Shuhei Fujisawa

Shuhei Fujisawa (藤沢 周平, Fujisawa Shūhei) (26 December 1927 – 26 January 1997) was a Japanese author, whose real name was Tomeji Kosuge. (小菅留治). Over fifty of his books were published through the course of his lifetime, including both full-length novels and short story anthologies. The focus of his writing was historical fiction. Before he became an author, he had been a journalist.

Published works

Over 23 million of his paperbacks have been printed. His work has been adapted for both television and film. Five recent full-length films have been based on his work. Three of them directed by Yoji Yamada are

In addition, Hana no Ato (2010) was turned into a movie and directed by Kenji Nakanishi.[1]

Historical setting

The Bamboo Sword and Other Samurai Tales, a collection of eight short stories, is a work of historical fiction. The stories are set in Edo period Japan (1603-1867) and depict the lives of people from all walks of life, but revolve mainly around samurai characters. The Edo Period (1603-1867) was a period of over 250 years of lasting peace in Japanese history. This historical period was full of political upheaval and intrigue, rivalry and betrayals. During this period, the samurai struggled to retain their sense of pride and meaning in life as they attempted to settle into mundane jobs and family life. This struggle can be seen throughout The Bamboo Sword and Other Samurai Tales and other works by Fujisawa, who always focused on the humanity of his characters in his stories. His stories, thus, offer the reader comes a means to understand Japanese history and culture in a more real sense.

Awards

In 1973, Fujisawa received the 69th Naoki Prize (1973上) for Ansatsu no Nenrin (Annals of Assassination).[2] He would go on to win six further literary awards, among them the Asahi Prize in 1994.

The Twilight Samurai (2002), which was in part based on the title story, The Bamboo Sword and Other Samurai Tales, won the 2003 Japanese Academy Awards. It was also nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Sources

References
  1. "JICC Press release, Embassy of Japan". JICC, Embassy of Japan. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. 直木賞受賞者一覧 [Naoki Prize Winners List] (in Japanese). 日本文学振興会. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
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