Kan Kikuchi

Novelist and playwright. Born December 26, 1888 in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture. His real name was Hiroshi. After graduating from Takamatsu Middle School, he was recommended to enter Tokyo Higher Normal School, but was expelled due to his unrestrained personality. In 1910 (Meiji 43), he entered the literature department of First Higher School, where his classmates included Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Kume Masao, and Yamamoto Yuzo. However, just before graduation, he framed a friend for a crime and left the school, then enrolled in the English department of Kyoto Imperial University. In 1914 (Taisho 3), while still a student, he joined the aforementioned friends' coterie magazine Shinshicho (third edition, fourth edition the following year), and published refreshing one-act plays inspired by British and Irish plays, Madman on the Roof and Hero of the Sea (both 1916) and Father Returns (1917), but received no response. After graduating from Kyoto University, he joined the Jiji Shimpo newspaper and began publishing novels. He established himself as a budding writer with "The Diary of an Unknown Writer" and "The Life and Times of Lord Tadanao" (both in 1918), and went on to publish novels with clear themes from a realist perspective, such as "Beyond Gratitude and Enmity" and "Tojuro's Love" (both in 1919), which won him acclaim. In 1920, he serialized his full-length novel "Shinjufujin" (Lady Pearl) in a newspaper, breaking new ground in popular fiction. In the same year, Ichikawa Ennosuke II's Shunjuza performed "Father Returns" to favorable reviews, and he was welcomed as a playwright thereafter. His other works include the plays "Gitami Jinbei" (1923) and "Toki no Ujigami" (1924), and popular novels such as "Hibana" (1922) and "The Second Kiss" (1925). In 1948, he founded the magazine Bungeishunju, and was successful in running a publishing company. He was also active in many areas, including founding the Literary Association, establishing the Akutagawa Prize, Naoki Prize, and Kikuchi Kan Prize, and participating in the film business as president of Daiei. He was called a "great figure in the literary world." In 1937 (Showa 12), he became a member of the Japan Art Academy. After World War II, he was banned from holding public office, and died of angina pectoris on March 6, 1948, without seeing the ban lifted.

[Hiroyuki Fujiki]

"The Complete Works of Kan Kikuchi, 10 volumes (1960, Bungeishunju Shinsha)" ▽ "Beyond Gratitude and Enmity (Kadokawa Bunko)" ▽ "Kikuchi Kan by Tatsuo Nagai (1961, Jiji Press)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

小説家、劇作家。明治21年12月26日、香川県高松市に生まれる。本名寛(ひろし)。高松中学を経て東京高等師範学校に推薦入学したが、奔放な性行から退学となり、1910年（明治43）第一高等学校文科に入学、同級に芥川龍之介(あくたがわりゅうのすけ)、久米正雄、山本有三らがいたが、卒業直前に友人の罪を着て退学、改めて京都帝国大学英文科に入学した。在学中の14年（大正3）前記友人たちの同人誌『新思潮』（第三次。翌年第四次）に参加して、イギリス、アイルランドの戯曲に学んだ清新な一幕物『屋上の狂人』『海の勇者』（ともに1916）、『父帰る』（1917）を発表したが反響はなかった。京大卒業後、時事新報社に入社し小説を発表、『無名作家の日記』『忠直卿(ただなおきょう)行状記』（ともに1918）によって新進作家としての地位を確立、ついで『恩讐(おんしゅう)の彼方(かなた)に』『藤十郎の恋』（ともに1919）など、現実主義の立場からの明快なテーマ小説を発表して世評を得た。20年長編小説『真珠夫人』を新聞に連載し、大衆小説に新境地を開拓した。この年2世市川猿之助の春秋座が『父帰る』を上演して好評を博し、以降劇作家としても迎えられた。ほかに戯曲『義民甚兵衛』（1923）、『時の氏神』（1924）、通俗小説に『火華(ひばな)』（1922）、『第二の接吻(せっぷん)』（1925）などがある。23年雑誌『文芸春秋』を創刊、出版社の経営に成功するほか、文芸家協会の設立、芥川賞・直木賞・菊池寛賞の設定、大映社長として映画事業への参画など多方面に活躍、「文壇の大御所」とよばれた。37年（昭和12）芸術院会員となる。第二次世界大戦後、公職追放を受け、その解除をみないまま昭和23年3月6日狭心症のため没した。

［藤木宏幸］

『『菊池寛全集』全10巻（1960・文芸春秋新社）』▽『『恩讐の彼方に』（角川文庫）』▽『永井龍男著『菊池寛』（1961・時事通信社）』

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