Ujaku Akita ( 秋田 雨雀 , Akita Ujaku , 30 January 1883 – 12 May 1962) was the pseudonym of Tokuz? Akita ( 秋田 ?三 , Akita Tokuz? ) , a Japanese author and Esperantist . He is best known for his plays, books, and short stories for children.

Biography [ edit ]

Born in Kuroishi , Aomori Prefecture , he studied English literature at Waseda University and became interested in socialism . In 1913 he learnt Esperanto from Vasili Eroshenko , as a result of a chance meeting, and soon became a leader of the proletarian Esperanto movement, and a member of the "La Semanto" group in 1921. He visited the USSR in 1927 for the celebrations of the tenth anniversary of the revolution . In January 1931 he helped found the national organization, Japana Prolet-Esperantista Unio (JPEU), with about 150 members, and with Akita as president. He translated Eroshenko's writings into Japanese, and wrote a textbook on Esperanto. ^{[ citation needed ]}

The rise of militarism in Japan led to difficulties for Akita; in the autumn of 1933 he was detained for several weeks, and forced to write a long statement about his activities. ^[1] Nevertheless, he continued to work, founding a magazine the next year, Teatoro (named after the Esperanto word for theatre), which still exists. ^[2] He joined the New Cooperative Theatre ( Shinky? Gekidan ) but its activities were limited because it was no longer safe to stage plays with political themes. ^[3] The JPEU was shut down by the police. ^{[ citation needed ]}

After the war he established a performing arts school and was active in other organizations, such as the New Japan Literary Society ( Shin Nihon Bungakukai ) and established the Japan Militant Atheists' Alliance ( Nihon Sentokteki Mushinronsha Domei ). ^[4] He died in 1962. A museum in his hometown was opened in 1979. ^{[ citation needed ]}

Selected works [ edit ]

In Japanese [ edit ]

• Higashi no Kodomo ("Children in the East", anthology, 1921)
• Taiyo to Hanazono ("The Sun and the Flower Garden", anthology, 1921)
• Mohan Esuperanto-Dokusyu: Memlernanto de Esperanto ("Esperanto by Self-Study", with Osaka Kenji , textbook, 1927)
• Ujaku jiden ("Autobiography", 1953)

Translated into Esperanto [ edit ]

• Tri dramoj ("Three plays" translated in 1927 by Ha?ime ?uzui, Kaname Susuki)
  • Fonto de sudroj (" Shudras ' Fountain")
  • Danco de skeletoj ("Skeleton Dance")
  • Nokto ?e landolimoj. ("Night at the Frontiers")
• Tiuj, kiuj ?irka?as la ?erkon ("Those who gather round the coffin" translated c. 1925 by Junko Sibata)

Notes [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• Account of Akita's life (in Japanese)
• Web page at the Nakamura Theatre website (in Japanese)
• Web page on the anthologies of 1921 (in Japanese)
• Website of the Akita Ujaku Museum in Kuroishi (in Japanese)
• Website of the Akita Ujaku Boys' Theatre in Tokyo (in Japanese)
• Teatoro magazine (in Japanese)
• Grave of Akita (in Japanese)
• Works by Ujaku Akita at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)