The Suicide Bomber of the Postwar Literary World

Toshiyuki Kajiyama (January 2, 1930–May 11, 1975)

Although relatively unknown in the West, Toshiyuki Kajiyama (January 2, 1930–May 11, 1975) was one of the most prolific authors in postwar Japan.

Admired for his succinct, rapid-fire prose and insightful analysis, Kajiyama's widespread acclaim might be attributed to his astute perception of a sentiment that many Japanese felt but were unable to express: the profound sense of irreplaceable loss that underpinned Japan's robust economic recovery after World War II. According to Koichi Isoda, a Japanese literary critic, he was "the suicide bomber of the postwar literary world."

Kajiyama was born in Seoul, Korea, where his father, Yūichi, was a civil engineer. Yūichi was born in Hiroshima and previously worked as a civil engineer in Taiwan before moving to Korea with his wife, Nobuyo. Nobuyo was born in Kahuku, Oahu.

Numerous Japanese were enticed by the prospect of amassing wealth by traveling to China, Manchuria, or Korea during the 1930s. The Japanese government, which had ambitions in Manchuria prior to the annexation of Korea, supported the trend. Moreover, throughout the Great Depression, Japan's economy had deteriorated, and many Japanese wanted to leave the country.

After World War II, he repatriated together with his parents to his father's home town of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. Toshiyuki had desired to be a writer ever since he was a young child; by the third grade of elementary school, he had written and distributed scientific adventure novels to his peers. He contracted tuberculosis in 1961 and was confined to the hospital for approximately three months. This circumstance presented him with an opportunity to resign from his job and commence the process of writing novels in earnest. By penning numerous best-selling novels and stories, he ascended to literary prominence. After Weekly Shincho published a series of "police woman novels" written by Kajiyama in 1966, both Kajiyama and the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Kenichi Nodaira, were promptly indicted for distributing obscene material. Kajiyama was also ordered to pay a fine of 50,000 yen. However, with an income of 77,860,000 yen in 1969, he achieved the highest place among the wealthiest individuals in the literary realm.

On May 7, 1975, while conducting research for his book "Cumulonimbus" at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong, he suddenly began coughing up blood. Although his condition stabilized for a while after being transported by ambulance to an inadequately equipped hospital, he passed away in the early hours of May 11 from complications related to burst esophageal varices and liver cirrhosis. He was 45. The novel and lifelong endeavor titled "Cumulonimbus" remained unpublished.

In 1998, Minae, Kajiyama’s widow, published a book called "Sekiranun" ("Cumulonimbus Cloud") that contained a compilation of his essays. This book served as a tribute to the publication that was envisioned by her late husband.

During his lifetime, Kajiyama amassed a collection of 17,000 volumes. In 1977, the University of Hawaii Library received a donation of 7,000 books pertaining to Korea, the atomic bomb, and immigration. These materials were subsequently designated as the "Kajiyama Toshiyuki Memorial Library." https://www.hawaii.edu/asiaref/japan/special/kajiyama/index.htm