Jirō Nitta

Jirō Nitta 新田 次郎
Born	Hiroto Fujiwara 藤原 寛人 June 6, 1912(1912-06-06) Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Died	February 15, 1980(1980-02-15) (aged 67) Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	Japanese
Relative(s)	Sakuhei Fujiwhara (uncle)
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Jirō Nitta (新田 次郎, Nitta Jirō^?, June 6, 1912 – February 15, 1980) is the pen name of popular Japanese historical novelist Hiroto Fujiwara (藤原 寛人, Fujiwara Hiroto^?). He was born in an area that is now part of the city of Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.^[1]

Career

His uncle was the famed meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara and his son is mathematician Masahiko Fujiwara. After retiring from the Japan Meteorological Agency, he began writing professionally. Originally a meteorologist, he wrote mainly on themes connected with mountains.

At least three of his documentary novels have been translated into English. Death March on Mount Hakkōda is based on an incident in 1902 in the Hakkōda Mountains. Alaskan Tale is about the adventures of Frank Yasuda.

Phantom Immigrants (Japanese title Mikkousen Suian Maru or "Stowaway-ship Suian Maru"; translated by David Sulz) deals with the Meiji era entrepreneur, Oikawa Jinsaburo from northern Miyagi prefecture, who went to Canada in 1896 to export salmon roe back to Japan. In 1906, he chartered the schooner Suian Maru to smuggle 82 fellow villagers out of Japan and into Canada. They were apprehended and arrested on Vancouver Island without passports but allowed to stay in Canada thanks to negotiations by Saburo Yoshie (aka Fred Yoshy) of the Japanese consulate in Vancouver.

References

1. ^ Jirō Nitta. (Japanese) Suwa City. Accessed July 25, 2010.

Persondata
Name	Nitta, Jiro
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 6, 1912
Place of birth	Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Date of death	February 15, 1980
Place of death	Musashino, Tokyo, Japan