Kyoka Izumi (泉鏡花 Izumi Kyōka) (November 4,1873 - September 7,1939) is the pen name of a Japanese author of novels and kabuki plays whose real name was Taro Sakai. Born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1873, he was the oldest son of a chokin artisan. His mother played the tsuzumi drum, but died when Taro was nine years old. Later, he moved to Tokyo and became a disciple of Ozaki Koyo. His first works, including Yakoujunsa and Gekashitsu , published in 1895, received note, but his personal style can be said to have started around 1903 with works like Kouyahijiri . Later works, of which Uta Andon is an example, drew material from the lives and customs of actors. His novels and plays from the late Meiji and Taisho periods such as Yashagaike (which is still performed) continue to influence Japanese literature. Izumi died in 1939.
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