Takeo Arishima

Arishima Takeo

Japanese novelist and essayist

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Native name
Born	(1878-03-04)4 March 1878 Tokyo, Japan
Died	9 June 1923(1923-06-09) (aged 45) Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan
Resting place
Pen name
Nickname
Occupation	Novelist, essayist
Language	Japanese
Nationality	Japanese

Takeo Arishima (有島 武郎, Arishima Takeo, March 4, 1878 – June 9, 1923) was a prominent Japanese novelist and essayist during the Meiji period and Taishō period. He is best known for his novel A Certain Woman (或る女, Aru Onna).

Early Life and Education

Takeo Arishima was born in Tokyo, Japan, into a wealthy and influential family. He was the second son of Arishima Takeo, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Finance. Arishima attended Hokkaido University, where he studied agriculture. During his time at university, he became interested in literature and began writing.

Literary Career

Arishima's literary career began in earnest after he graduated from university. He joined the Shirakaba (White Birch) literary society, which was known for its promotion of humanism and Western literature. His early works were influenced by Leo Tolstoy and other Western writers.

Arishima's most famous work, A Certain Woman, was published in 1919. The novel explores themes of individualism and the struggles of women in a patriarchal society. It is considered a classic of modern Japanese literature.

Personal Life

Arishima was known for his unconventional lifestyle and progressive views. He was a vocal critic of the Japanese government and its policies. In 1922, he famously gave away his family's farm in Hokkaido to the tenant farmers who worked there, an act that was seen as a radical gesture of support for the working class.

Death

Takeo Arishima's life came to a tragic end when he committed suicide on June 9, 1923, in Otaru, Hokkaido. His death was a significant loss to the Japanese literary community.

Legacy

Arishima's works continue to be studied and admired for their literary merit and social commentary. He is remembered as a pioneering figure in modern Japanese literature.

Selected Works

• A Certain Woman (或る女, Aru Onna)
• The Descendants of Cain (カインの末裔, Kain no Matsuei)
• The Agony of Coming into the World (生れ出づる悩み, Umareizuru Nayami)

See Also

• Japanese literature
• Shirakaba (magazine)
• Meiji period
• Taishō period