Ton Satomi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is 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 Japanese author . page 5 Satomi was known for the craftsmanship of his dialogue and command of the
Japanese language is the principal language of the Japonic languages, Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese dia ...
. His two elder brothers, Ikuma Arishima and Takeo Arishima, were also authors.


Early life

Satomi Ton was born in
Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
into the wealthy Arishima family, but was later legally adopted by his mother's family, thus inheriting their surname of Yamanouchi. He was educated at the Gakushuin Peers' School, where he became interested in literature, and briefly attended
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 ...
, but left in 1910 without graduating. page 107


Literary career

Through his brother Ikuma Arishima, he became acquainted with other alumni authors from Gakushuin, including Naoya Shiga and Saneatsu Mushanokōji. They formed a group named after their literary magazine '' Shirakaba'', which was first published in 1910. Satomi claimed that he decided on his pen-name by picking out names at random from a telephone directory. In his early years, he was a frequent visitor to
Yoshiwara was a famous ( red-light district) in Edo, present-day Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1617, Yoshiwara was one of three licensed and well-known red-light districts created during the early 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate, alongside Shim ...
together with Naoya Shiga, but he later married a former
geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...
from Osaka, Masa Yamanaka, and later novelized the story in the novels ''Kotoshidake'' (今年竹) and ''Tajō Busshin'' (多情仏心). Although he wrote some works in 1913 and 1914, Satomi’s literary debut was in 1915 in '' Chūōkōron''. Satomi became a disciple of Kyōka Izumi after his works came to the attention of the older novelist. Satomi strove to remain aloof from any particular literary clique or political school throughout his career. He was a prolific author known for his autobiographical works and promotion of purely literary values. In the West he is largely known for ''Tsubaki'' ("Camellia"), a disturbing
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
written after the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923, which came a few months after the suicide of his brother Takeo Arishima. From 1932, he worked as an instructor at
Meiji University is a Private university, private research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Originally founded as Meiji Law School () by three lawyers in 1881, it became a university in April 1920. As of May 2023, Meiji has 32,261 undergradu ...
. He was awarded the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 1940. In 1945, together with
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 ...
, he created the Kamakura Bunko. He was made a member of the Japan Art Academy in 1947. In 1958, his novel ''Higanbana'' ('' Equinox Flower'') was made into a movie by
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. The most pr ...
, starring
Kinuyo Tanaka was a Japanese actress and film director. She had a career lasting over 50 years with more than 250 acting credits, but was best known for her 15 films with director Kenji Mizoguchi, such as ''The Life of Oharu'' (1952) and ''Ugetsu'' (1953). W ...
. In 1959, Satomi received the Order of Culture from the Japanese government. In 1960, Satomi published '' Late Autumn'', which was later made into a movie by Yasujirō Ozu starring Setsuko Hara. He was awarded the Yomiuri Prize in 1956 and in 1971. He lived in
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 ...
,
Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
from 1924 until his death, and often socialized with the other literati residing in that city. With the establishment of the
Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...
movie studios in Ofuna, north of Kamakura, he also collaborated with film director
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. The most pr ...
on numerous movie scripts. Satomi died in 1983. His grave is located at the Kamakura Reien Public Cemetery.


Major works

*''Zen Shin Aku Shin'' ("Good Heart Evil Heart") *''Tajo Busshin'' ("The Compassion of Buddha", 1922–1923) *''Anjo Ke no Kyodai'' ("The Anjo Brothers") *''Gokuraku Tombo'' ("A Carefree Fellow", 1961)


See also

*
Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japa ...
*
List of Japanese authors This is an alphabetical list of writers who are Japanese, or are famous for having written in the Japanese language. Writers are listed by the native order of Japanese names—family name followed by given name—to ensure consistency, although ...


References

* Flowler, Edward. ''The Rhetoric of Confession: Shishosetsu in Early Twentieth-Century Japanese Fiction''. University of California Press (1992). * Keene, Donald. ''Dawn to the West''. Columbia University Press; 2nd Rev Ed edition (1998). * Morris,Ivan. ''Modern Japanese Stories: An Anthology''. Tuttle Publishing (2005).


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Satomi, Ton 1888 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Japanese novelists Japanese male short story writers Shirakaba-ha Writers from Yokohama University of Tokyo alumni Yomiuri Prize winners Recipients of the Order of Culture 20th-century Japanese short story writers 20th-century Japanese male writers 20th-century Japanese screenwriters