M. Synge, was an Irish playwright, poet, writer, essayist, and collector of folklores. As an important driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, Ir ...

's ''Deirdre of the Sorrows''. When studying at the

University of Kyoto , or , is a national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen graduate schools, and t ...

, Kikuchi Kan had a great interest in modern drama, particularly Irish modern drama. Dramatists Kan studied included J.M. Synge and

Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957), commonly known as Lord Dunsany, was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. He published more than 90 books during his lifetime, and his output consist ...

. After graduating from the University of Kyoto, Kan wrote detailed articles on Synge and Irish plays for and ''New Current of Thought''. In 1925, Kan also published a book with Shuji Yamamoto, ''Eikoku Airan Kindaigeki Seizui'' (Quintessence of Modern Plays in England and Ireland). Kan's interests in Irish drama and J.S. Synge were also inspirations to his future works. In his , Kan writes about his great interest in Irish drama.

Writing style

Though Kikuchi Kan recognized distinct characteristics between Western and Japanese cultures, he used his Japanese roots as the foundation of many of his works. This, in turn, resulted in Kikuchi Kan creating his style of writing in Japanese drama. One of his early works, , represents one of Kikuchi Kan's portrayal of societal issues during his time, which increased his popularity in modern Japanese literature. Other themes of his dramas include issues of morality, money, class, and gender. Kikuchi Kan believes the nature of modern theatre is to shed light upon the wrongs of modern society and liberate Japan from those customs. The heavy influence of common issues in Kikuchi Kan's works gained accolades from critics and dramatists. Elements of drama Kikuchi Kan considered to be the most effective are the

one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...

and the use of a minimal number of characters. "The one-act play" he wrote, "is different from long plays – three-acts or five-acts. It should extract the most dramatic elements from all and has to effectively treat it within a limited time." With this short amount of time, Kikuchi Kan's portrays his message in a core event with meticulous use of exposition. One important element in his perspective is knowing the difference between writing stories as opposed to writing plays. In that limited time, the play must have the power to "physically bind the audience to the theatre seat," as opposed to stories that "the reader can put into his pocket." From 1914 to 1924, Kan wrote one-act plays for the leading coterie magazine at that time, New Tides of Thought (Shinshichō). New Tides of Thought magazine also contributed to the popularity of Taishō drama. In Kan's one-act plays, he focused on a single dramatic event and had the characters' actions revolve around that event to produce the most tension and most "dramatic force," for one-act plays "should extract the most dramatic elements...within a limited time."

''Father Returns''

One of his most famous works, ''Chichi Kaeru'' (Father Returns), is a one-act play that mainly portrays the struggles of a father-son relationship. Father Returns opened in 1920, after being published in the journal ''New Tides of Thought'' in 1917. The story revolves around a conflict between a father and son. The eldest son, Ken'ichirō, despises his father, Sōtarō, for his cruel treatment of the family and for deserting them. As the play progresses, the audience learns that Ken'ichirō's hatred towards his father fueled his determination of surpassing his father by providing better support for his family in his absence. After Sōtarō returns one night, the family welcomes him but Ken'ichirō's confrontation with him ultimately drives Sōtarō to leave. The play concludes with Ken'ichirō's sudden change of heart towards Sōtarō and accepting him into the family. After Shinjirō, a younger brother, goes to bring Sōtarō back, the curtain closes before Sōtarō is found. The ending drove Takeda and Ennosuke to alter it to avoid ambiguity, but was changed back to the original to preserve the main message of the play.

''Madame Pearl''

brought Kikuchi Kan to fame. This drama takes place in Japan and focuses on the theme of gender in society. The main character, a woman named Karasawa Ruriko 唐沢瑠璃子 is a baron's daughter who is forced into an arranged marriage with the rich Shōda Katsuhei 荘田勝平 to save the family from

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

. Before and after Ruriko's arranged marriage to Katsuhei, she remained faithful to her feelings for Sugino Naoya 杉野直也, her first love, and decided to preserve her virginity. Due to Ruriko's choosing to be sexually pure, Katsuhei attempted to rape Ruriko but died from a sudden

