Course Description

In this course, we will discuss the relationship between the works of the historical novelist, Yamate Kiichiro, and the media of his time.
Yamate, now a forgotten author, published more than 800 works in his lifetime, including "Momotaro Samurai" and "Yumesuke Senryo Miyage," establishing the "clear-eyed historical novel" and winning explosive applause from mass readers during and after the occupation.
His works have been made into movies 61 times, stage plays 4 times, radio dramas 10 times, and TV dramas 5 times, and he has worked tirelessly across all media. In addition, he was a regular contributor to the Mainichi Shimbun's "Reading Opinion Survey" ranking of "Your Favorite Authors and Books," and was the top-ranking author in the literary income ranking, making him a hugely popular writer.
Yamate's ties to the print media began when he worked as a magazine editor at Shogaku Shimpo and Hakubunkan. In addition, the correlation between Yamate's works and the media of his time, such as his disadvantage during the war, his breakthrough during the occupation, the boom of weekly magazines, and reading forms such as rental books, illuminates aspects of Japanese popular culture and publishing culture. In this lecture, we will focus on the relationship between Yamate's works and creative activities and the media of his time, in order to promote understanding of Japanese popular culture and publishing culture.
In particular, the following lesson plan is planned, but may be subject to change.