Masuji Ibuse

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Biography of Ibuse Masuji （井伏鱒二）

・1898 Born in Kamomura Village, Hiroshima

・1923 Experienced the Great Kanto Earthquake        

・1944 Evacuation to Yamanashi prefecture

・1945 Evactuation to  Kamomura villege   
              Only released an essay with 5 pages,

              excapt that he kept writing his own journal

・1947 Went back to Tokyo

・1956 Released 'Mei no kekkon' ( Later called Black Rain)

・1993 10th of July died at the age of 95

 

According to the 'Black Rain' novel

He majored in French at Waseda University and joined the School of Fine Arts to pursue a serious interest in painting. His first story, 'Salamander' was published in 1923, when Ibuse was still a student, and by the early 1930s his eloquent use of dialect and his unique prose style had established him as one of the leading figures in the Japanese liteary world.

In the years since 1938 he has been awared almost every major literary prize in Japan, and on the publication of Black Rain Ibuse was presented with both the Cultural Medal and Japan's highest literary award, the Noma Prize.

As he started his career, he usede 鱒二(His real kanji is 満寿二） as his penname since he loves fishing. ( 鱒　means trout in Japanese.) Around this time, for most writters are also fond of fishing because it makes them feel free and released as if their mind flow like water. 

His writing style, adding humor to his story which moderates negative aspects of the story is quite known and he was famous for it. 

Reference: Ibuse, Masuji. (1969). Black Rain. Tokyo: Kodansha. (Trans. John Bester)

By: Ai