New Japanese Literature

The journal of the New Japan Literary Association. First published in March 1946 (Showa 21). It ceased publication in 2004 (Heisei 16). The association was founded in December of the previous year by writers from the former Japan Proletarian Writers League as a unified literary organization aiming to create and spread democratic literature. The founders were Akita Ujaku, Eguchi Kan, Kurahara Korehito, Kubokawa Tsurujiro, Tsuboi Shigeji, Tokunaga Sunao, Nakano Shigeharu, Fujimori Seikichi, and Miyamoto Yuriko. Other supporting members included Shiga Naoya, Hirotsu Kazuo, Nogami Yaeko, and Masamune Hakucho. Miyamoto Yuriko's "Come, Singing Voice - The Origin of the New Japan Literary Association," which appeared on the front page of the inaugural preparatory issue (January 1946), is known as a groundbreaking critique that declared the start of the democratic literary movement after World War II. However, shortly after the launch, a so-called "Politics and Literature" debate broke out between Nakano Shigeharu and fellow members of Kindai Bungaku, Hirano Ken and Ara Masahito, over the relationship between "politics and literature," and Odagiri Hideo and others sought to hold literary figures responsible for the war, making the association a stage for various postwar literary debates that continued thereafter. Meanwhile, in 1950, the influence of the Japanese Communist Party's "50 Year Problem," which began with a commentary by the Cominform, reached the association itself, and in November of the same year, People's Literature was launched, causing a rift and confusion. However, including this issue, the movement continued to develop until the early 1950s, overcoming internal conflicts. However, the emergence of a complex ideological situation from the late 1950s towards the Security Treaty protests of 1960 further intensified conflicts and contradictions, and at the 11th conference in 1964, Eguchi Kan, Shimota Seiji, Tsuda Takashi (1930-2004), and Nishino Tatsuyoshi were expelled due to differences in political stance and creative methods. With these members included, the Japan Democratic Literary League was founded in August 1965, and the journal Democratic Literature was launched in December of the same year.

The successive editors of New Japanese Literature have included Kurahara Tadato, Tsuboi Shigeharu, Kubokawa Tsurujirou, Nakano Shigeharu, Odagiri Hideo, Kubota Masafumi (1912-2001), Nakajima Kenzo, Hanada Kiyoteru, Noma Hiroshi, Hariu Ichiro, Tadokoro Izumi (1932-2006), and Kamata Satoshi. As a hub of the postwar literary movement, the magazine produced many works that sharply reflected social issues, and was particularly known for producing outstanding writers of working-class origins, such as Ozawa Kiyoshi (1922-1995) and Atsuta Goro (1912-1960). Two long stories were also serialized from the first issue: Miyamoto Yuriko's "Banshu Plain" (1946) and Tokunaga Sunao's "My Wife's Night" (1946-1948). After that, many novels were published, including Tanaka Hidemitsu's "Girl" (1947), Tsuboi Sakae's "The Wife's Seat" (1949), Eguchi Kan's "The Bride and a Horse" (1948-1949), Shimao Toshio's "A Tiny Adventure" (1950), and Inoue Mitsuharu's "The Unwritten Story" (1952). The magazine carried works such as "Sho" (1950), "Green Tree-lined Road" by Sata Ineko (1951-1952), "Genkai Sea" by Kim Tal-su (1952-1953), "Chichibu Kominto" by Nishino Tatsuyoshi (1954-1956), "Okinawa Island" by Shimota Masatsugu (1956-1957), and "Divine Comedy" by Onishi Kyojin (up to the fourth part, 1960-1970). Other memorial features include "Memorial Special for Miyamoto Yuriko" (April 1951 issue), "Nakano Shigeharu - People and Work" (December 1979 issue), and "Memorial Special for Sata Ineko" (May 1999 issue). It ceased publication with the combined November/December 2004 issue (total issue 652).

[Aki Miyamoto]

"Discussion: The History of the Proletarian Literary Movement in Japan," edited by Hirano Ken et al. (1955, Sanichi Shobo)" ▽ "The Progress of Japanese Literature in the Ten Years After the War," edited by Nakajima Kenzo and Nakano Shigeharu (1956, Aoki Shoten) " ▽ "Problems of Literature and the Literary Movement: The Struggle Against Modern Revisionism," edited by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Japan (1963, Publishing Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Japan)" ▽ "The First Issue of Democratic Literature, edited and published by the Japan Democratic Literary League (1965, released by Shin Nihon Shuppansha)" ▽ "The Trajectory of Modern Literature: Criticism and Confirmation of Postwar Literature," edited by the Modern Literature Association, 2 volumes in total (1968, Toyoshima Shobo)" ▽ "The 30th Anniversary Issue of New Japan Literature, edited and published by the New Japan Literature Association (1976)" ▽ "Thirty Years of Postwar Literature, by Sato Shizuo (1976, Kowado)" ▽ "The New Japanese Literature Movement, History and Present" by Tadokoro Izumi (1978, New Japan Literature Association Publishing Division)" ▽ "In the Literary Movement - A Personal Account of Postwar Democratic Literature" by Kubota Sei (1978, Kowado)" ▽ "My Postwar Literary History" by Kubota Sei (1990, Seijisha)" ▽ "The 600th issue of New Japanese Literature, compiled and published by the New Japan Literature Association (1999)" ▽ "New Edition of the New Japanese Literature Movement: A Collection of Essays" by Tadokoro Izumi (2000, New Japan Literature Association Publishing Division)" ▽ "60 Years of New Japanese Literature" by Kamata Satoshi, Editor-in-Chief (2005, Nanatsumorishokan)" ▽ "Reprint of a Condensed Edition of New Japanese Literature, 16 Volumes, compiled by the New Japan Literature Association (2014, Daisanshokan)" ▽ "The Story of Honda Shugo "Postwar Literary History" Volumes 1 and 2 (Iwanami Gendai Bunko)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

