Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Award
1 appearances
Baku Akae
あかえ ばく
Akae Baku
Aliases:
長谷川敬
Pen Names:
Baku Akae（Pen name used in literary activity (real name: Hasegawa Takashi)）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1933-04-22 （Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan）
- Died
- 2012-06-08 （Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan） age 79
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan (birthplace) → Toyotō Village, Toyoura District (evacuation site; now Kikugawa Town, Shimonoseki)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Broadcast writer, Scriptwriter
- Active Years
- 1958-2012
- Influenced By
- Izumi Kyōka, Nagai Kafū, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Okamoto Kanoko, Yukio Mishima, Hideo Nakai, Kenji Mizoguchi (admired as a film director)
- Nominations
- 1973 Naoki Prize nominee (Tsumi-gui), 1975 Naoki Prize nominee (Kinkan-shoku no Kageshiki)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nihon University, College of Art | Department of Drama | Theatre | — | 1952-1955 (中退) | Japan |
| Yamaguchi Prefectural Toyoura Higashi High School | — | General Studies | — | 1946-1952 | Japan |
Nihon University, College of Art
Department of Drama
/ Theatre
Period:
1952-1955 (中退)
Country:
Japan
Participated in a poetry coterie during studies. Left university in 1955 to pursue personal artistic work.
Yamaguchi Prefectural Toyoura Higashi High School
General Studies
Period:
1946-1952
Year of Graduation:
1952
Country:
Japan
Served as student council president and belonged to drama and literary clubs.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Prize | Nijinsky's Hand | — | Shosetsu Gendai (magazine) | winner |
| 1972 | Yamaguchi Prefecture Arts and Culture Promotion Encouragement Award | — | — | Yamaguchi Prefecture | winner |
| 1974 | Kadokawa Novel Prize | Oedipus's Blade | — | Kadokawa Shoten | winner |
| 1983 | Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize | Kaikyō (The Strait); Yakumo ga Koroshita (Yakumo Killed) | — | Izumi Kyōka Literature Prize Committee | winner |
Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Prize
1970
Work:
Nijinsky's Hand
Organization:
Shosetsu Gendai (magazine)
Result:
winner
Yamaguchi Prefecture Arts and Culture Promotion Encouragement Award
1972
Organization:
Yamaguchi Prefecture
Result:
winner
Kadokawa Novel Prize
1974
Work:
Oedipus's Blade
Organization:
Kadokawa Shoten
Result:
winner
Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize
1983
Work:
Kaikyō (The Strait); Yakumo ga Koroshita (Yakumo Killed)
Organization:
Izumi Kyōka Literature Prize Committee
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Izumi Kyoka Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (1984) award
Works
Major Works
Nijinsky's Hand
1970 Novella / Short novelA novella centered on ballet that explores the intersection of art and life; written in a decadent, sensual style. It was his debut and won the Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Prize.
balletart and ruinaestheticismdesire
Tsumi-gui (Sin Eater)
1973 NovelA novel about conflicts between artistic vocation and life; it became a Naoki Prize nominee after publication.
arts and liferuinviews on life and death
Oedipus's Blade
1974 NovelA Japanese reworking of the Oedipus myth, using swords and traditional motifs to examine family and fate.
myth reworkingswordsfamilyfate
Adaptations
- [Film] Oedipus's Blade / 成島東一郎 (1986)
The Strait
1983 NovelA novel set around the sea and narrow waterways that explores human solitude and mortality. One of the works recognized by the Izumi Kyōka Prize.
seasolitudemortality
Yakumo ga Koroshita (Yakumo Killed)
1984 NovelA work containing fantastical and mystery elements; one of the pieces that led to receiving the Izumi Kyōka Prize.
fantasticalmystery elementselegance
Butterfly Bones
1977 Novel / Short novelA work with decadent and fantastical style; it was adapted into a film in 1978.
aestheticismfantasticalruin
Adaptations
- [Film] The White-Skinned Hunter: Butterfly Bones / 西村昭五郎 (1978)
The Spear of the Azure Emperor
1977 Short stories / Novellas collectionA collection including works that weave traditional crafts and ritual motifs; one story from this collection was used as the basis for a film adaptation.
