Yasushi Inoue

Yasushi Inoue (井上 靖 Inoue Yasushi, May 6, 1907 – January 29, 1991) was a Japanese writer of poetry, essays, short fiction, and novels. He was originally from Asahikawa, Hokkaido.

Biography

Inoue is famous for his serious historical fiction of ancient Japan and the Asian continent, including Wind and Waves, Tun-huang, and Confucius, but his work also included semi-autobiographical novels and short fiction of great humor, pathos, and wisdom like Shirobamba and Asunaro Monogatari, which depicted the setting of the author's own life — Japan of the early to mid twentieth century — in revealing perspective.

Inoue, who is one of Japan's most prolific writers today, started relatively late as a novelist. He was forty-two when he published in 1949 his first works, the two novelettes Ryoju and The Bullfight, which the following year won for him the top literary prize in Japan, the Akutagawa Prize. His longer The Roof Tile of Tempyo deals both with art and ancient China; Lou-Lan and The Flood are short historical novels of China. Whether he is writing full novels, novelettes, or short-stories, however, Inoue's penchant for detailed, exhaustive research and historical accuracy give his stories a flavor of authenticity. Even the characters in his stories can often be traced back to historical individuals. In the spring of 1964, Inoue went to the United States to start his research on what he personally believes will be his magnum opus, a multi-volume treatment of first, second, and third generation Japanese abroad, particularly in the United States.

—Leon Picon, from the introduction to The Counterfeiter, published in 1965

Prizes

• 1936 Chiba Kameo Prize --- Ruten,流転
• 1950 Akutagawa Prize --- Tōgyu,闘牛
• 1957 Ministry of Education Prize for Literature --- The Roof Tile of Tempyo,天平の甍
• 1959 Mainichi Press Prize --- Tun-huang,敦煌
• 1963 Yomiuri Prize --- FÅ«tō,風濤

Works

Novels

Year	Japanese Title	Title of English Translation
1937	流転 Ruten
1950	その人の名は云えない Sono hito no na ha ienai
1950	黯い潮 Kuroi shio
1951	白い牙 Shiroi kiba
1951	戦国無頼 Sengoku burai
1952	青衣の人 Seii no hito
1952	暗い平原 Kurai heigen
1953	あすなろ物語 Asunaro monogatari
1953	昨日と明日の間 Kinō to asu no aida
1953	風林火山 Fūrin kazan	The Samurai Banner of Furin Kazan
1954	あした来る人 Ashita kuru hito
1955	淀どの日記 Yodo-dono nikki
1955	満ちてくる潮 Michite kuru shio
1955	黒い蝶 Kuroi chō
1956	射程 Shatei
1956	氷壁 Hyōheki
1957	天平の甍 Tenpyō no iraka	Roof Tile of Tempyo
1957	海峡 Kaikyō
1959	敦煌 Tonkō	Tun-huang
1959	ある落日 Aru rakujitsu
1959	蒼き狼 Aoki ōkami	The Blue Wolf
1959	渦 Uzu
1960	しろばんば Shirobanba	Shirobamba
1961	å´– Gake
1961	憂愁平野 Yushū heiya
1962	城砦 Jōsai
1963	楊貴妃伝 Yō Kihi den
1963	風濤 Fūtō	Wind and Waves
1964	夏草冬濤 Natsukusa fuyunami
1964	後白河院 Goshirakawa-in
1966	おろしや国酔夢譚 Orosha-koku suimutan
1965	化石 Kaseki
1967	夜の声 Yoru no koe
1966	わだつみ Wadatsumi
1968	西域物語 Seiiki monogatari	Journey Beyond Samarkand
1968	額田女王 Nukada no Ōkimi
1968	北の海 Kita no umi
1970	欅の木 Keyaki no ki
1970	四角な船 Shikaku na fune
1971	星と祭 Hoshi to matsuri
1972	幼き日のこと Osanaki hi no koto
1977	流沙 Ryūsa
1981	本覺坊遺文 Hongakubō ibun
1989	孔子 Kōshi	Confucius

