Ozaki Kōyō

Ozaki Kōyō was a Japanese author and poet. His real name was Ozaki Tokutarō, and he was also known by various noms de plume including Enzan and Tochimandō.

Biography

Ozaki was the only son of Kokusai, a well-known netsuke carver in the Meiji period. Ozaki is known as a classic Japanese author writing works in essays, haiku poems, and novels. He grew up in his hometown of Shibachumonmae, located in what is now part of Tokyo, until the age of four, when his mother died. The death of his mother lead him to live with his grandparents in Shibashinmei-cho. His childhood there influenced him in his choice of the penname Koyo, from Mount Koyo of Zojo Temple.
Ozaki was educated at Baisen Primary School before entering the Highschool of Tokyofu Daini Junior High School, later dropping out after two years. After he entered the Mita English School. Eventually, he enrolled at the Tokyo Imperial University. There he started publishing a literary magazine called Ken'yūsha in 1885 with some friends. Well-known writers Yamada Bimyō and Kawakami Bizan also had material published in the magazine.
Ozaki's most renowned works are, serialized in 1896, and, serialized in 1897 in the Hakubunkan magazine Nihon Taika Ronshū. His works mostly appeared in the Yomiuri Shimbun, the most popular newspaper in Japan. His most notable pupils were Izumi Kyōka, a romance author who specialized in short stories and who continued to write in Ozaki's style, the author Tokuda Shūsei, and Kitada Usurai, his first female student.
was adapted for film numerous times, including a 1937 version by director Hiroshi Shimizu.