AOMORI (Kyodo) A previously unknown photograph of the late famed novelist Osamu Dazai has been discovered ahead of the 100th anniversary of his birth Friday, the city of Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, said.
The photo of Dazai, who is on the left in the second row, shows him around age 16 with some 30 schoolmates and his brother. Dazai is wearing a school uniform with a sign of class leader attached to the sleeve and a badge for honor-roll students.
The young Dazai later became known for such works as the 1948 "Ningen Shikkakku" ("No Longer Human").
At the time the photo was taken, he was a student of what is now Aomori High School in the city of Aomori. It also shows students from his hometown in the Tsugaru region.
"A picture of Dazai taken with classmates from the same hometown is rare," said Tatsumi Kinoshita, who heads the city's board of education. "We wouldn't have been able to find it if this year wasn't his 100th birthday."