新日本文学会の機関誌。1946年（昭和21）3月創刊。2004年（平成16）終刊。同会は、旧日本プロレタリア作家同盟の作家たちを発起人として、民主主義的文学の創造と普及を目ざす統一的な文学組織として前年12月結成された。発起人は秋田雨雀(うじゃく)、江口渙(かん)、蔵原惟人(くらはらこれひと)、窪川鶴次郎(くぼかわつるじろう)、壺井繁治(つぼいしげじ)、徳永直(すなお)、中野重治(しげはる)、藤森成吉(せいきち)、宮本百合子(ゆりこ)。また志賀直哉(なおや)、広津和郎(かずお)、野上弥生子(やえこ)、正宗白鳥(まさむねはくちょう)などが賛助会員として名を連ねた。創刊準備号（1946.1）の巻頭を飾った宮本百合子「歌声よ、おこれ――新日本文学会の由来」は、第二次世界大戦後の民主主義文学運動の出発を宣言した画期的な評論として知られる。しかし創刊後まもなく、中野重治と、『近代文学』同人の平野謙、荒正人(あらまさひと)との間に「政治と文学」の関係をめぐる、いわゆる「政治と文学」論争が起こり、また小田切秀雄らによって文学者の戦争責任追及がなされるなど、その後も続くさまざまな戦後文学論争の舞台となった。一方、1950年には、コミンフォルムの論評から始まる日本共産党の「50年問題」の影響が会の内部に及び、同年11月には『人民文学』が創刊されるという分裂混乱の事態が生じたが、この問題を含めて1950年代前半までは内部対立を克服しながら運動が展開された。しかし1950年代後半から1960年の安保闘争へと向かう時代の複雑なイデオロギー状況の出現は、対立や矛盾をいっそう激化させ、1964年の第11回大会では政治的な立場や創作方法の違いから江口渙、霜多正次(しもたせいじ)、津田孝（1930―2004）、西野辰吉(たつきち)が除籍され、彼らを含めて1965年8月、日本民主主義文学同盟が創立され、同年12月『民主文学』が創刊された。

　『新日本文学』の歴代の編集長は、蔵原惟人、壺井繁治、窪川鶴次郎、中野重治、小田切秀雄、久保田正文(まさふみ)（1912―2001）、中島健蔵、花田清輝(きよてる)、野間宏(ひろし)、針生(はりう)一郎、田所泉（1932―2006）、鎌田慧(かまたさとし)などが務め、戦後文学運動の一拠点として社会的な課題を先鋭に反映させた多数の作品を送り出し、とくに小沢清（1922―1995）、熱田五郎（1912―1960）ら労働者出身の優れた作家を輩出した。また宮本百合子『播州(ばんしゅう)平野』（1946）、徳永直『妻よねむれ』（1946～1948）の2長編を創刊号から連載し、以後、田中英光(ひでみつ)『少女』（1947）、壺井栄『妻の座』（1949）、江口渙『花嫁と馬一匹』（1948～1949）、島尾敏雄『ちっぽけなアヴァンチュール』（1950）、井上光晴『書かれざる一章』（1950）、佐多(さた)稲子『みどりの並木道』（1951～1952）、金達寿(キムタルス)『玄海灘(げんかいなだ)』（1952～1953）、西野辰吉『秩父(ちちぶ)困民党』（1954～1956）、霜多正次『沖縄島(じま)』（1956～1957）、大西巨人『神聖喜劇』（第4部まで、1960～1970）などを登載した。そのほか追悼特集として「宮本百合子追悼特集」（1951年4月号）、「中野重治・人と仕事」（1979年12月号）、「佐多稲子追悼特集」（1999年5月号）などがある。2004年（平成16）11・12月合併号（通算652号）で終刊となった。

［宮本阿伎］

『平野謙他編『討論　日本プロレタリア文学運動史』（1955・三一書房）』▽『中島健蔵・中野重治編『戦後十年日本文学の歩み』（1956・青木書店）』▽『日本共産党中央委員会編『文学と文学運動の諸問題――現代修正主義とのたたかい』（1963・日本共産党中央委員会出版部）』▽『日本民主主義文学同盟編・刊『民主文学』創刊号（1965・新日本出版社発売）』▽『近代文学同人編『近代文学の軌跡――戦後文学の批判と確認』全2冊（1968・豊島書房）』▽『新日本文学会編・刊『新日本文学』創立30周年記念号（1976）』▽『佐藤静夫著『戦後文学の三十年』（1976・光和堂）』▽『田所泉著『「新日本文学」の運動・歴史と現在』（1978・新日本文学会出版部）』▽『窪田精著『文学運動のなかで――戦後民主主義文学私記』（1978・光和堂）』▽『窪田精著『私の戦後文学史』（1990・青磁社）』▽『新日本文学会編・刊『新日本文学』創刊600号記念号（1999）』▽『田所泉著『新編「新日本文学」の運動　評論集』（2000・新日本文学会出版部）』▽『鎌田慧編集代表『「新日本文学」の60年』（2005・七つ森書館）』▽『新日本文学会編『「新日本文学」復刻縮刷版』全16巻（2014・第三書館）』▽『本多秋五著『物語　戦後文学史』上下（岩波現代文庫）』

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