Renowned playwright and critic Masakazu Yamazaki, who played a leading role in the Japanese literary world with his deep insights into history and civilization, died Wednesday of a malignant tumor at the age of 86. He was a recipient of the Order of Culture.
Born in Kyoto, Yamazaki started writing plays as a student at the Kyoto University graduate school. After receiving the Kishida drama prize for "Zeami" in 1963, he started his career as a literary and social critic.
In 1973, he won the Yomiuri prize for literature for "Ogai Tatakau Kacho" (Ogai, the Embattled Patriarch) in commentary and biography. In 1984, his "Yawarakai Kojinshugi no Tanjo" (Birth of Soft Individualism) -- which emphasized the importance of spending time to enjoy social intercourse in the post-industrial society -- won the Yomiuri Yoshino Sakuzo Prize.
Due to his extensive academic knowledge, Yamazaki served as a member of advisory bodies to former prime ministers in the fields of politics, diplomacy and education, and also assumed the chairmanship of the Central Council for Education and other posts.
For many years, he had contributed a column on current affairs titled "Insights into the World" as a guest research fellow of the Yomiuri Research Institute.
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