Eiji Yoshikawa

Eiji Yoshikawa (1892–1962) was a Japanese writer best known for his historical novels. From 1935 to 1939, his serial novel “Miyamoto Musashi” was published in a weekly newspaper; his portrayal of the famous swordsman became a major popular success. After the Second World War, Yoshikawa stopped writing for several years. In 1950, he began “Shin Heike Monogatari” (“The New Tale of Taira”), which was also published as a newspaper serial and completed seven years later. The novel portrays the downfall of the Taira in their power struggle with the Minamoto and received several literary awards. Yoshikawa continued to write historical novels until his death.