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Kamitsukasa Shoken

かみつかさ しょうけん

Kamitsukasa Shoken

Aliases: 上司 延貴 / 子介
Pen Names: Kamitsukasa Shoken（Pen name used in his literary works）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1874-12-15 （Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan）
Died
1947-09-02 （Tokyo, Japan (buried at Tama Cemetery)） age 72
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nara City (birthplace) → Tada Village, Hyogo Prefecture (now Kawanishi City) — childhood → Osaka (raised at his mother's family home) → Tokyo (moved to Tokyo and worked as an editor and writer)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Editor
Active Years
1897-1947
Affiliations
Imperial Academy of Arts, New Japan Literary Society (supporting member)
Memberships
Member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, New Japan Literary Society (supporting member)
Influenced By
Tayama Katai

Awards

Member of the Imperial Academy of Arts
1937
Organization: Imperial Academy of Arts
Result: Appointed

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Skin of the Conger Eel

1914 Autobiographical short novel / short story

An autobiographical short novel drawing on the author's life, weaving fragments of daily life and memory to depict inner states and nostalgia.

AutobiographyMemoryNostalgiaFamily

The Wooden Statue

1911 Short story

A short story that delicately portrays human relationships and psychology, focusing on contrasts between city and countryside and the theme of loneliness.

UrbanizationLonelinessHuman psychology

Tokyo (Vols. 1–2)

1921 Novel

A novel set in Tokyo that attempts to depict people's lives and social changes in the city.

CitySocial changeLife history

Bibliography

  • Sumo Shinsho (ed. Kamitsukasa Nobutaka [Shosuke]) – Hakubunkan, 1899
  • Sore Hi Sore Hi: Shoken Essays – Yomiuri Shimbun, 1905
  • Kaijin – Shunyodo, 1908
  • The Wooden Statue – Imakodo, 1911
  • Scales of the Goldfish: Short Pieces – Bunyudo Shoten, 1913
  • The Skin of the Conger Eel – Shunyodo, 1914
  • Okou Sogetsu – Uetake Shoin, 1915
  • Father's Wedding – Shinchosha, 1915
  • From the Small Window – Daidokan Shoten, 1915
  • The Miko Murder – Suhara Keikosha, 1916
  • Those Who Refuse to Live – Jueikaku, 1920
  • The Flower Way – Genbunsha, 1921
  • The Vase – Hakubunkan, 1922
  • Tokyo Vols. 1–2 – Otabunkan (ed.), 1921–22
  • Notes of the Early Marrier (Part I) – Kaneko Shoten, 1923
  • Saigyo Hoshi – Jiritsu-sha, 1924
  • Island of Women's Protection (5th ed.) – Genbunsha, 1924
  • Humoresque – Chuo-do, 1924
  • Modern Long Novels: Kamitsukasa Shoken Volume – Shinchosha, 1928
  • U Newspaper Chronicle – Chuo Koronsha, 1934
  • Phonograph Reader – Bungakkai-sha, 1936
  • Living in Frugal Poverty – Chikura Shobo, 1940
  • Seiseisho – Daito Publishing, 1941
  • Leeway – Toyo Shokan, 1941
  • Sugawara Michizane – Seikatsu-sha, 1946
  • Selected Works of Kamitsukasa Shoken Vol.1–3 – Ikuei Publishing, 1947–48

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Naturalistic styleAutobiographical elementsEssayistic narration
Recurring Motifs
NostalgiaFamily relationsCity vs. countrysideMemory

Legacy

Kamitsukasa Shoken is known for his realistic, semi-autobiographical writing, with The Skin of the Conger Eel regarded as his representative work. He was appointed to the Imperial Academy of Arts, has been the subject of academic studies, and collected editions of his works have been published.

Academic Societies

  • Imperial Academy of Arts

Archives

  • Aozora Bunko (author works list)
  • National Diet Library (collection)
  • Authority data such as VIAF / ISNI

In Popular Culture

  • Works are available on Aozora Bunko
  • Studied in literary research

Trivia

  • Born in Nara City and raised in Tada Village, Hyogo Prefecture (now Kawanishi City).
  • Worked at Yomiuri Shimbun and served as an editor-in-chief.
  • 'The Skin of the Conger Eel' was praised by Tayama Katai and became his representative work.
  • Appointed as a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1937.
  • Buried at Tama Cemetery (Tama Reien).