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. From then on, she wanted to overcome the male dominance in the society she lived in. For a period of time Ruriko tricked men and played with their emotions, which lead many of them to violent deaths. However, Ruriko eventually was killed by one of her suitors. The name ''Shinju fujin'' symbolizes Ruriko's purity and preservation of

chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains from sexual activity that is considered immoral or from any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for exampl ...

throughout her encounters with different men. She remained pure in body, mind, and soul like a pearl while she gradually rose in power over men. As the story unravels, it encourages the audience to think about Ruriko's motivation to carry out her actions and find the "truth" behind her thinking. According to Michiko Suzuki, this play became popular among female audiences because it gave them strength and the opportunity fulfill "the fantasy of female liberation". Suzuki further argues that many audience members believed that Ruriko was inspired by Yanagihara Byakuren 柳原白蓮, who was widely known for her beauty, her talent in poetry, her relation to the emperor, and her marriage to coalmine magnate Itō Den'emon 伊藤傳右衞門. According to Suzuki, Byakuren herself asked Kikuchi Kan whether she played a role in creating Ruriko in ''Shinju fujin'' and Kikuchi confirmed that there was a connection. Suzuki also connects Ruriko to

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

, the goddess of revenge. Suzuki argues that, like the goddess of revenge, Ruriko wanted to avenge the women who have fallen victim to the "violence and self-centered desires of men."

Naoki and Akutagawa Prizes

Kikuchi Kan dedicated the

Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History Th ...

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa , art name , was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him. He took his own life at the age ...

(芥川龍之介) after his death in 1927. The Akutagawa Prize Committee was composed of the close friends of Bungei Shunjusha. The Akutagawa Prize was given every six months to rising authors of original literature (Sōsaku) that were published in any newspaper or magazine. The Akutagawa Prizes were published in

issues. The prize included both a watch and a cash award of five hundred

Japanese yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. Th ...

( ¥).

The

was created by Kikuchi Kan as tribute to literary author

Sanjugo Naoki was a pen name of a novelist in Taishō and Shōwa period Japan. His real name was . Early life Naoki Sanjūgo was born in what is now Chūō-ku, Osaka. The noted historian Uemura Seiji, specialist in East Asian history, was his brother. Agains ...

(直木三十五) after his death in February 1934. The Naoki Prize was given to rising authors of popular literature. The Naoki prizes were published in issues. The process of choosing recipients of the two prizes is for the committees to select already published manuscripts in Coterie and commercial magazines and newspapers. After producing the two prizes, Kikuchi Kan initially decided on having the prizes reflect the

Kenshō Kenshō (Rōmaji; Japanese and classical Chinese: 見性, Pinyin: ''jianxing'', Sanskrit: dṛṣṭi- svabhāva) is an East Asian Buddhist term from the Chan / Zen tradition which means "seeing" or "perceiving" ( 見) "nature" or "essence" ...

shōsetsu The traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms (節氣). ''Xiǎoxuě'' () is the 20th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 240° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 255°. It ...

type of award, in which submitted and unpublished manuscripts were selected by a committee. In brief, the Kenshō shōsetsu, the "prize-winning novels" are selected pieces of fiction novels published in newspapers and magazines that received considerable amounts of praise. The Akutagawa Prize committee in 1934 consisted of the members: Bungei Shunjusha, Yamamoto Yuzu, Haruo Satō,

Jun'ichirō Tanizaki was a Japanese author who is considered to be one of the most prominent figures in modern Japanese literature. The tone and subject matter of his work range from shocking depictions of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions to subtle portr ...

Murō Saisei , real name Murō Terumichi, was a Japanese writer of poetry, short stories and novels. Biography Early life Murō was born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, in 1889. His mother Haru was the mistress of Kobata Yozaemon-kichidane, a low-ranking ...

Kōsaku Takii was a noted Japanese haiku poet, short story writer, and author of the celebrated I novel ''Mugen Hōyō''. Early life Takii was born in Takayama, Gifu where his father was a cabinetmaker. At age 13, he lost his mother and two brothers, and ...