Short stories

Year	Japanese Title	Title of English Translation
1949	猟銃 Ryōjū	The Hunting Gun
1950	闘牛 Tōgyū	The Bullfight
1950	死と恋と波と　 Shi to koi to nami to
1950	雷雨 Raiu
1950	比良のシャクナゲ Hira no shakunage	The Rhododendrons/ The Azaleas of Hira
1951	ある偽作家の生涯 Aru gisakka no shōgai	The Counterfeiter
1952	春の嵐 Haruno arashi
1952	黄色い鞄 Kiiroi kaban
1952	緑の仲間 Midori no nakama
1952	仔犬と香水瓶 Koinu to kōsuibin
1953	風と雲と砦 Kaze to kumo to toride
1954	末裔 Matsuei
1954	花と波濤 Hana to Hatō
1954	異域の人 Iiki no hito
1954	青い照明 Aoi shōmei
1954	風わたる Kaze wataru
1954	æ„› Ai
1954	霧の道 Kiri no michi
1954	春の海図 Haruno kaizu
1954	伊那の白梅 Ina no shiraume
1954	オリーブ地帯 Oriibu chitai
1954	星よまたたけ Hoshi yo matatake
1955	美也と六人の恋人 Miya to rokunin no koibito
1955	騎手 Kishu
1955	夢見る沼 Yume miru numa
1956	その日そんな時刻 Sono hi sonna kisetsu
1956	魔の季節 Ma no kisetsu
1956	野を分ける風 No o wakeru kaze
1956	姨捨 Obasute	Obasute
1956	七人の紳士 Shichinin no shinshi
1956	孤猿 Koen
1956	ある愛情 Aru aijō
1957	真田軍記 Sanada gunki
1957	山の湖 Yama no mizuumi
1957	白い炎 Shiroi honō
1957	白い風赤い雲 Shiroi kaze akai kumo
1957	こんどは俺の番だ Kondo ha ore no ban da
1957	少年 Shōnen
1958	青いボート Aoi bōto
1958	揺れる耳飾り Yureru mimikazari
1958	満月 Mangetsu	The Full Moon
1959	楼蘭 Rōran	Lou-lan
1959	波濤 Hatō
1959	æ—…è·¯ Tabiji
1959	朱い門 Akai mon
1960	河口 Kakō
1960	川 Kawa
1961	群舞 Gunbu
1961	白い街道 Shiroi kaidō
1962	半島 Hantō
1962	洪水 Kōzui	Flood
1964	凍れる樹 Kōreru ki
1964	異国の旅 Ikoku no tabi
1965	羅刹女国 Rasetsu Nyokoku
1965	西域小説集 Seiiki shōsetsu shū
1965	燭台 Shokudai
1966	傾ける海 Katamukeru umi
1968	天城の雲 Amagi no kumo
1969	月の光 Tsuki no hikari
1970	崑崙の玉 Konron no gyoku
1970	ローマの宿 Rōma no yado
1972	土の絵 Tsuchi no e
1973	火の燃える海 Hi no moeru umi
1973	あかね雲 Akane gumo
1974	桃李記 Tōriki
1975	わが母の記 Waga haha no ki	Chronicle of My Mother
1976	花壇 Kadan
1977	過ぎ去りし日日 Sugisarisi hibi
1977	盛装 (晴着) Seisō (Haregi)
1977	戦国城砦群 Sengoku jōsai gun
1977	地図にない島 Chizu ni nai shima
1977	兵鼓 Heiko
1977	月光・遠い海 Gekkō・tōi umi
1977	紅花 Benibana
1977	若き怒濤 Wakaki todō
1980	銀のはしご うさぎのピロちゃん物語 Gin no hashigo usagi no birochan monogatari
1982	西行 Saigyō
1984	異国の星 Ikoku no hoshi
1991	石濤 Sekitō
	補陀落渡海記 Fudarakutokai-ki	Passage to Fudaraku

References

• Yasushi Inoue at J'Lit Books from Japan (English)
• Synopsis of Lou-Lan (Roran) at JLPP (Japanese Literature Publishing Project) (English)
• Petri Liukkonen. "Yasushi Inoue". Books and Writers (kirjasto.sci.fi). Archived from the original on 4 July 2013.