Bunroku Shishi (1893-1969), who was born as Toyoo Iwata, had two occupations, just as he had two names. He was a theatrical director who organized the Bungakuza theatrical company and helped introduce modern foreign drama into Japan. He was also, under his pen-name, a popular humorous novelist.
Among his best-sellers was "Jiyu Gakko" (1950), here translated as "School of Freedom," about the morals and manners of the immediate postwar period.
Like much light literature, the book was originally published in daily installments in local papers (in this case the Tokyo morning edition of the Asahi Shimbun from May to December 1950), appearing in book form only a year later. Thereafter, it was reprinted several times; two film versions were made (Shochiku and Daiei, both 1951); and a television series (Fuji Television, 1965) was created as well.