Hōgetsu Shimamura

Hōgetsu Shimamura) was a Japanese critic, novelist and leader of Shingeki. His real name is Takitaro. He was born in Shimane Prefecture. He graduated from Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō. In 1902 he studied abroad in the United Kingdom and Germany. In 1906, he founded the Bungei Kyōkai with Tsubouchi Shoyo. He presided over Waseda Bungaku and was active in the naturalistic literary movement. In 1913, he established the Geijutsu-za theatre troupe with Sumako Matsui. His main works are Shinbijigaku, Kindai Bungei no Kenkyu and so on. Shimamura was also a key figure in Henrik Ibsen becoming a key influence in Japanese drama and the Shingeki movement; following a three and a half year stay in Europe and having attended many performances of Ibsen plays, Shimamura returned to Japan in 1905 and declared an "Age of Ibsen" to coincide with increased interest in Ibsen plays within Japan, including Shimamura's own translation of A Doll's House.