Masamune Hakucho

Born Mar. 3, 1879, in the Prefecture of Okayama, Honshu; died there Oct. 28, 1962. Japanese writer. Member of the Japanese Academy of Arts (1940). Prominent figure in the movement for realism in Japanese literature.

Masamune began to appear in print in 1904. His works deal primarily with the Japanese intelligentsia’s disillusionment with the society of their day; these works include the novella Whither? (1908), the short stories “The Clay Doll” (1911) and “Not Far From the Bay” (1915), and the novel Flight From Japan (1950). In the 1930’s, Masamune was active in the movement to reform the Japanese theater. He wrote realistic dramas, including The Happiness of Human Existence (1924) and An Unpopular Man (1926). He was also known as a critic and historian of Japanese literature.