Yōjirō Ishizaka

Yōjirō Ishizaka was a Japanese writer of short stories and novels.

Biography

Born in the Daikancho quarter of Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Ishizaka entered Keio University in 1919. Upon graduating from the Faculty of Letters, he took a position at Hirosaki Girls' High School. Later, he became a teacher at Akita Prefectural Yokote Girls' High School and Akita Prefectural Yokote Junior High School.
In 1939, he moved to Tokyo to concentrate on his literary work. During World War II, he served as a war correspondent in the Philippines.
His 1947 novel Blue Mountain Range portrayed the emancipated post-war youth through the relationships of a group of high school students.
While widely popular in Japan, with his writings repeatedly made into films, only a small portion of his writings have been translated and published in English.