Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Suekichi Akabane

あかば すえきち

Akaba Suekichi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1910-05-03 （Misudai-cho, Kanda, Tokyo (now Kanda Misudai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), Japan）
Died
1990-06-08 （Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan） age 80
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kanda (Misudai-cho), Tokyo, Japan → Fukagawa (Koto-ku), Tokyo, Japan → Dalian (Kantōchō / Manchuria, then) → Xinjing (now Changchun), Manchukuo / China → Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture (temporary) → Tsukishima, Tokyo (stayed with relatives) → Fuchu, Tokyo (then North Tama District) → Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan → Shinano (Nagano Prefecture, foot of Mount Kurohime)

Career

Occupations
picture-book illustrator, children's book author/illustrator, stage designer, Nihonga (Japanese-style) painter, illustrator
Active Years
1930-1990
Influenced By
Shigeru Hatsuyama (cover artist for Kodomo no Kuni), Fritz Lang (influence from film viewing)
Influenced
Subsequent generations of picture-book illustrators (collective)

Education

Old Junten Middle School (precursor of Junten Junior & Senior High School)
Period: 1923-1928
Year of Graduation: 1928
Country: Japan
Graduated middle school; thereafter largely self-taught as an artist

Awards

Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1965
Work: Momotaro; White Dragon Black Dragon
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1968
Work: Suho's White Horse
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Ministry of Health and Welfare Encouragement Award for Children's Culture
1968
Work: Suho's White Horse
Organization: Ministry of Health and Welfare (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Kodansha Publishing Culture Award
1973
Work: Genpei Picture-scroll Tale: Koromo River Manor
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞
Brooklyn Museum of Art Picture Book Award
1975
Work: Suho's White Horse
Organization: Brooklyn Museum
Result: 受賞
Shogakukan Art Award
1975
Work: Kappa of Homan Pond
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞
Hans Christian Andersen Award (Illustrator/Artist)
1980
Category: 画家賞
Organization: International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
Result: 受賞（日本人として初）
Leipzig International Book Design Exhibition Gold Medal
1982
Work: Ehon Warabe Uta; Sora, Nigero
Organization: Leipzig International Book Design Exhibition
Result: 金賞
East German Minister of Education Prize (for Ehon Warabe Uta)
1982
Work: Ehon Warabe Uta
Organization: Ministry of Education (former East Germany)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Suho's White Horse

1967 Picture book (folk tale adaptation) 32 pages

A picture-book adaptation of a Mongolian folk tale about Suho and his white horse, depicting their bond and sacrifice; illustrated by Akabane and highly acclaimed domestically and internationally.

friendshipsacrificefolk taleMongolian culture
Translations
  • Suho's White Horse (translated into English and other languages)

The Straw-hat Jizo (Kasa Jizo)

1961 Picture book (folktale) 28 pages

A folktale set in a snowy land, depicted using ink-like techniques; one of Akabane's debut picture books.

snowcompassionfolktale

Oheso Gaeru / Gon (3 volumes)

1986 Original picture book

A creative picture-book series inspired by the Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga (animal-caricature scrolls); Akabane's last original picture-book works.

anthropomorphic animalsfolk motifs
Adaptations
  • [animation (experimental)] Oheso Gaeru / Gon (experimental segments)

Bibliography

  • The Very Big Big Sweet Potato (illus./1971)
  • Genpei Picture-scroll Art Collection (1975)
  • The Ogre's Arm (1976)
  • Picture Book Nursery Songs (1977)
  • Sky, Run Away (1978)
  • Heso Tori Gorobei (1978)
  • Picture Book Anecdotes (1979)
  • My Thoughts on Picture Books (1983)
  • Oheso Gaeru / Gon (3 vols, 1986)

Adaptations

  • Some works translated and exhibited overseas; experimental animation attempts for parts of works

Translations of Works

  • Suho's White Horse (English and other translations)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Ink-based techniques adapted for picture-book illustrationGrand, scroll-like Yamato-e (classical Japanese painting) sensibilitySimple yet vigorous figurative expression
Recurring Motifs
ogres / demons (oni)snowfolk tales / folktalesanimals

Health

  • cerebral infarction (stroke)
    1987 入院
    Hospitalization and subsequent decline in physical strength
  • liver cirrhosis (and esophageal variceal rupture)
    1987-1990（晩年）
    Health deterioration; ultimately led to cause of death

Legacy

Akabane fused traditional techniques with folk-tale subjects to create a distinctive picture-book style recognized both in Japan and abroad. Suho's White Horse achieved international acclaim; in 1980 he became the first Japanese recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustrators.

Museums

  • Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo (holds donated works and materials) Tokyo, Japan Opened in 1998

Archives

  • Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo holdings (about 6,900 original works donated; later increased)

Quotes

  • I wanted to paint snowy countries.
    Source: Akabane's remark to Naoto Matsui (recollections/interview)

Trivia

  • Nicknamed "Oni no Akabane" (Akabane of the Ogres) due to many picture books about ogres
  • First Japanese picture-book artist to receive the Hans Christian Andersen Award (1980)
  • Donated approximately 6,900 original works during his lifetime; later collections approached 7,000 items