Satomi Ton

Novelist. Born in Yokohama on July 14, 1888. His real name was Yamauchi Hideo. His father was Arishima Takeshi. He inherited the Yamauchi family on his mother's side as soon as he was born. However, he was raised in the Arishima family, and his older brothers were the novelist Arishima Takeo and the painter Arishima Ikuma. He attended Gakushuin and then dropped out of the English department at Tokyo Imperial University. He was influenced by his senior, Shiga Naoya, and became devoted to Izumi Kyoka. Together with Mushanokoji Saneatsu and Shiga, he founded the magazine Shirakaba in April 1910 (Meiji 43). After that, he temporarily suspended his "friendship indulgence" with his fellow Shirakaba colleagues, lived in Osaka, and cohabited with Masa, a geisha from the Yamanaka family. Later, he forced his parents' permission and married her. With his first collection of short stories, Good and Evil Hearts (1916), he shed the influence of Shiga and established his own identity. As a master of short stories, he became a leading figure in the new technical school along with Akutagawa Ryunosuke, and was active as a mid-level writer in the Taisho period literary world. In 1919 (Taisho 8), he founded the magazine Ningen with Kume Masao and Yoshii Isamu, and strove to fully utilize the charm of real people rather than principles or assertions. His representative short stories include Ginjiro's One Arm, Father, and Camellia, and demonstrate his artistic ability to accurately depict the subtleties of the human heart. His novels include "Taijoubutsushin" (1922-23), which boldly affirms the "simple way of life" of compassion and a Buddhist heart, and "Anjōke no Kyodai" (1931), which is based on the Arishima family. He maintained a liberal stance even during wartime. "Tennen" (1947) vividly depicts the customs of the upper classes during wartime, and his unique narrative style is also evident in his essays and collections of reminiscences. In 1960 (Showa 35), he received the Order of Culture, and published "Gokuraku Tombo" (1961), a masterpiece that shows his maturity in his later years. It was praised for its smooth narrative style that depicts the protagonist's free and easy-going life in one go. He also won the Yomiuri Literature Prize for "Godai no Tami" (1970). Even in old age, his writing skills did not decline, and he spent half of the year in the Nasu Highlands in Tochigi Prefecture. He lived a long and leisurely life, and died on January 21, 1983 in Kamakura, as the last writer of "Shirakaba." He was 94 years old.

[Toshiro Akano]

"The Complete Works of Satomi Ton, 10 volumes (1977-79, Chikuma Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

小説家。明治21年7月14日横浜に生まれる。本名山内英夫。父は有島武。生まれてすぐ母方の山内家を継ぐ。ただし有島家で育ち、兄に小説家の有島武郎(たけお)、画家の有島生馬(いくま)がいる。学習院を経て東京帝国大学英文科中退。先輩の志賀直哉(なおや)の影響を受け、さらに泉鏡花(きょうか)に傾倒。武者小路実篤(むしゃのこうじさねあつ)、志賀らと1910年（明治43）4月『白樺(しらかば)』を創刊した。その後『白樺』の仲間との「友達耽溺(たんでき)」を一時中断、大阪に住み、山中家の芸妓(げいぎ)まさと同棲(どうせい)、のち父母の許しを強要し結婚。第一短編集『善心悪心』（1916）により志賀の影響を脱皮し自己を確立した。短編小説の名手として芥川龍之介(あくたがわりゅうのすけ)らと新技巧派の有力な存在となり、大正期文壇の中堅作家として活躍。19年（大正8）に久米正雄(くめまさお)、吉井勇(いさむ)らと『人間』を創刊、主義や主張より生身の人間の魅力を十全に生かすべく努めた。短編の代表作に『銀二郎の片腕』『父親』『椿(つばき)』などがあり、人の心の機微を適確に描く芸の力を発揮。長編では、多情でありつつ仏心という「素(す)なる生き方」を大胆に肯定した『多情仏心』前後篇(へん)（1922～23）や、有島家の一族に材をとった『安城(あんじょう)家の兄弟』（1931）などがあり、戦時下においてもリベラルな立場を堅持。『十年』（1947）によって戦時の上層階層の風俗を活写、独特の語り口は随筆や回想集においても発揮される。60年（昭和35）に文化勲章を受けたが、さらに晩年の円熟を示す傑作『極楽(ごくらく)とんぼ』（1961）を刊行、主人公の自由闊達(かったつ)な生涯を滑らかな語りの口調で一気に描き称賛された。また『五代の民(たみ)』（1970）で読売文学賞受賞。老いても筆力は衰えず、1年の半分を栃木県の那須(なす)高原で過ごす。悠々天寿を全うし『白樺』最後の作家として、昭和58年1月21日鎌倉で死去。94歳。

［紅野敏郎］

『『里見弴全集』全10巻（1977～79・筑摩書房）』

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