| Muramatsu Shōfu | |
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Muramatsu Shōfu |
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| Born | 21 September 1889 Shizuoka prefecture Japan |
| Died | 13 February 1961 (aged 71) Tokyo Japan |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genres | novelist |
Muramatsu Shōfu (村松梢風) (21 September 1889 - 13 February 1961) was the pen-name of Muramatsu Giichi, a Japanese novelist active during the Showa period of Japan.
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Shōfu was born in Mori Town, Shizuoka prefecture, which was (and is) a very rural district. Unhappy with country life, he moved to Shiba in Tokyo and attended Keio University. However, he spent more of his time in the Tokyo pleasure districts, such as Yoshiwara, rather than in the classroom. His first novel, Kotohime monogatari was based on personal experiences in the brothel district, and appeared in the literary magazine Chuo Koron in 1917. Its success led to his withdrawal from Keio University to start a career as a writer.
Although Shōfu produced numerous works of romantic popular fiction, he is best known for his semi-historical biographical novels. His works include Shōden Shimizu Jirochō (1926–1928), about the famous 19th century gangster/folk-hero of the Tokaido, Honchō gajin den ("Biography of an Imperial Court Painter", 1940–1943), Kinsei Meishōden (Biography of Contemporary Master Craftsmen), and Kinsei meishōbu monogatari (1952–1961), which appear serialized in newspapers. A number of novels were also made into movies in the early 1960s, such as Zangiku Monogatari (which appeared in movie form as "The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums")
His son, Muramatsu Takashi, won the Kikuchi Award, and his grandson Muramatsu Tomomi is a winner of the Naoki Award.
Shōfu relocated from Tokyo to Kamakura in 1947, and lived there to his death. He was also a noted amateur master of the classical board game, go.