is a Japanese novelist active during the late

Shōwa 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 ...

and Heisei eras.

Early life

Muramatsu was born in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, but was raised in

Shimizu, Shizuoka is a List of towns in Japan, town in Suntō District, Shizuoka, Suntō District of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 32,453 in 14058 households, and a population density of 3,700 persons per km2. The total a ...

. His grandfather was the noted writer Muramatsu Shofu, and both his father and his mother worked for the literary magazine '' Chūōkōron.'' Muramatsu Tomomi attended

Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...

's Literature Department, and on graduation went to work for ''Chūōkōron'' himself as an editor. On the early death of his father, he was adopted by his grandfather, Muramatsu Shofu, as his legal heir.

Writing

His first published work, a collection of essays, ''Watashi puroresu no kyomi desu'' ("I am a Professional Wrestling Fan"), published in 1980, was a best seller and established him as a mainstream writer. As the name implied, Muramatsu is a great fan of

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

, and has written a number of novels with wrestling as a theme. His ''Semi-finaru'' ("Semi-Final") was nominated for the prestigious

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 ...

. In 1982, his novel ''Jidaiya no nyobo'' ("The Wife of Jidaiya") was awarded the Naoki Prize, and was later made into a

movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. In 1997, his novel ''Kamakura no Obasan'' ("Auntie of Kamakura") was awarded the Izumi Kyoka Prize. After Muramatsu appeared on

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

s for

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

, and his line of “One Finger – Two Fingers” became a popular phrase in Japanese bars.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muramatsu, Tomomi 1940 births Writers from Tokyo 20th-century Japanese novelists 21st-century Japanese novelists Living people 20th-century essayists 21st-century Japanese essayists