Yasushi Inoue

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Yasushi Inoue was born into a family of physicians in Asahikawa, Hokkaido in 1907, and later raised in Yugashima, Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. In his essay 'Hometown Izu', he wrote, 'I was born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, but in the yearbooks and directories, most of my birthplace is Shizuoka Prefecture. When I write it myself, I write it separately from Asahikawa as my place of birth and Shizuoka Prefecture as my birthplace...' In *My History of Self-Formation*, he added, 'It seems safe to assume that Izu, where I spent my childhood, was my true hometown, and that everything that would form the basis of my person was created here.' During his high school years, he was an active practitioner of judo. He first studied law and literature at Kyushu University and later changed to philosophy at Kyoto University, where he graduated in 1936 with a degree in aesthetics and a thesis on Paul Valéry. After winning the Chiba Kameo Prize for his early work *Ryūten*, Inoue started working for the *Mainichi Shimbun*. In 1937, he was drafted into the Sino-Japanese War, but soon returned due to illness and resumed his occupation at the *Mainichi Shimbun*. His military service in northern China brought forth his interest in Chinese history.

Reader's Guide

After the end of the Pacific War, Inoue won critical acclaim with his 1949 novellas *The Hunting Gun* (Ryōjū) and *The Bullfight*, the latter earning him the Akutagawa Prize. In the following years, he published several novels and short stories in a variety of genres: contemporary love stories, stories addressing social and political aspects of post-war Japan like *Kuroi Ushio*, historical novels set in accurately depicted settings like the 1957 *The Roof Tile of Tempyō* and the 1959 *Tun-huang* (Tonkō), and works with an autobiographical background like the 1975 *Chronicle of My Mother* (Waga haha no ki), which documented his mother's deterioration into senility. Inoue was elected a member of the Japan Art Academy in 1964 and received the Order of Culture in 1976. He died in Tokyo in 1991 at the age of 83. He had a deep knowledge of shrines, temples, and Japanese history, and served as a supervisor and editorial committee member at several publishing companies. His works have been repeatedly adapted for film, television, and the stage.

Did You Know?

• Inoue was born in Hokkaido but considered Izu, where he spent his childhood, his true hometown.
• He was an active practitioner of judo during his high school years.
• He graduated from Kyoto University in 1936 with a degree in aesthetics and a thesis on Paul Valéry.
• His military service in northern China during the Sino-Japanese War sparked his interest in Chinese history.
• He received the Order of Culture in 1976.