Jack Kerouac created the character Japhy Ryder in his novel The Dharma Bums.
Published in 1958, The Dharma Bums follows Ray Smith, a fictionalized version of Kerouac, and his friendship with Japhy Ryder. Ryder was based largely on poet Gary Snyder, whose interest in Zen Buddhism, mountaineering, wilderness, and East Asian poetry strongly influenced the novel.
Although the book is fiction, its characters and events draw heavily on people and experiences from Kerouac’s life. The novel contrasts urban literary life with Buddhist practice, hiking, climbing, and time in the mountains. It helped introduce many readers to themes that would become associated with Beat spirituality and environmental awareness.
A common mistake is to answer Gary Snyder because of the character’s real-life model. The question asks who created Japhy Ryder in the novel, so the author—not the person who inspired the character—is the correct answer.