Shibata Renzabur and the Reinvention of Modernism in Postwar Japanese Popular Literature

Shibata Renzabur and the Reinvention of Modernism in Postwar Japanese Popular Literature explores the life and work of Shibata Renzabur (, 19171978), the author of adventure and historical novels who was instrumental in reinvigorating popular Japanese literature in the postwar period. This book considers postwar Japanese society through the prism of Shibatas writing, exploring how the postwar period under SCAP Occupation influenced Shibatas writing and generated the extraordinary popularity of samurai fiction in the postwar era at large. Through the use of a nihilistic warrior, Nemuri Kyshir, and other samurai characters, Shibata Renzabur addresses important social issues of the day, such as the trauma of defeat, postwar reconstruction, and the attending societal ills and neuroses, while keeping his literature entertaining and easy to read, which ensured its mass appeal in postwar Japan.