Kinoshita, Junji

Born Aug. 2, 1914, in Tokyo. Japanese playwright and theoretician of the theater.

Kinoshita graduated from the English literature department of Tokyo University in 1939. His first significant work was the historical drama The Storm (1947). His dramas are marked by realism, an organic link with the traditions of folk art, and a profound depiction of modern Japanese reality. They include In an Eastern Country (1959) and The Island of Okinawa (1963). His plays on subjects from folktales, such as The Tale of Hikoichi (1946), are also very popular. Kinoshita is the author of a drama about R. Zorge entitled A Japanese Named Otto (1962). His theoretical works, such as The World of Drama (1959) and Problems of the Japanese Folktale (1955), are also well known.