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Haruo Sato (1892-1964), who mainly wrote poetry and novels throughout the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, has been attracting renewed attention in recent years for his pioneering work across multiple genres and for the breadth of his notable personal connections as one of Japan’s modern literary figures.
 
Since 2010, I have been working with the Shingu City Sato Haruo Memorial Museum and Jissen Women’s University to sort through the vast quantity of manuscripts handwritten by Haruo Sato and letters that were left to the Sato family. This book, based on the latest findings and research, traces the life and achievements of Haruo Sato through more than 400 full-color materials accompanied by explanations. Along with the previous book, Sato Haruo Tokuhon [The Haruo Sato Reader] (2015, Yuichi Tsujimoto, supervising ed., Kono Tatsuya, ed., Benseisha Publishing), the book provides not only an introduction to Haruo Sato, but also a window into the forefront of Haruo research, with highly-valuable materials in the book that have never been seen before.
 
The materials included in the collection are rich in variety and enable the reader to experience the various faces of Haruo, who is known for being multifaceted. For example, there are poems from Haruo’s rebellious youth; a draft of Junjō Shishū [Martyrdom Poems] (1921), a milestone of lyric poetry written during the Taisho period; documents related to land rights depicted in Denen no Yūutsu [Melancholy in the Country] (1918); and a posthumous manuscript of Ushinosuke Mori, a researcher on aborigines in Taiwan, who became Haruo’s mentor during his trip to Taiwan in 1920, all of which provide insight into Haruo’s creative activities, which were steeped in an keen sense of criticism.
 
The reader is also able to read precious letters written by Haruo’s close friend Junichiro Tanizaki, with whom he had a bitter falling out over a woman; a discussion of art with Ryunosuke Akutagawa, whom he considered a worthy rival; and a letter from a severely dejected Osamu Dazai seeking his help, all of which have been compiled in this book for the first time. The letters and correspondences with Saisei Muroo and Kazuo Dan, which are also included in the book, paint a picture of the rich network of literary figures centered around Haruo.
 
Haruo’s background as an aspiring painter and regular contributor to the Nika Art Exhibition for a period of time prior to his debut as a writer was later manifested in his creation of beautiful books. For example, the covers of 颁丑ū丑别苍 Shōsetsu Soshō [Novella Series] (1922-1924) and Tanpen Shiriizu [Short Story Series] (1924-1925), book series published by the Shinchosha Publishing Co. during the Taisho era, featured simple and innovative designs by the author utilizing the beauty of bold pen strokes. Haruo also designed the cover of Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s collection of impressions titled Ume, Uma, Uguisu [Plum, Horse, and Nightingale] (1926). For his own book, Wuiin no Satsujin Yōgisha [Murder Suspect in Vienna] (1933), which is written in the form of a courtroom, he used local German-language newspapers with illustrations for the cover design and illustrations. I also discovered sketches provided as illustrations for books by young artists such as Totsuro Shimada and Yasunori Taninaka who admired Hauro, which have also been included in this book.
 
Haruo Sato did not limit his talents to a single genre, but rather transcended boundaries to freely explore the fertile field of art. My hope is that the reader, in reading the materials in this book, will experience the dynamism of the new artistic movement that colored modern Japan.
 

(Written by KONO Tatsuya, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / 2024)