Aoe Shunjiro, whose real name is Oshima Chosaburo (大嶋長三郎), was a Japanese playwright and critic. He was born in Akita, Japan, as the eldest son of the drug merchant Eiseido. Initially named Eiichi (衛一), he adopted the name Chosaburo after his father's death in 1915.

Aoe attended Akita Middle School and First Higher School before graduating from the Department of Indian Philosophy at Tokyo Imperial University in 1929. During his university years, he joined the ninth group of "Shin Shicho," where his plays "Fire" and "Educational View" were published and recognized by his mentor, Osanai Kaoru.

After graduation, Aoe was appointed as a social education officer in Kagawa Prefecture but returned to Tokyo four years later to focus on playwriting. In 1938, he was conscripted into the military due to the Second Sino-Japanese War and served in Shanxi Province, China, where he rose to the rank of first lieutenant and worked as a pacification officer.

Upon returning to Japan in 1946, Aoe continued to produce plays, radio dramas, and early television scripts. He also contributed to the theater community by mentoring younger generations through the magazine "Higeki-Kigeki" and taught at Kamakura Academia, Nihon University College of Art, and Tokyo Denki University.

In his later years, he concentrated on writing research books and biographies with a folkloric focus. Aoe Shunjiro passed away on April 30, 1983, due to uric acid nephropathy.

(Source: MyDramaList) Edit Biography