(1907-1991) Japanese writer (fiction, travel essays, art history). His interest in China and central Asia is evident in many stories and historical novels. The novels feature isolated protagonists at dramatic moments of Asian history. Examples are Tempyo no iraka/The Roof Tile of Tempyo 1957, translation 1976, Koshi, based on the life of Confucius, and Shirobama, describing a childhood in old Japan.