Takeo Arishima

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Lore & Background

Takeo Arishima was born in Tokyo on March 4, 1878, into a wealthy family as the son of an ex-samurai official in the Ministry of Finance. He attended a mission school in Yokohama, then entered the Gakushuin peer's school at age 10. After graduating at 19, he went to Sapporo Agricultural College. During his studies, he attempted suicide with Kokichi Morimoto. He became influenced by Uchimura Kanzō and became a Christian in 1901. After graduation and a short stint in the Imperial Japanese Army, he took English lessons from Mary Elkinton Nitobe. In July 1903, he became a foreign correspondent in the United States for the Mainichi Shimbun. There he enrolled at Haverford College and later Harvard University. After graduation, he briefly worked in a Quaker insane asylum. During his time in America, he became critical of Christianity, attracted to socialism, and influenced by Walt Whitman, Henrik Ibsen, and Peter Kropotkin. His experiences in America and Europe left him feeling alienated from Japanese society. He returned to Japan in 1907, re-entered the army briefly, then became an English and ethics teacher at his alma mater in 1909. Through his brother Ikuma Arishima, he met Naoya Shiga and Saneatsu Mushanokōji. They formed the Shirakaba group, named after their literary magazine first published in 1911. Arishima first achieved fame in 1917 with 'The Descendants of Cain'. In 1919 he published his best-known work, 'A Certain Woman'. Though critically acclaimed, his themes did not appeal to many contemporary Japanese readers. In 1922, he renounced ownership of a large tenant farm in Hokkaidō, implementing his socialist philosophy. He married in 1910, but his wife died of tuberculosis in 1916, leaving three children. In 1922, he met Akiko Hatano, a married editor at Fujin Koron. Their extramarital affair led to their double suicide by hanging in Karuizawa. Their bodies were discovered over a month later, identified largely by the suicide note. His grave is at Tama Cemetery in Tokyo.

Reader's Guide

Takeo Arishima's significance comes from his role as a central figure in the Shirakaba literary group, which first published its magazine in 1911. His major works include 'A Certain Woman' (1919) and 'The Descendants of Cain' (1917). His writing was critical of Christianity and strongly influenced by socialism; it was emotionally intense, humanistic, and employed ideas from the Bible, Tolstoy, and anarchic socialism. His contemporaries regarded him as a philosopher and social critic as much as a novelist. After his death, he became known for his detailed diaries, covering more than twenty volumes, with an intimate record of his life, fears, and hopes. His works available in English include 'A Certain Woman', 'Labyrinth', 'The Descendants of Cain', 'The Agony of Coming Into the World', and 'Death' (a play). His life ended with his suicide alongside Akiko Hatano in Karuizawa in 1923.

Did You Know?

• Arishima attempted suicide with Kokichi Morimoto during his studies at Sapporo Agricultural College.
• He briefly worked in an insane asylum operated by the Quaker sect after graduating from Harvard University.
• His younger brothers Ikuma Arishima and Ton Satomi were also authors.
• His son was the internationally known film and stage actor Masayuki Mori.
• Arishima's body and Akiko Hatano's were not discovered for over a month after their suicide, and were identified largely by the suicide note.