Shishi Bunroku - Shishi Bunroku

Novelist and playwright. His real name was Iwata Toyoo. He was born in Yokohama on July 1, 1893. He attended Keio Gijuku Junior High School before dropping out of the humanities department. In 1922 (Taisho 11), he traveled to France to study drama, and four years later returned to Japan to join Kishida Kunio and others in the modern theater movement, translating and directing modern plays, writing plays such as "East is East" (1933) and developing his theatrical theory, and in 1937, he formed the Bungakuza Theater Company with Kishida Kunio, Kubota Mantaro and others. However, he realized that he could not make a living from theater alone, and "he came up with the idea of ​​writing humorous novels, as if it were a part-time job" (around the time of his debut work). He began writing under the pen name Shishi Bunroku in Shin Seinen, and his popular novel Golden Youth (1934) was followed by newspaper novels such as Etsu-chan (1936-37) and Daruma-cho Nanabanchi (1937), and enjoyed success with novels such as Kosho Musuko (1937-38) and Nobuko (1938-40) in women's magazines. During World War II, he serialized Kaigun (1942) under his real name in the Asahi Shimbun, which drew a great response, and after the war he published Jiyu Gakko (1950) in the same paper, which attracted attention for its satirical criticism of postwar customs.

He acquired a Western intellect and refined taste, and his domestic and lifestyle novels, which accurately depicted the customs of the times, were full of wit and humor, establishing his own unique style, attracting a wide readership and always securing his position as a leading humorous writer. Later, he broke new ground as an author with his semi-autobiographical novel "Musume to watashi" (Daughter and I) (1953-56), which was well received. He became a member of the Japan Art Academy in 1963 (Showa 38), and was awarded the Order of Culture in 1969. He died on December 13 of the same year.

[Tsuzuki Hisayoshi]

"The Complete Works of Shishi Bunroku, Volume 16 and Supplementary Volume 1 (1968-70, Asahi Shimbun Company)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

小説家、劇作家。本名岩田豊雄(とよお)。明治26年7月1日横浜に生まれる。慶応義塾普通部を経て文科中退。1922年（大正11）フランスに遊学して演劇を学び、4年後帰国して岸田国士(くにお)らの新劇活動に加わり、近代劇の翻訳や演出を手がけ、『東は東』（1933）などの戯曲を書き演劇論も展開、37年、岸田国士、久保田万太郎らとともに劇団文学座を組織した。しかし、その間に演劇だけでは生計がたたないことを知って、「いわばアルバイトのつもりで、ユーモア小説を書くことを考えついた」（処女作のころ）という。獅子文六の筆名で『新青年』に書き始め、『金色(こんじき)青春譜』（1934）が好評を博し、ついで『悦ちゃん』（1936～37）や『達磨(だるま)町七番地』（1937）などの新聞小説で評判を得、『胡椒(こしょう)息子』（1937～38）や『信子(のぶこ)』（1938～40）を婦人雑誌に発表して成功した。第二次世界大戦中は『海軍』（1942）を『朝日新聞』に本名で連載して反響をよび、戦後は同紙に『自由学校』（1950）を発表し、風刺の効いた戦後風俗批判が話題となった。

　彼は西欧的な知性と洗練されたセンスを身につけ、時代の風俗を的確に描いた家庭小説や風俗小説は、エスプリとユーモアに富んだ文体で独自の境地を確立し、幅広い読者を得てつねにユーモア作家として第一人者の地位を確保した。その後、半自伝小説『娘と私』（1953～56）に作者として新分野を開き、好評を得た。63年（昭和38）芸術院会員。69年文化勲章受章。同年12月13日没。

［都築久義］

『『獅子文六全集』16巻・別巻1（1968～70・朝日新聞社）』

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