Photo Credits: Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Life

Shiba Ryotaro was born in 1923 on August 7th. His birthplace was Osaka, Japan. He would become one of the most famous historical fiction writers in Japan. His birth name was not Shiba but Teiichi. He changed it to Shiba later in life because of the interest he developed in the work of the famous Chinese historian, Sima (NWE Editors, n.d.).

Shiba’s birthplace is thought to have influenced his early interest in history. It was and still is a center for the arts and a historical center containing world-famous buildings from classical times, such as Osaka Castle (Toby, 2008). Osaka is also not far from a city called Nara, which is known for its ancient tombs. Shiba went here to visit relatives and lived there for a time. The tombs of Nara contain iron weapons, armor, and clay sculptures of warriors (EB Editors, 2016). Shiba enjoyed searching for artifacts here as a boy. His experiences in Nara also shaped his early interests in history.

Although he would one day become an academic, Shiba was thought of as a naughty student at school in his younger years. He didn’t get along well with his teachers and he did not do well academically at first, especially in math. However, he developed an interest in reading (NWE Editors, n.d.). One author he found appealing was Ibuse Masuji, who wrote about everyday people. Ibuse Masuji also wrote historical fiction (Young, 2016). This is noteworthy because Shiba would come to focus on historical fiction.

In middle school, Shiba spent many hours in the library. He read works such as Sima Qian’s Shiji, which is a historical work (Kalsang Bhutia, 2017). As mentioned previously, this author would inspire the eventual change of Shiba’s name. Shiba not only studied tumultuous events from history, but also lived through them. Japan suffered through a depression in the 20s and 30s (Asia for Educators, 2020) and Shiba saw the horrors of WWII firsthand. Shiba later wrote that his nation’s involvement in the war was not reflective of its character, which focused on harmony (NWE Editors, n.d.). After the war, Japan would become a key ally and friend of the West in preserving world peace and freedom (The author of this site does not support the Axis in any way).

After the war, Shiba found work in the newspaper business. This started off his career in writing. He eventually began writing novels that included the Clouds Above the Hill series. The books of this series became some of his most well-known works. These books concerned the lives of two brothers from rural life who came to play a major role in the Russo-Japanese War (Wikipedia Editors, 2020). Books such as these depicted historical events based on the perspectives of individuals and the decisions they made, which gives Shiba’s readers a personalized view into history (NWE Editors, n.d.). This person-centric approach has helped inspire a love of history among his readers that he had always felt himself.

References

NWE Editors. (n.d.). Ryōtarō Shiba. New World Encyclopedia. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ry%C5%8Dtar%C5%8D_Shiba

Toby, R.P. (2008). Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Osaka-Kobe-metropolitan-area

EB Editors. (2020). Tumulus period. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Tumulus-period/additional-info#history

Young, G. (2016). Ibuse Masuji. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ibuse-Masuji

Kalsang Bhutia, T. (2017). Shiji. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shiji

Japan’s Quest for Power and World War II in Asia. (2020). Asia for Educators. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1900_power.htm

Wikipedia Editors. (2020). Shiba Ryotaro. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%8Dtar%C5%8D_Shiba