Masuji Ibuse

was a Japanese author. His novel Black Rain, about the bombing of Hiroshima, was awarded the Noma Prize and the Order of Cultural Merit.

Early life and education Ibuse was born in 1898 to a landowning family in the village of , now part of Fukuyama, Hiroshima.

Ibuse failed his entrance exam to Hiroshima Middle School, but in 1911 he gained admission to Fukuyama Middle School. Fukuyama Middle School was an elite academy and was linked to eminent scholars. Fukuyama's teachers boasted about the school's pedigree, but Ibuse was unconcerned. Ibuse spoke of this school as following Western ideals; in The First Half of My Life, he said that the school emphasized Dutch learning and French military exercises. Ibuse was made fun of at this school, and he avoided wearing glasses in an effort to avoid ridicule.

Although Ibuse enjoyed the Western influences in his education, his grandfather arranged for a private tutorial in Chinese literature. However, this training stopped when Ibuse's tutor died.

Literary career Ibuse began publishing stories in the early 1920s. One of his first contributions was to the magazine Seiki. It was originally written for Aoki in 1919 and titled "The Salamander". In 1923 it was renamed "Confinement". In 1966 he published his novel Black Rain, which won him international acclaim and several awards including the Noma Prize and the Order of Cultural Merit, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Japanese author. The novel draws its material from the bombing of Hiroshima and the title refers to the nuclear fallout. Ibuse was not present at the time of the bombing, but he used the diaries of survivors to construct his narrative. An earlier story by Ibuse, Kakitsubata ("The Crazy Iris", first published in 1951), deals with similar themes.

Ibuse died in a hospital at Tokyo on July 10, 1993 of pneumonia.

Selected works Yu Hei Confinement, 1923 Sanshouo, 1929 – Salamander and Other Stories (trans. by John Bester) Sazanami Gunki, 1930–1938 – Waves: A War Diary Shigotobeya, 1931 Kawa, 1931–1932 – The River Zuihitsu, 1933 Keirokushu, 1936 – Miscellany , 1937 – John Manjiro, the Cast-Away: His Life and Adventures Shukin Ryoko, 1937 Sazanami Gunki, 1938 – trans. in Waves: Two Short Novels Tajinko Mura, 1939 Shigureto Jokei, 1941 Ibuse Masuji Zuihitsu Zenshu, 1941 (3 vols.) Hana No Machi, 1942 – City of Flowers Chushu Meigetsu, 1942 Aru Shojo No Senji Nikki, 1943 – A Young Girl's Wartime Diary Gojinka, 1944 Wabisuke, 1946 – trans. in Waves: Two Short Novels Magemono, 1946 Oihagi No Hanashi, 1947 Ibuse Masuji Senshu, 1948 (9 vols) Yohai Taicho, 1950 – Lieutenant Lookeast and other stories Kakitsubata, 1951 – The Crazy Iris Kawatsuri, 1952 , 1952 – No Consultations Today Ibuse Masuji Sakuhinshu, 1953 (5 vols.) Hyomin Usaburo, 1954–1955 Nyomin Nanakamado, 1955 Kanreki No Koi, 1957 Ekimae Ryokan, 1957 Nanatsu No Kaidō, 1957 Chinpindo Shujin, 1959 Bushu Hachigatajo, 1963 Mushinjo, 1963 Ibuse Masuji Zenshu, 1964 (2 vols.) Kuroi Ame, 1966 – Black Rain (trans. by John Bester) Gendai Bungaku Taikei, 1966 Hanseiki, 1970 – The First Half of My Life Shincho Nihonbungaku, 1970 Tsuribito, 1970 Ibuse Masuji Zenshu, 1975 (14 vols.) Choyochu No Koto, 1977–1980 – Under Arms Ogikubo Fudoki, 1981 – An Ogikybo Almanac

Adaptations Black Rain, 1989, dir. by Shohei Imamura