Riichi Yokomitsu was an experimental, modernist Japanese writer. Yokomitsu began publishing in dōjinshi such as ''Machi'' ("Street") and ''Tō'' ("Tower") after entering Waseda University in 1916. In 1923, he published ''Nichirin'' ("The Sun"), ''Hae'' ("A F ...

and

Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and ...

. Kikuchi Kan,

Masao Kume was a Japanese popular playwright, novelist and ''haiku'' poet (under the pen-name of ''Santei'') active during the late Taishō and early Shōwa periods of Japan. His wife and the wife of Nagai Tatsuo were sisters, making them brothers-in-la ...

and

Masajirō Kojima was a Japanese novelist active in Shōwa period Japan. Biography Kojima was born in the plebeian Shitaya district of Tokyo to a family of clothing merchants. While attending Keio University he studied Edo period Japanese literature and the wor ...

were in both Akutagawa and Naoki Prize Committees.

Kikuchi Kan Prize

In 1938, the

Kikuchi Kan Prize The honors achievement in all aspects of Japanese literary culture. It was named in honor of Kikuchi Kan. The prize is presented annually by the literary magazine '' Bungei Shunjū'' and the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature. Histo ...

(菊池寛賞 Kikuchi Kan Shō) was created by Kikuchi Kan himself that recognizes authors' achievements. However, unlike the Naoki and Akutagawa Prizes, the Kikuchi Kan Prize is given to senior authors over age 45. The prize includes an award of one million yen and a table clock. This award was sponsored by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Literature for six years before the cancellation of the prize. After Kikuchi Kan's death, the prize was brought back and is currently open to art, literature, film, and other genres. Recipients of this prize include

Hakuchō Masamune , born Tadao Masamune, was a noted Japanese critic and writer of fiction, and a leading member of the Japanese Naturalist school of literature. Biography Masamune was born in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, as the eldest (and sickly) son of an old a ...

and

Yasushi Inoue was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories, poetry and essays, noted for his historical and autobiographical fiction. His most acclaimed works include '' The Bullfight'' (''Tōgyū'', 1949), ''The Roof Tile of Tempyō'' (''Tenpyō no iraka' ...

Later years

In 1938, Kikuchi joined the

Pen butai The was a Japanese government organisation which existed between 1938 and 1942. It was composed of Japanese authors who travelled the front during the Second Sino-Japanese War to write favourably of Japan's war efforts in China. History The Pen ...

(lit. "Pen corps"), a government organisation which consisted of authors who travelled the front during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

to write favourably of Japan's war efforts in China, and became head of the group's navy branch. He was later affiliated with the Nihon bungaku hōkokukai ("Patriotic Association for Japanese Literature"), a subordinate of the

Cabinet Intelligence Bureau The was a government organization in Japan. It was founded in 1940 at the request of Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro. The organization's main objective was to improve pro-Japan public opinion around what was happening in World War II. Its main respo ...

. After the war, he was purged from public service positions as a wartime collaborator.

Selected work

Kan Kikuchi's published writings encompass 512 works in 683 publications in 7 languages and 2,341 library holdings.WorldCat Identities

菊池寬 1888-1948
/ref> * – The Housetop Madman * – The Father returns * -Anonymous Writer’s Diary * or Beyond the Pale of Vengeance * *

* – Tōjūrō's love ** film adaptations: Tōjūrō no Koi (1938 film) and

Tōjūrō no Koi (1955 film) is a 1955 black and white Japanese film directed by Kazuo Mori. It is based on the novel '' Tōjūrō no Koi'' (藤十郎の恋) written by Kan Kikuchi , also known as Kan Kikuchi (which uses the same kanji as his real name), was a Japanese ...

Notes

References

* Asai Kiyoshi. (1994). Tokyo: Shinchōsha.
OCLC 31486196

External links

shinkyo shosetsu

Madman on the Roof
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kikuchi Kan 1888 births 1948 deaths Bisexual novelists Writers from Kagawa Prefecture Kyoto University alumni Japanese racehorse owners and breeders Bisexual male writers Japanese bisexual men Japanese LGBTQ novelists Japanese LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights Mahjong players Bisexual dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Japanese dramatists and playwrights People from Takamatsu, Kagawa Burials at Tama Cemetery