10 A GUIDE TO JAPANESE REFERENCE AND RESEARCH MATERIALS and Ara Masahito of the Kindai bungaku group opposed Nakano Shigeharu, Odagiri Hideo, and Iwakami Jun'ichi. Supporting the former are Sasaki Kiichi, Honda Shugo, Yamamuro Shizuka, Hirata Jisabur6 and the critic and dramatist, Fukunda Tsuneari. Among the writers of fiction who are ideologically aligned with Kindai bungaku are Mishima Yukio, Shiina Rinzo, Umezaki Haruo, Haniya Yutaka, Noma Hiroshi, Nakamura Shin'ichiro, Takeda Taijun, Shimao Toshio, and Abe Kobo. Mishima has dealt with the subject of homosexuality, not because this aberration is new to Japanese society, but because its manifestations in this age appear to require objective and critical treatment. Shiina is known as the Japanese existentialist. Perhaps his most famous work is Eien naru josho (Eternal preface), in which a wounded ex-soldier, told that he is also suffering from tuberculosis and a weak heart, nevertheless attempts to spend his last three months aiding as best he can those who are included in his circle of acquaintances. Umezaki is the author of the war tale Sakurajima. Some of his writings are characterized by a wry humor. Independent of the preceding were the new writers Ooka Shohei, Tamiya Torahiko, Hara Tamiki, Komada Shinji, Yagi Yoshinori, Fujiwara Shinji, Aoyama Koji, Kobayashi Tatsuo, Funayama Kaoru, and K6 Haruto. Ooka, author of Furyoki or Record of a prisoner of war and of Musashino fujin or The ladies of Musashino plain, is especially well known for his description of subtle psychological states recalling Stendahl. La rouge et le noir is said to be the prototype for The ladies of Musashino plain. 13. Popular Literature (Taishu bungaku A f t ) Popular literature in Japan takes several forms. Although it is possible to condemn it on artistic grounds, its better examples deserve attention. Exciting plots, conventional ideas, and a style full of cliches mark most of the stories. Frequently illustrated with pictures, they attract wide readerships in magazines like Kingu (King) and Oru yomimono (All kinds of reading matter). a. Adventure Stories One group of adventure stories is set in the past and owes a large part of its popularity to graphic descriptions of sword-fighting on the part of samurai. The writers include Nakazato Kaizan, Yada S6un, Yoshikawa Eiji, Osaragi Jiro, Mikami Otokichi, Shirai Kyoji, Naoki Sanjugo, Hayashi Fubo, Hasegawa Shin, Shimozawa Kan, Kunieda Kanji, Juichiya Gisaburo, Muramatsu Shofu, Kimura Ki, Haji Seiji, Tanaka Kotaro, Kunieda Shiro, Nomura Kodo, Sasaki Mitsuzo, Yamamoto Shugoro, Yamate Kiichiro, and such winners of the Naoki prize, named after Naoki Sanjugo, as Kawaguchi Matsutaro, Washio Uko, Kaionji Chogoro, and Murakami Genzo. Some of their stories deal with famous heroes of the past who invariably have the quality of derring-do and often a profound sympathy for the plight of the masses. Popular novels set in the present and frequently joining elements of romantic love and adventure are known as tsuzoku shosetsu (popular fiction). Very often the characters written about are unconventional in type; they may be hoboes, judo-men, Eurasians, or men and women frequenting the Asakusa and other entertainment areas. This type of fiction was first attempted by a number of authors who were concerned with more artistic types of writing but were also motivated by a desire to raise the level of "pulp" fiction. Kikuchi Kan and Kume Masao took the lead and were followed by Ishizaka Yojiro, Ishikawa Tatsuz6, Kojima Masajiro, Shimomura Chiaki, and Kishi Yamaji. Other authors whose works belong even more consistently to this type of fiction include Osaragi Jiro, Tomita Tsuneo, Tachibana Sotoo, Kitabayashi Toma, Hamamoto Hiroshi, Misumi Kan, Masaki Fujokyu, Yamanaka Minetar6, Takeda Toshihiko, Hisao J0ran, Yamaoka S6hachi, Minato Kuniz6, Imai Tatsuo, Minamikawa Jun, Obayashi Kiyoshi, and the women writers Hasegawa Shigure, Yoshiya Nobuko, Tsutsumi Chiyo, Yokoyama Michiko, and Koyama Itoko. The large number of writers here included points to the wide acceptance of popular writing. b. "Mid-way" Fiction (Chukan Sh6setsu c ~ ), t, ) Kume Masao and Kikuchi Kan were also innovators in the field of chukan shosetsu, a type of novelette lying between pure literature and the worst of the "pulp" variety. Here they were followed by Yamamoto Yuzo, Kishida Kunio, and Hirotsu Kazuo. The purpose was to create a readable literature, which, however, was to be done by experts in the literary craft. Takeda Rintaro, Ozaki Shiro, Ishikawa Tatsuzo, Niwa Fumio, and Fujisawa Takeo also tried their hand at this type of fiction. Hayashi Fusao argued for the writing of literature which millions would read, and the magazines Sh6setsu shincho (New tides of fiction), Oru yomimono (All kinds of reading material), and Sh6setsu k6en (Garden of fiction ) provided the stage for such works. Critics like Nakamura Mitsuo, however, attacked this "mid-way fiction," saying that it was merely a means of escaping from the responsibility of writing more artistic literature and that its tendency to be satisfied with descriptions of society, without criticism, came in reality from an unsuccessful attempt to escape the practice followed in "private " fiction of describing the author's own actions and feelings. The writers of chukan sh6setsu include Niwa Fumio, Funabashi Seiichi, Ishizaka Y6jiro, Ishikawa Tatsuzo, Hayashi Fusao, Hayashi Fumiko, Hirabayashi Taiko, Hino Ashihei, Tamura Taijiro, Inoue Tomoichiro, Kon Hidemi, Hojo Makoto, Funayama Kaoru, Umezaki Haruo, Fujiwara Shinji, Inoue Yasushi, and Shishi Bunroku.