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Akutagawa Award
The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History The Akutagawa Prize was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. It is currently sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, and is awarded in January and July to the best serious literary story published in a newspaper or magazine by a new or rising author. The winner receives a pocket watch and a cash award of 1 million yen. The judges usually include contemporary writers, literary critics, and former winners of the prize. Occasionally, when consensus cannot be reached between judges over disputes about the winning story or the quality of work for that half year, no prize is awarded. From 1945 through 1948 no prizes were awarded due ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Society For The Promotion Of Japanese Literature
The is an organisation, established in 1938, to promote Japanese literature. It organises five literary prizes: *Akutagawa Prize *Kikuchi Kan Prize * Matsumoto Prize *Naoki Prize The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for the ... * Ohya Prize External links * Japanese literature Organizations established in 1938 {{art-org-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natsuko Kuroda
is a Japanese writer. At age 75 she won the 148th Akutagawa Prize, making Kuroda the oldest winner in the history of the prize. Biography Kuroda was born in 1937 in Tokyo and attended Waseda University. While at Waseda University she started the journal ''Sajo'' (''Sandcastles''), where she published her fiction. She graduated from Waseda University with a degree in Japanese, then worked various jobs as a teacher, administrator, and copy editor while continuing to write fiction. In 1963 her story "Mari" ("Ball") won the 63rd Yomiuri Shimbun Short Story Newcomer Prize. For decades Kuroda wrote stories that were published but did not win recognition in the form of literary awards. In 2012, nearly fifty years after her previous literary award, Kuroda won the ''Waseda Bungaku'' new writer competition for her experimental story ''a b sango'', which was written mostly in hiragana rather than kanji, composed horizontally rather than vertically, and used no names or pronouns. The next ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yasushi Inoue
was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories, poetry and essays, noted for his historical and autobiographical fiction. His most acclaimed works include '' The Bullfight'' (''Tōgyū'', 1949), ''The Roof Tile of Tempyō'' (''Tenpyō no iraka'', 1957) and ''Tun-huang'' (''Tonkō'', 1959). Biography Inoue was born into a family of physicians in Asahikawa, Hokkaido in 1907, and later raised in Yugashima, Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. He was born in Hokkaido but is from Shizuoka Prefecture. In his essay "Hometown Izu", he wrote, "I was born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, but in the yearbooks and directories, most of my birthplace is Shizuoka Prefecture. When I write it myself, I write it separately from Asahikawa as my place of birth and Shizuoka Prefecture as my birthplace...". In My History of Self-Formation, he wrote, "It seems safe to assume that Izu, where I spent my childhood, was my true hometown, and that everything that would form the basis of my person was created here." During ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shigeko Yuki
was a Japanese writer and laureate of the Akutagawa Prize. Life Yuki was born Shige Shinkai on 2 December 1900 in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Her mother died when Yuki was 10 years old. In 1919, she enrolled in Kobe Women's College to study music, but dropped out due to objections from her family. Even so, she continued to study music. In 1925, she married the painter Usaburo Ihara (1894–1976), with whom she had four children. The same year, the couple moved to France, where she studied composition and piano until 1929. In 1945, Yuki and Ihara separated. She would later write of her experience with marriage in ''Yasashii otto'' (やさしい良人, My Tender Husband). Rather than focus on the guilt of breaking up a marriage, Yuki writes about the need for independence in this work. Resisting tradition and striving for independence are narrative points shared by many of Yuki's female characters. After her divorce, Yuki began writing children's literature to earn her livi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motoyoshi Shimizu
was the pen name of a Japanese novelist and poet, active during the Shōwa and Heisei periods of Japan. His real name was , pronounced the same, but written in different kanji. Biography Shimizu was born in Shibuya, Tokyo, and attended the ''Seisoku Eigo Gakko'' in Kanda. From 1938 to 1941, he travelled around the country, and met noted author Riichi Yokomitsu in 1940 under whom he studied fiction writing. His first work, ''Tsuru'' (“Crane”) published in 1941 caught the attention of noted poet Ishida Hakyo, who took him on as a student. In 1944, his novel ''Karitachi'' (“Wild Geese”) was awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize. His output was prolific in the post-war years, and he also turned towards literary criticism, particularly on poetry. From 1991 to 2004, he was director of the Kamakura Museum of Literature, which he had helped create. He died in 2008 of prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoshinori Yagi
was a noted Japanese author. Yagi was born in Muroran, Hokkaidō, and graduated from Waseda University in 1938 with a degree in French literature. In 1944 he became employed in the chemical industry in Manchuria. As a writer, he was a devotee of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Takeo Arishima, and received the 1944 Akutagawa Prize for 劉廣福 ''Ryūkanbu'' and the 1976 Yomiuri Prize for ''Kazamatsuri''. Some of his materials are now exhibited in Muroran's Literature Museum. His Dharma name A Dharma name or Dhamma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The nam ... was Keiunin Zuishin Gitoku Koji (景雲院随心義徳居士). References Further reading * Japanese Wikipedia article * ''Who's who among Japanese writers'', Nihon Yunesuko Kokunai, Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, Japan P.E.N. Club, 1957. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoshiko Shibaki
