Juran Hisao

Jūran Hisao
Hisao Jūran
Born	6 April 1902(1902-04-06) Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan
Died	6 October 1957(1957-10-06) (aged 55) Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan
Occupation	Writer and journalist
Genres	short stories, popular fiction, stage drama
Influences Kunio Kishida,　Charles Dullin.

In this Japanese name, the family name is "Hisao".

Juran Hisao (久生 十蘭, Hisao Jūran^?, 6 April 1902 - 6 October 1957) was the pen-name of a Japanese author of popular fiction in Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Masao Abe (阿部 正雄, Abe Masao^?).

Early life

Jūran was a native of Hakodate on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō. While working for the Hakodate branch of the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, he wrote poetry and drama his spare time.

In 1926, he moved to Tokyo, where he convinced the playwright, Kunio Kishida, to accept him as a student. In 1929, he went to Paris, France to study physics and at the same time, he was able to learn about the French theater from the actor-director, Charles Dullin.

Career

On returning to Japan, he obtained a post as an assistant stage director with the New Tsukiji Theater. However, his interests were very broadly based, and he also contributed mystery stories to the magazine Shin Seinen ("New Youth"). His fiction included the dark detective story Kinro ("Golden Wolf"). His short story, Suzuki Mondo, won the 11th Naoki Prize in 1951, and his novelette Boshizo, earlier serialized in the Mainichi Shimbun, gained him first place in a New York Herald Tribune short story contest in 1955.

Hisao Juran was a pioneer in the use of black humor in Japanese literature. His works reflect his extensive knowledge of a wide range of subjects, and displayed extraordinary skills, and range from mystery tales to humor, and both historical and contemporary settings.

Hisao Juran was married to the niece of Osaragi Jirō's wife. In 1943, he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Navy and sent to the South Pacific. He returned safely in 1944. He lived in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture from 1947 until his death of esophageal cancer at the age of 55. His grave is at the Zaimokuza Reien Cemetery in Kamakura.

See also

• Japanese literature
• List of Japanese authors

External links

• Literary Figures of Kamakura
• e-texts of works at Aozora Bunko (Japanese site)

References

• Eguchi Yusuke. Hisao Juran. Hakusuiha (1994). ISBN 4560043167 (Japanese)

Persondata
Name	Hisao, Juran
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 April 1902
Place of birth	Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan
Date of death	6 October 1957
Place of death	Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan