Famed Japanese dramatist Kuramoto So dies at 91

Renowned Japanese screenwriter Kuramoto So, known for numerous television dramas and stage plays, has died. He was 91.

The foundation he headed announced on Monday that Kuramoto died of multiple organ failure at his home in Furano City, Hokkaido, on September 18.

Born in Tokyo, Kuramoto joined Nippon Broadcasting System after graduating from university. He left the radio station four years later and began working as a freelance dramatist.

In 1974, he wrote the NHK Sunday drama series "Katsu Kaishu," but left the production partway through its run.

Kuramoto moved to Furano three years later. Life in the rural city inspired him to write "Kita no Kuni Kara," or "From the North Country." The popular drama followed a family living amid Hokkaido's natural beauty. It became a long-running series, with special sequels continuing until 2002, 21 years after it began.

In 1984, Kuramoto also founded Furano Juku, where young aspiring actors and screenwriters lived and studied under him. More than 300 people trained there before it closed more than two decades later.

Kuramoto was also an environmentalist. In 2006, he established the nonprofit organization Furano Shizen Juku to offer seminars on forest management and the natural environment.

The Japanese government awarded him the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2000 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, in 2010 for his achievements.