traditional craftssymbolismmythic elements
Adaptations
- [Film] Sekka Sōsashi / 高林陽一 (1982)
Bibliography
- Jūrinji Yōhen
- Nijinsky's Hand
- Oedipus's Blade
- Tsumi-gui (Sin Eater)
- Goddesses of Beauty's Underworld
- Poseidon's Transformations
- Shadow Ornament of the Annular Eclipse
- Demon Love Child
- Guest of the Tropical Rainforest
- The Arrow of Shōsōin
- Butterfly Bones
- The Spear of the Azure Emperor
- Castle in the Sky
- The Hundred-Demons March in the Open Field
- Margo's Cup
- Spring Funeral Festival
- The Luncheon of the Apollos
- Killing Honey, Mad Honey
- Carnival of the Animals
- Field of Fear for String Songs
- Hibiscus Sleep
- Gate of Beasts
- Steward of the Primeval Flower Forest
- On Sea Offerings
- Andalusian Phantom Flower Festival
- Corridor of Fairies
- Dance, Dance Cliff
- Giant Gate Star: Heavenly Section
- Demon Gathering
- Melody of the Wind Burial Song
- Spring Mud Song
- Yakumo ga Koroshita (Yakumo Killed)
- Night of the Twelve Houses
- Wings of the Distant Vassals
- Flower Intoxication
- Radiance of the Crown of Thorns
- Orpheus's Mirror (Essays by Baku Akae)
- Gala
- Slave of Armand
- Ship of Herbs
- Kōdō
- Kyoto Stories Vol.1: Kazemaboroshi
- Kyoto Stories Vol.2: Traces of Dreams
- Moon Labyrinth
- San'in-Sanyō Stories: Hika
- View of the Theatre Land's Forest
- Fog Hotel
- Moon Playing Notes
- River Where Star-Dancing Glitter Sings
- Lunch of the Void
- Daily Goryōmon
- The Fox's Razor
- Baku Akae's Heisei Kabuki Primer
Adaptations
- The White-Skinned Hunter: Butterfly Bones (1978, dir. Shogoro Nishimura)
- Sekka Sōsashi (1982, dir. Yoichi Takabayashi)
- Oedipus's Blade (1986, dir. Toichiro Narushima)
- Kurenai Monogatari (1992, dir. Toshiharu Ikeda)
- Wednesday Drama Special 'Suna no Nemuri' (1985, TBS)
- Kansai TV 'Kyoto Suspense' Slot: 'Margo's Cup' (1988)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- aestheticismfantastical/legendarysensualvisionary
- Recurring Motifs
- kabukinohswordstattoosbeekeepingwhalingKyotolife and death
Legacy
Baku Akae is a postwar writer placed within the lineage of aesthetic and fantastical literature, known for works on traditional performing arts such as kabuki and noh. He received awards including the Kadokawa Novel Prize and the Izumi Kyōka Prize; many works were adapted into films, TV dramas and manga. A native of Shimonoseki, he has been honored locally, and a literary monument was erected in 2022.
Museums
- Baku Akae Literary Monument Bodaiji Temple, Amida-cho, Shimonoseki City Opened in 2022
In Popular Culture
- Film adaptation: 'Butterfly Bones' (1978)
- Film adaptation: 'Oedipus's Blade' (1986)
- TV drama adaptation: 'Suna no Nemuri' (1985, TBS)
- TV drama adaptation: 'Margo's Cup' (1988, Kansai TV)
Quotes
-
Once one has smoked opium, one will smoke again; opium knows how to wait.
Source: Acceptance remarks for the Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Prize (quote from Jean Cocteau) (1970) -
'Akae' evokes 'akashiō' (red tide) and 'Baku' evokes 'arashi' (storm) — intended to convey a sense of crisis and ruggedness.
Source: Explanation of pen name in interviews and essays
Trivia
- Real name: Hasegawa Takashi.
- Won an NHK radio drama script contest and worked as a broadcast writer from 1958.
- Debut work 'Nijinsky's Hand' won the Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Prize.
- Was nominated multiple times for the Naoki Prize but did not win.
- Published over 250 pieces including short stories and novels.
- Died of heart failure on June 8, 2012, aged 79.
- A literary monument was erected in Shimonoseki City in 2022.