| Gomi Kōsuke | |
|---|---|
Gomi Kōsuke |
|
| Born | 20 December 1921 Osaka, Japan |
| Died | 1 April 1980 (aged 58)) |
| Occupation | writer |
| Genres | historical novels, popular fiction |
Gomi Kōsuke (五味 康祐, 20 December 1921 – 1 April 1980) was the pen-name of Gomi Yasusuke, a Japanese novelist active during the Showa period of Japan. He is primarily known for his popular fiction on historical themes.
Gomi was born in Osaka, and graduated from the Literature Department of Meiji University. Conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, he met author Yasuda Yojuro, who encouraged him to pursue his interest in history and historical fiction with a career as a writer. After the end of the war, he began writing popular fiction with swordsmen of the Edo period as his protagonists. In particular, he wrote many stories using the historical Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi as his hero. He also created a character named Aoi Shingo, a fictional illegitimate son of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, who travels around Japan in disguise, righting wrongs done by the government.
Gomi won the 28th Akutagawa Prize in 1952.
His novel, The Secret Scrolls, was made into a movie Yagyu Secret Scrolls starring Toshirō Mifune in 1958.
In addition to his career as a writer, Gomi was also a noted music critic of classical music, and also a reviewer and critic of audio systems. He was a man of wide ranging hobbies, from mahjong to palmistry, and he left numerous monographs of his hobbies as well.
His grave is at the temple of Kenchō-ji in Kamakura, Kanagawa.