The Future of Popular Literature: Tokyo, 1950s-1960s

The Future of Popular Literature: Tokyo, 1950s-1960s

Historical Background: Changes in Postwar Japan
Postwar Japan was undergoing economic growth and cultural transformation along with rapid reconstruction. Particularly from the 1950s to the 1960s, popular culture spread rapidly, and literature was affected by this wave. With the spread of television and radio, the increasing number of magazines, and the diversification of entertainment, it became clear that literature could be divided into two trends: pure literature and popular literature. Pure literature was supported by the intellectual classes, centering on the literary magazines Bungaku-kai and Gunzo, while popular literature emphasized entertainment and grew rapidly for a wide range of readers.

Debate on the Future of Popular Literature
In the literary world of the time, there was a heated debate about the impact of the rise of popular literature. Particularly among writers and critics, topics such as "What is the line between pure literature and popular literature?" and "Does popular literature have value as literature?

1. development and criticism of popular literature
The leading writers of popular literature, Seicho Matsumoto, Futaro Yamada, and Ryotaro Shiba, elevated the status of popular literature through mystery novels and historical novels. In particular, Seicho Matsumoto's "Dot to Sen" and "Suna no Kiki" are highly regarded as socially-conscious mystery novels. On the other hand, Yukio Mishima and Yasunari Kawabata, leading writers of pure literature, raised literary controversy by criticizing popular literature as shallow and merely transitory entertainment.

2. change in readership
During this period, not only the traditional intellectuals but also the general public began to actively read books. In particular, entertainment magazines for young people such as Kodansha's "Weekly Shonen Magazine" and Shueisha's "Weekly Shonen Jump" flourished. The works of Renzaburo Shibata, which were widely read as serialized novels in newspapers, also gained the support of readers and expanded the market for popular literature.

3. vision for the future
Many literary scholars suggested that popular literature could merge with pure literature to create a new form of literature. Critics such as Kobayashi Hideo and Yoshimoto Takaaki advocated the viewpoint that literature should entertain readers while also providing insight into society. In addition, writers such as Yasushi Inoue and Shusaku Endo, who combined elements of both popular and pure literature, became active and helped to diversify literature.

Subsequent Influences
These discussions led to the later diversification of genres in Japanese literature, and formed the trend for writers such as Haruki Murakami and Keigo Higashino to produce works that were both entertaining and literary in nature. It also influenced new forms of narrative expression, such as light novels and manga, and the philosophy of popular literature has been carried on in a wide range of fields.

Led by Seicho Matsumoto, Ryotaro Shiba, and Yasunari Kawabata, popular literature of this period transcended the boundaries of mere entertainment and served as a mirror of social and cultural change.