Eiji Yoshikawa was a well known Japanese historical novelist. Among his most well-known novels, most are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, many of which he retold in his own style. As an example, the original manuscript of Taiko is 15 volumes, Yoshikawa took up the job to retell it in a more accessible tone, and reduced it to only two volumes. His other books also serve similar purposes and, although most of his novels are not original works, he created a... huge amount of work and a renewed interest in the past. He was awarded the Cultural Order of Merit in 1960 , the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Mainichi Art Award just before his death from cancer in 1962. He is cited as one of the best historical novelists in Japan. He was born Hidetsugu Yoshikawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, in what is now a part of Yokohama.
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| Birthdate: | August 11, 1892 |
| Birthplace: | Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Date of death: | September 7, 1962 |
| Also known as: | Yoshikawa Eiji, 吉川 英治, Hidetsugu Yoshikawa |