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Koji Uno

うの こうじ

Uno Koji

Pen Names: Mizukami Kiyoshi（Pseudonym used for editorial work and some writings）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1891-07-26 （Minato-machi, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture (now Arato 1-chome, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City)）
Died
1961-09-21 （Morikawa-cho (now Hongo), Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan） age 70
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Jodo-shu (Pure Land Buddhism)
Residence History
Fukuoka City (Minato-machi) → Osaka (Sōemonchō, Itoyamachi) → Tokyo (Ushigome, Ueno Sakuragi, Morikawa-cho, Bunkyo, etc.) → Shimosuwa, Nagano Prefecture → Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture → Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Translator, Literary editor
Active Years
1912-1961
Affiliations
Member of the Japan Art Academy, Contributor to the literary magazine 'Bungakukai'
Memberships
Member of the Japan Art Academy
Influenced By
Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Waro Hirotsu, Chikamatsu Kin'ei (Chikamatsu Aki), Naoki Sanjugo
Influenced
Tsutomu Mizukami, Later generation novelists

Education

Waseda University
English Literature (left without degree) / English literature preparatory course
Period: 1910-1914 (中退)
Country: Japan
Attended but did not graduate; deepened literary friendships and began literary activity.
Osaka Prefectural Tennoji Middle School (predecessor)
Secondary education
Period: 1904-1909
Year of Graduation: 1909
Country: Japan
Classmates included future artists and writers.

Awards

Yomiuri Literature Prize
1951
Work: Osaka Ningen (Osaka People)
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1940
Work: Skillful but Poor
Organization: Bungeishunju
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Noma Literary Award 1 appearances
  1. Edition 6 (1953) nominee
    Work: Akutagawa Ryunosuke

    Koji Uno's "Ryunosuke Akutagawa" is a biography in which a fellow writer and contemporary friend recounts Akutagawa's life and personality with affection. It brings Akutagawa into view not only as a literary master but also as a human being known at close range.

    This biography quietly portrays Ryunosuke Akutagawa's life and literature through a friend's eyes.

    362 pages
    Ryunosuke Akutagawabiographyfriendshipmodern literatureKoji Uno

Works

Major Works

In the Storehouse

1919 Novel / Short story

A short novel set around a pawnshop; through the protagonist's recollections it depicts human passions and melancholy.

memorypovertyrelationships with women

The World of Suffering

1919 Serial novel / Novel

A serial novel focusing on people tormented by women and money; explores hysteria and poverty.

povertyhysterialove and hatred

Child for Hire

1923 Novel / Short story

Deals with the practice of lending children for appearances; depicts social undercurrents and family circumstances.

social customspovertyfamily

Landscape with Withered Tree

1933 Novel

Written after illness; marks a stylistic shift to concise realism and examines inner life.

tranquilityrealismpost-illness recovery

Omoi-gawa (River of Memories)

1948 Novel

A long novel reflecting on past loves and encounters across the prewar and postwar eras.

memoryromancesocial change

Bibliography

  • In the Storehouse (1919)
  • The World of Suffering (1919–1921)
  • Child for Hire (1923)
  • Landscape with Withered Tree (1933)
  • Omoi-gawa (1948–1950)
  • Skillful but Poor (1938–1939)
  • Osaka Ningen (1951)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
colloquial narrative (setsugo-tai)concise realismmelancholic humor
Recurring Motifs
povertyhysterical womenfamily and urban/rural contrastmemory and reminiscence

Health

  • Neurasthenia / mental disorder
    1927–1929 (入院・静養を要した時期)
    Led to interruptions in writing and a shift in style.
  • Hemoptysis / suspected tuberculosis
    1953–1961
    Deterioration of health leading to hospitalizations and eventual death from chest disease with massive hemoptysis.
  • Syphilis (suspected)
    1929頃（説の一つ）
    Mentioned as a possible cause of illness and hospitalization, but not definitively proven.

Legacy

A prominent Taisho–Showa era writer known for works such as 'In the Storehouse' and 'The World of Suffering'. Recognized for his distinctive narrative voice and pathos; he was a member of the Japan Art Academy and nicknamed 'a demon of literature' for his exacting literary labour.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy

Archives

  • Collections at the National Diet Library (Japan)
  • Aozora Bunko (some works available)

In Popular Culture

  • Referred to as 'the demon of literature' in essays and biographies
  • Frequently featured in contemporaries' recollections and collected editions

Quotes

  • First literature, second my mother, third my lover.
    Source: Recorded in recollections and biographies
  • A demon of literature
    Source: Biographical essays

Trivia

  • Nicknamed 'a demon of literature' for his relentless editorial standards and frequent urgent requests to editors.
  • Anecdote: reportedly used an extremely large amount of draft paper when composing (e.g. 300 sheets of 200-character manuscript for 9 sheets of final copy).
  • Involved in public-interest writing and support related to the Matsukawa incident.