SHIMAZAKI TOSON

(1872–1943)

Shimazaki Toson, given name Haruki, was a poet and naturalist author. Much of Shimazaki’s writing reflects his childhood experiences in Nagano Prefecture and his family’s struggles with mental illness, which took the lives of his father and sister. Shimazaki took an interest in literature after his graduation from Meiji Gakuin University, and joined Bungakkai (Literary World). He taught temporarily in Sendai, where he published a collection of verse titled Wakanashu (Collection of Young Herbs, 1897), which stands as one of the beacons of Meijiera Romanticism. However, he returned to Tokyo permanently after being discovered in an affair with a female student and losing a close friend, Kitamura Tokoku, to suicide. Shimazaki’s works include Hakai (1906; tr. The Broken Commandment, 1956), which is often regarded as Japan’s first naturalist novel, as well as Haru (Spring, 1908), Ie (1910–11; tr. The Family, 1976), the greatly controversial Shinsei (New Life, 1918–19), and Yoake mae (1929–35; tr. Before the Dawn, 1987).