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Washio Uko

わしお うこう

Washio Uko

Aliases: 鷲尾 浩 / Washio Hiroshi
Pen Names: Washio Uko（Pen name chosen by his wife, inspired by 'Nansō Satomi Hakkenden'.）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1892-04-27 （Kurotori Village, Nishikanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan (now Kurotori, Nishi-ku, Niigata)）
Died
1951-02-09 age 58
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Translator
Active Years
1951
Influenced By
Gabriele d'Annunzio, Naoki Sanjugo

Education

Niigata Prefectural Ojiya Middle School
Country: Japan
Waseda University
English Department / English Department
Degree: 卒業
Country: Japan
While a student he translated Gabriele d'Annunzio's 'Francesca da Rimini'. After graduation he founded the publisher Tokaisha with Naoki Sanjugo, but it went bankrupt after the Great Kanto Earthquake.

Awards

Naoki Prize (Naoki Sanjugo Prize)
1936
Work: Yoshino Chō Taiheiki
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Yoshino Chō Taiheiki

1935 Historical novel

A multi-volume historical epic that depicts the conflicts and battles among courts and samurai, blending historical facts with detailed character portrayals.

medieval conflictrise and fall of samurai

Akechi Mitsuhide

1938 Historical novel

A novel centered on the Sengoku warlord Akechi Mitsuhide, focusing on his psychology and strategic thinking.

Sengoku periodbetrayal and loyalty

Tales of Swordmasters

1938 Historical fiction / Swordmaster tales

A collection of stories centered on swordmasters and swordsmanship, depicting the lives of martial artists across eras.

martial artsbushido

Sekigahara (Prelude & Main)

1938 Historical novel

A work dealing with the Battle of Sekigahara, focusing on tactics and the relationships among historical figures.

battle historypower struggles among daimyo

Bibliography

  • Yoshino Chō Taiheiki (6 vols., 1935)
  • Akechi Mitsuhide (1938)
  • Tales of Swordmasters (1938)
  • Sekigahara (Prelude & Main, 1938-39)
  • Date Masamune (1939)
  • Changing of the Conqueror (1940)
  • Oda Nobunaga (1941)
  • Kuroda Josui (1941)
  • Young Ieyasu (1941)
  • Kusunoki (1942)
  • Tales of Sengoku Women (1942)
  • New Taiheiki (1942)
  • Battle of Kawanakajima (1942)
  • One Hundred Japanese Stories (1942)
  • Tokai Katagare Tsuki (1942)
  • Hero Jisho (1943)
  • Hero Jisho: Mongol Invasions, Sequel (1943)
  • The Kusunoki Clan (1943)
  • Battle of Komakiyama (1943)
  • People of Manchuria's Founding (1944)
  • Chio-gin (1947)
  • Love: Izumi Shikibu (1948)
  • The Silver King of Ukishiro (1949)
  • First Love Genji (1949)
  • Psychological Essays on Sexuality (as Washio Hiroshi, 1949)
  • Amour Life (as Washio Hiroshi, 1951)

Translations by Author

  • Translation of 'Francesca da Rimini' (Gabriele d'Annunzio)
  • Roman Aesthetics / Santayana (Shunjusha, 1936)
  • Studies in the Psychology of Sex (Havelock Ellis; co-translator, Kawade Shobo, 1956)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A descriptive, weighty style grounded in historical factsEmphasis on psychological depiction of historical figures
Recurring Motifs
battles and martial valorsamurai loyalty and betrayalthe rise and fall of heroes

Legacy

Washio Uko was a Shōwa-era historical novelist who left numerous works, and was recognized as the winner of the 2nd Naoki Prize. His writings on battle history and warrior biographies influenced the genre of historical fiction in Japan.

Archives

  • National Diet Library authority ID: NDLNA00090454
  • VIAF:255034885
  • WorldCat Entities ID: E39PBJmtyDTWWMQxq9JMcHpQMP
  • Library of Congress authority ID: nr91038349

Trivia

  • The pen name 'Washio Uko' was chosen by his wife inspired by 'Nansō Satomi Hakkenden'.
  • Won the 2nd Naoki Prize for 'Yoshino Chō Taiheiki' (1936).
  • Graduated from Waseda University's English Department and translated d'Annunzio while a student.
  • After graduation he co-founded the publisher Tokaisha with Naoki Sanjugo; it went bankrupt after the Great Kanto Earthquake.