George Abe
Japanese author and yakuza (1937–2019)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naoya Abe (Japanese: 安部 直也, Hepburn: Abe Naoya; May 17, 1937[1] – September 2, 2019), known by his pen name George Abe (安部 譲二, Abe Jōji), was a Japanese author and former yakuza. Outside Japan, he is best known for writing the manga series Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin in collaboration with artist Masasumi Kakizaki. As a teenager, Abe became a member of the Ando-gumi yakuza family, and was later recruited by the Koganei-ikka.[2] In 1986, after leaving the yakuza life, he wrote a novel about his time in Fuchū Prison titled Hei no Naka no Korinai Menmen (塀の中の懲りない面々), which became a bestseller and was adapted into a film.[3] Abe died on September 2, 2019, from pneumonia, aged 82.[3]
May 17, 1937
George Abe | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 安部 譲二 |
| Born | Naoya Abe (安部 直也) May 17, 1937 |
| Died | September 2, 2019 (aged 82) |
| Occupation | Author |
| Notable works | Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin |
| Website | |
| www | |
Abe worked as a flight attendant for Japan Airlines from 1961 to 1965.[4] He was the model for Jōji Miyagi, the main character in Yukio Mishima's entertainment romance novel Fukuzatsuna Kare (複雑な彼 That Complicated Guy) published in 1966.[5][6] Abe's pen name "Jōji" was adapted from the character in the novel.[7]