IZUMI KYOKA

Izumi Kyoka, given name Kyotaro, was an author of novels, short stories, and kabuki plays, who was best known for his style of gothic Romanticism influenced by the supernatural elements of earlier literature. Because of his family’s impoverished circumstances, Izumi first attended a tuition-free Christian school. He sought and received apprenticeship with Ozaki Koyo in 1891, thereafter relying heavily on Ozaki’s mentoring, public support, and personal advice. Izumi’s best-known works include “Gekashitsu” (1895; tr. The Surgery Room, 1996), “Yako junsa” (Night Watchman, 1895), and Koya hijiri (1900; tr. The Koya Priest, 1959–60).

See also AKAI TORI; SATOMI TON; TRAGIC NOVELS; WOMEN IN LITERATURE.