was a Japanese writer of short stories and novels. She was awarded numerous prizes for her work, including the Akutagawa Prize and the Women's Literature Prize. Biography Early life Shibaki was born in Tokyo on 7 May 1914 into a merchant family. From an early age on, she was trained in traditional Japanese arts like the tea ceremony, writing tanka and Japanese painting, painting, and was taken to see kabuki plays. She graduated from Tokyo Prefectural Daiichi High School in 1932 and started studying English at Surugadai YWCA Women's Academy. After her father's death, she aborted her studies and started working at the Mitsubishi Center for Economic Studies to support her family. In 1941, she married economist Kiyoshi Oshima. Career Shibaki started contributing to literary magazines such as ''Reijokai'' and ''Wakakusa'' in 1935 after her mother's death. She was awarded the Akutagawa Prize in 1941 for her short story "Seika no ichi" (青果の市, lit. "The fruit and vegetable marke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsuneko Nakazato
was the pen-name of a novelist in Shōwa period Japan. Her real name was Nakazato Tsune. Early life Nakazato was born in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture and graduated from the Kanagawa Girls’ Higher School. When she was 17 years old she met Tatsuo Nagai and started writing, publishing multiple novellas before her marriage at age 19. Literary career In 1938, Nakazato became the first woman to win the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, with her short story ''Noriai bashi''. After World War II, she came to be known for a number of works addressing the issue of international marriage, including ''Mariannu monogatari'' ("Maryann's Story", 1946) and ''Kusari'' ("Chain", 1959), which were drawn from her own daughter's marriage to an American. Her novel ''Utamakura'' ("Song Pillow", 1973) was awarded the Yomiuri Prize. In 1974, she received the Japan Art Academy Prize, and became a member of that institution in 1983. Nakazato was a resident of Zushi, Kanagawa from 1932 until her death ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bungakukai
is a Japanese monthly literary magazine published by Bungeishunjū as a oriented publication. History and profile The first version of ''Bungakukai'' was published from 1893 to 1898. The founders were the first generation romantic authors in the country. The magazine featured articles on romanticism, modernism and idealism. The magazine's second version started in October 1933. Bungeishunjū has owned the magazine since then. The headquarters of ''Bungakukai'' is in Tokyo. Along with ''Shinchō'', ''Gunzo'', '' Bungei'' and ''Subaru'', it is one of the five leading literary journals in Japan. It runs a contest Contest may refer to: * Competition * Will contest * Contesting, amateur radio contesting (radiosport) Film and television * ''Contest'' (2013 film), an American film * Contest (1932 film), a German sports film * " The Contest", a 1992 season ... for newcomer writers ''Bungakukai Shinjinshō'' ( ja, 文學界新人賞, Newcomer Award of Literary World). References ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gishū Nakayama
was the pen-name of a Japanese writer active in Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Yoshihide Takama. Early life Gishū was born in rural Nishishirakawa District, Fukushima, in what is now part of the city of Shirakawa, Fukushima, Shirakawa. He was a graduate of Waseda University. While at Waseda, he befriended Riichi Yokomitsu, Yokomitsu Riichi, whose poetry he would later compare to the haiku of Matsui Basho. page 121 After his time in the university, he taught English at a middle school in Mie Prefecture with his new wife, but returned to the Tokyo area two years later to accept a post as an English teacher at a middle school in Narita, Chiba. page 257 Literary career While a student at Waseda, Gishū founded a literary magazine, ''To'' (“Tower”) together with Yokomitsu Riichi and others, to which he contributed his first story, ''Ana'' (“The Hole”). In 1935, despondent at the death of his wife, he drifted around Japan and drank heavily, but in 1938, he published h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashihei Hino
(born 玉井勝則, ''Tamai Katsunori''; 25 January 1907 – 24 January 1960) was a Japanese writer, whose works included depictions of military life during World War II. He was born in Wakamatsu (now Wakamatsu ward, Kitakyūshū) and in 1937 he received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for one of his novels, . At that moment he was a soldier for the Japanese army in China. He then got promoted to the information corps and published numerous works about the daily lives of Japanese soldiers. It is for his war novels that he became famous during (and forgotten after) the war. His book sold over a million copies. Hino committed suicide at the age of 53. His death was first reported to have been from a heart attack, but was later revealed by his family to have been from an overdose of sleeping pills. His birthhouse can be visited nowadays. Early life and education Hino was born as Katsunori Tamai (玉井勝則, ''Tamai Katsunori'') on 25 January 1907 in Wakamatsu, Fukuoka Prefec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jun Ishikawa
was the pen name of a modernism, modernist author, translator and literary critic active in Shōwa period Japan. His real name (written in the same ''kanji'') was Ishikawa Kiyoshi. Early life Ishikawa was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo as the son of a banker. He graduated from the Tokyo School of Foreign Languages (, later Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) with a degree in French literature. After graduation, he served a tour of duty in the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1922 to 1923, following which he was hired by Fukuoka University as a professor of French literature. His early career involved translating works such as Anatole France's ''Le lys rouge'' and author André Gide's ''L'Immoraliste'' into Japanese. The next year, he was resigned from the university due to controversy over his participation in student protest movements. He returned to Tokyo and began a bohemian existence, living out of cheap pensions while translating André Gide's ''Les Caves du Vatican'' an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
