Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Junji Kinoshita

Role / Field:

Pioneering Japanese playwright, scholar, and Shakespeare translator of modern drama.

Born:

1914-08-02

Died:

2006-10-30

Century / Era:

1914s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Junji Kinoshita (木下 順二, Kinoshita Junji; 2 August 1914 – 30 October 2006) was a Japanese playwright. He was the foremost playwright of modern drama in postwar Japan. He was also a translator and scholar of Shakespeare's plays. Kinoshita’s achievements were not limited to Japan.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He helped to promote theatrical exchanges between Japan and the People’s Republic of China, and he traveled broadly in Europe and Asia. In addition to his international work, Kinoshita joined various societies that focused on the study of folktales and the Japanese language. Kinoshita was born in Tokyo as the son of government official Kinoshita Yahachiro and his wife, Sassa Mie. Kinoshita attended school in Tokyo until 1925 when his parents moved back to his father's hometown of Kumamoto to retire. Kinoshita was in fourth grade at the time and transferred to the Fifth High School in Kumamoto.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Although Kinoshita was teased very much by other students because of his Tokyo dialect at his new school, this experience in his childhood made him think deeply about the Japanese language and become more aware of the complexities of spoken language. He attended Kumamoto Prefectural Middle School and later...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Akhtar Hameed Khan — Contemporary (Born in 1914) (1914): Pioneering Pakistani social scientist and development practitioner.
• Alan Hodgkin — Contemporary (Born in 1914) (1914): Pioneering physiologist known for action potential theory and Nobel laureate.
• Albert Günther — Contemporary (Died in 1914) (1914): Pioneering zoologist and ichthyologist, renowned for massive contributions to taxonomy.
• Aaron Spelling — Contemporary (Died in 2006) (2006): Pioneering American producer of hit TV series like Dynasty and Beverly Hills, 90210.
• Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — Contemporary (Died in 2006) (2006): Jordanian jihadist militant known for orchestrating violence in Iraq (1966–2006)
• Alexander Litvinenko — Contemporary (Died in 2006) (2006): Russian defector and critic of the Kremlin, known for exposing state corruption.
• Ahmad ibn Hanbal — Shared historical date (08-02 · Died) (855): Founding scholar of the Hanbali school, renowned for vast Hadith memorization.
• Ahmed Zewail — Shared historical date (08-02 · Died) (2016): Pioneering chemist, acclaimed as the 'father of femtochemistry'.
• Adelaide Anne Procter — Shared historical date (10-30 · Born) (1825): English poet and philanthropist known for her work on poverty and faith.
• André Chénier — Shared historical date (10-30 · Born) (1762): Emotive French poet, precursor to Romanticism, tragically linked to the French Revolution.
• 1914 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1914
• August 2 (08-02) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on August 2
• 2006 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2006
• October 30 (10-30) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on October 30

Frequently Asked Questions about Junji Kinoshita