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Shimaki Kensaku

Shimaki Kensaku was the pen name of a Japanese author in Showa period Japan.

In 1934, Shimaki published his first work Rai (“Leprosy”), a serialized novel which appeared in the magazine Bungaku Hyōron (Literary Review). It was based on his experiences while in prison, and was critically well received. Shimaki followed this work with Mōmoku (“Blindness”) in the magazine Chuō Kōrōn (“Central Review”), which further established his position as a writer.

The success of his early works were followed in quick succession by Goku (“Prison”), Reimei (“Dawn”), Saiken (“Reconstruction”) and Seikatsu no Tankyu (“The Quest for Life”); however, Shimaki’s struggle against illness was a losing one. Shimaki died in 1945 at the relatively young age of 41. His grave is at the temple of Jochi-ji in Kamakura.

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