Timeline Takaaki Yoshimoto: Critic of the Postwar Japanese Mind

Takaaki Yoshimoto: Critic of the Postwar Japanese Mind 25

• 1924 Takaaki Yoshimoto is born in Tokyo Birth of the future poet and critic Takaaki Yoshimoto was born on 25 November 1924 in Tsukishima, Tokyo. He grew up in a family of modest means in the city.
• 1942 Takaaki Yoshimoto enters Yonezawa Technical College Scientific training in wartime Japan Takaaki Yoshimoto began his higher education in applied chemistry at Yonezawa Technical College. He studied science and engineering while writing poetry on the side.
• 1945 Takaaki Yoshimoto experiences Japan's wartime defeat The war's end shapes his later thought Takaaki Yoshimoto was a young man of twenty when Japan surrendered in 1945. His wartime experience and sense of betrayal became central to his later criticism.
• 1947 Takaaki Yoshimoto graduates from the Tokyo Institute of Technology Completes his engineering education Takaaki Yoshimoto graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1947. He then worked as an engineer while pursuing poetry and criticism.
• 1952 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes Dialogue with Proper Time Debut poetry collection, Koyūji to no taiwa Takaaki Yoshimoto issued his first poetry collection, Koyūji to no taiwa (Dialogue with Proper Time), in 1952. It launched his career as a postwar poet.
• 1953 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes Ten Poems for Transposition Second poetry collection, Ten'i no tame no jūhen Takaaki Yoshimoto followed his debut with the poetry collection Ten'i no tame no jūhen (Ten Poems for Transposition). It established his place among the major poets of postwar Japan.
• 1954 Takaaki Yoshimoto makes his critical debut with the Matthew essay Machiu-sho shiron, an essay on the Gospel of Matthew Takaaki Yoshimoto's essay Machiu-sho shiron (Essay on the Gospel of Matthew) of 1954 marked his emergence as a critic. It is regarded as the start of his critical career.
• 1956 Takaaki Yoshimoto challenges writers on their war responsibility Bungakusha no sensō sekinin, with Yukio Haruyama Takaaki Yoshimoto and Yukio Haruyama co-authored Bungakusha no sensō sekinin (The War Responsibility of Writers), which attacked the wartime conduct of Japan's literary figures. It made Yoshimoto a leading voice among younger critics.
• 1957 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes his study of Kōtarō Takamura Takamura Kōtarō, a reassessment of the poet's wartime role Takaaki Yoshimoto published a critical study of the poet Kōtarō Takamura. It examined the question of the poet's responsibility during the war.
• 1958 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes Tenkō-ron on ideological conversion Essay on the wartime recantations of Japanese leftists Takaaki Yoshimoto's essay Tenkō-ron analysed the recantations of Japanese leftist intellectuals under wartime pressure. It became a major work of postwar Japanese thought.
• 1960 Takaaki Yoshimoto writes The End of Fiction after the Anpo struggle Gisei no shūen rejects the old party-led left After the 1960 treaty protests Takaaki Yoshimoto wrote Gisei no shūen (The End of Fiction). It rejected the established leftist parties and helped define the Japanese New Left.
• 1960 Takaaki Yoshimoto is arrested in the Anpo protests Detained at the National Diet during the 1960 treaty struggle On 15 June 1960 Takaaki Yoshimoto was arrested at the Diet grounds during the protests against the revision of the US-Japan Security Treaty. He was among the intellectuals who supported the student protesters.
• 1961 Takaaki Yoshimoto founds the journal Shikō An independent magazine that ran for decades In 1961 Takaaki Yoshimoto founded the journal Shikō. It became his main platform for new writing and independent thought.
• 1965 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes Language and Beauty Gengo ni totte bi to wa nanika, his theory of literary expression Takaaki Yoshimoto's Gengo ni totte bi to wa nanika (What Is Beauty for Language?) set out a theory of literature based on language itself. It is among his best-known works of literary theory.
• 1966 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes Intellectual Foundations of Independence Jiritsu no shisōteki kyoten, a manifesto of independent thought Takaaki Yoshimoto's Jiritsu no shisōteki kyoten argued for an intellectual position independent of parties and institutions. It became a touchstone for the New Left and for later activists.
• 1968 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes Theory of Communal Illusion Kyōdō gensō ron, his best-known theoretical work In 1968 Takaaki Yoshimoto published Kyōdō gensō ron (Theory of Communal Illusion). It examines the state and shared belief, and it is his most widely read theoretical work.
• 1971 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes Introduction to a Theory of Mental Phenomena Shinteki genshō ron josetsu, his psychological theory Takaaki Yoshimoto published Shinteki genshō ron josetsu, which completed his trilogy on language, the state and the mind. It examines the human mind in terms of expression and consciousness.
• 1976 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes The Last Shinran Saigo no Shinran, a study of the Buddhist thinker Takaaki Yoshimoto's Saigo no Shinran (1976) is a study of the medieval Buddhist thinker Shinran. It reflects his lasting interest in religion and the thought of ordinary people.
• 1987 Takaaki Yoshimoto's daughter Banana Yoshimoto wins the Kaien prize Her debut brings a new literary Yoshimoto to the public In 1987 Takaaki Yoshimoto's daughter Banana Yoshimoto won the Kaien Newcomer Writers Prize for her story Kitchen. She became one of Japan's most widely read novelists.
• 1989 Takaaki Yoshimoto publishes High Image Theory Hai-imēji ron explores image and culture in an affluent age Takaaki Yoshimoto published Hai-imēji ron, which examines image, media and culture in late twentieth-century Japan. It shows his engagement with mass culture and consumer society.
• 1995 Takaaki Yoshimoto defends Shoko Asahara after the Aum attacks His remarks on the Aum Shinrikyo leader drew sharp criticism After the 1995 Aum Shinrikyo attacks Takaaki Yoshimoto publicly defended the group's leader Shoko Asahara as a significant religious figure. The remarks were widely criticised and are among the most controversial episodes of his career.
• 1997 Takaaki Yoshimoto's journal Shikō ceases publication Close of a magazine founded in 1961 Shikō, the journal Takaaki Yoshimoto founded in 1961, ended publication in 1997. It had been his independent platform for more than three decades.
• 2003 Takaaki Yoshimoto nearly drowns while swimming A near-fatal accident at the age of 78 In the summer of 2003 Takaaki Yoshimoto nearly drowned in a swimming accident and had a long recovery. He continued to write and speak publicly in the years afterward.
• 2011 Takaaki Yoshimoto speaks against abandoning nuclear power after Fukushima A dissenting view amid the post-disaster debate After the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, Takaaki Yoshimoto argued against abandoning nuclear technology outright. His stance set him apart from many fellow intellectuals and drew debate.
• 2012 Takaaki Yoshimoto dies in Tokyo aged 87 Death of the postwar poet and critic Takaaki Yoshimoto died on 16 March 2012 at the age of 87. He left a large body of work in poetry, criticism and political and religious thought.