Kenjirō Tokutomi (徳富 健次郎, Tokutomi Kenjirō) (December 8, 1868 – September 18, 1927) was a Japanese writer and philosopher. He wrote novels under the pseudonym of Roka Tokutomi (徳冨 蘆花, Tokutomi Roka), and his best-known work was his 1899 novel The Cuckoo.[1]
He wrote for newspapers owned by his brother, Sohō, until his novel The Cuckoo, was published and became successful enough that Tokutomi could make a living as a writer on his own.[4] It was translated 15 times between 1904 and 1918, and is one of the first Japanese works to be widely translated and distributed internationally.[5]
After meeting Leo Tolstoy, Tokutomi became inspired to move to the countryside. Their correspondence is on display in the small museum located in the Roka Kōshun-en Park, along with belongings.
From February 27, 1907, until his death, he lived in a house in Musashino (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan). After his wife's death, the property was donated to the city of Tokyo to be used as a park. It was named Roka Kōshun-en in his honor.
Tokutomi died on September 18, 1927, in Ikaho, Gunma, one day after reconciling with Sohō.[6]
Selected bibliography
Tokutomi, Kenjiro (1899). Hototogisu 不如帰 [The Cuckoo or Namiko].
Tokutomi, Roka (1913). Mimizu no tawagoto みみずのたはこと [Ramblings of an earthworm].
Tokutomi, Kenjiro (1920). Shizen to Jinsei 自然と人生 [Nature and man]. Tokyo: Kogakukan.
^Lavelle, Isabelle (Spring 2016). "Tokutomi Kenjirō's Hototogisu: A Worldwide Japanese Best-Seller In The Early Twentieth Century? – A Comparative Study of the English and French Translations". Transcommunication. 3.
