Home › Japan › Japanese Novelists' Pen Names › Futabatei Shimei
Futabatei Shimei's Real Name: Tatsunosuke Hasegawa
history
Futabatei Shimei (二葉亭四迷) 本名: Tatsunosuke Hasegawa (長谷川辰之助)
Answer: Futabatei Shimei's real name was Tatsunosuke Hasegawa (長谷川辰之助). His pen name is a self-mocking play on "kutabatte shimae" (drop dead).
Tatsunosuke Hasegawa was born on April 4, 1864, in Edo (now Tokyo). He studied Russian at the Tokyo School of Foreign Languages and became a translator of Turgenev.
His pen name 二葉亭四迷 is a pun on 「くたばってしまえ」 (kutabatte shimae, "go drop dead"). In his essay Yo ga Hansei no Zange he described it as a curse aimed at himself, out of shame over his first novel. The popular story that his father said it to him is considered a myth.
His novel Ukigumo (Drifting Clouds, 1887–89) is often called the first modern Japanese novel, written in everyday spoken style (言文一致 genbun itchi) instead of classical language. He died in 1909 at sea, returning from Russia.
FAQ
What does Futabatei Shimei mean? It is a pun on "kutabatte shimae" (drop dead), which he aimed at himself.
What is Futabatei Shimei's famous novel? Ukigumo, often called the first modern Japanese novel.