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Kaionji Chōgorō

かいおんじ ちょうごろう

Kaionji Chōgorō

Aliases: 末冨 東作
Pen Names: Kaionji Chōgorō（Pen name used for literary work; first used in 1929 when submitting a prize-winning short story.）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1901-11-05 （Okuchi, Isa District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan (now Isa City)）
Died
1977-12-01 （Kuroiso (now part of Nasushiobara), Tochigi Prefecture, Japan） age 76
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Okuchi (birthplace), Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan → Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan → Yoyogi-Uehara, Tokyo, Japan → Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer
Active Years
1929-1977
Affiliations
Jitsuroku Bungaku Kenkyukai (Realist Literature Research Society), Bungaku Kensetsu (literary circle)
Memberships
Naoki Prize selection committee member
Influenced By
,
Influenced
Ryotaro Shiba

Education

Kogakkan University
Period: 1921-1922
Country: Japan
Withdrew in 1922 due to personal circumstances and briefly returned home.
Kokugakuin University, Higher Normal School
Higher Normal School / Department of Japanese/Chinese Classics
Period: 1923-1926
Year of Graduation: 1926
Country: Japan
After graduation he worked as a junior high school teacher while beginning his writing career.

Awards

Selected in Sunday Mainichi short story contest
1929
Work: Utakata Sōshi
Organization: Sunday Mainichi
Result: 入選
Sunday Mainichi Popular Literature Award
1934
Organization: Sunday Mainichi
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize (Naoki Sanjūgo Prize)
1936
Work: Tenshō Onna Gassen; Budō Denraiki
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1968
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1968
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
NHK Broadcasting Culture Award
1973
Organization: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Result: 受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
1973
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 選出
Japan Art Academy Prize
1977
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: 受賞
Honorary citizen of Ōkuchi (Okuchi)
1977
Organization: Ōkuchi City (now Isa City)
Result: 授与

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tenshō Onna Gassen

1936 Historical novel

A historical novel depicting the fates and struggles of women in the Sengoku period. Serialized in literary magazines and helped establish Kaionji's reputation.

Sengoku periodWomen's historiesPower and fate

Budō Denraiki

1941 Historical novel / History of martial arts

Traces the transmission of martial arts and depicts the lives and ethos of samurai and swordsmen, exploring martial culture historically.

Martial artsSamurai ethosTechnique and spirit

Taira no Masakado

1955 Historical novel

A long historical novel portraying the life of Taira no Masakado, revisiting the image of a classical-era hero.

Heroic biographyAncient historyRebellion and politics
Adaptations
  • [Television] Kaze to Kumo to Niji to (related to Taira no Masakado) (1976)

Ten to Chi to (Heaven and Earth)

1962 Historical novel

A long historical novel centered on Uesugi Kenshin and the Sengoku era. One of Kaionji's representative works, widely known through NHK Taiga drama adaptations.

Sengoku periodCommanders' conflictsFate and honor
Adaptations
  • [Television] Ten to Chi to (NHK Taiga Drama) (1969)
  • [Film] Ten to Chi to (feature film) (1990)
  • [Television (special)] Ten to Chi to (TV special) (2008)

Saigō Takamori (biography)

1964 Historical biography

Kaionji's life work on Saigō Takamori. Written in the style of historical biography, it covers the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration in detail but remained unfinished at his death.

Bakumatsu / Meiji RestorationSatsuma regionBiographical history

Bushō Retsuden (Biographies of Military Commanders)

1959 Biographical sketches / historical biography

A series of biographical sketches of military commanders, intended to revive historical biography and promote understanding of Japanese history through literature.

Biographical sketchesHistory educationPortraits of commanders

Bibliography

  • Tenshō Onna Gassen (1936)
  • Budō Denraiki (1941)
  • Taira no Masakado (1955)
  • Ten to Chi to (1962)
  • Bushō Retsuden (1959-1963)
  • Saigō Takamori (1964-1977, unfinished)
  • Futamoto no Ginnan (1961)
  • Akunin Retsuden (1961-1962)
  • Shijing (Book of Songs) — translation (1974)
  • Collected Works of Kaionji Chōgorō (21 vols., 1969-1971)

Adaptations

  • Ten to Chi to (NHK Taiga Drama, 1969)
  • Ten to Chi to (film, 1990)
  • Kaze to Kumo to Niji to (NHK Taiga Drama, 1976)
  • Sake to Onna to Yari (film, 1960)

Translations by Author

  • Translation of the Shijing (Book of Songs), 1974

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Emphasis on historical-biographical styleDetailed, document-based historical narrativeReadable narrative voice — concise and forceful
Recurring Motifs
Saigō Takamori and Satsuma historyExploration of commanders and heroic figuresContrasts of duty and human feeling, fateUsing biographical sketches for popular history education

Health

  • Chronic health problems; extended hospital stays
    1942頃
    After returning from service in 1942 he underwent hospitalization, which interrupted his writing for a time.
  • Cerebral hemorrhage and myocardial infarction
    1977年
    Collapsed in 1977 from a cerebral hemorrhage and subsequently suffered a myocardial infarction; he died, leaving his major long biography on Saigō unfinished.

Legacy

Contributed to the revival of historical biography in Japanese literature, stimulating interest in national history through biographical sketches. As a Naoki Prize winner and later committee member he influenced subsequent writers; memorial museums and collected editions have preserved his legacy.

Museums

  • Kaionji Chōgorō Memorial (Tokyo — Kyōdō) Kyōdō, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo (former residence) Opened in 1979
  • Kaionji Chōgorō Memorial (Nasushiobara) Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture (former villa) Opened in 1979

Academic Societies

  • Jitsuroku Bungaku Kenkyukai (Realist Literature Research Society)
  • Bungaku Kensetsu (literary circle)

Archives

  • Kagoshima Prefectural Library (donated materials)
  • Kagoshima Museum of Modern Literature (Kaionji-related materials)
  • Kagoshima University (donation)
  • Kokugakuin University (received donated materials)

In Popular Culture

  • NHK Taiga Drama 'Ten to Chi to' (1969)
  • Film 'Ten to Chi to' (1990)
  • NHK Taiga Drama 'Kaze to Kumo to Niji to' (1976)

Quotes

  • History should first be approached through literature.
    Source: Essay collection 'Hi, Nishiyama ni Katamuku' (essays including 'Muso no Pen Name') (1972)
  • If possible I would like to write biographies of 200 people; at least 100.
    Source: Statement during the writing of 'Bushō Retsuden' (prefatory remark) (1959)

Trivia

  • Kaionji said his pen name 'Kaionji Chōgorō' came to him in a dream.
  • After the Naoki Prize ceremony he once left the prize money and pocket watch on a train; they were later returned.
  • He professed to dislike dogs.
  • He designed the label calligraphy for the local shōchū 'Isanishiki' produced in his hometown.
  • Memorial museums were opened (1979) for him in Tokyo and Nasushiobara; both experienced later operational changes and closures.