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Matsuyo Akimoto

あきもと まつよ

Akimoto Matsuyo

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1911-01-02 （Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan）
Died
2001-04-24 （Shonan, Kanagawa, Japan） age 90
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan → Shonan, Kanagawa, Japan

Career

Occupations
playwright, radio writer, scriptwriter, author
Active Years
1946-2001
Affiliations
Miyoshi Juro Playwriting Study Group
Influenced By
Miyoshi Juro
Influenced
Yukio Ninagawa

Education

Yokohama Yoshida Elementary School
Country: Japan
Due to illness and poverty she was unable to pursue education beyond elementary school.

Awards

Arts Festival Award (Encouragement Prize, Radio)
1960
Work: Hitachibō Kaizon
Category: 奨励賞（ラジオ部門）
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Festival)
Result: 受賞
Tamura Toshiko Prize
1964
Work: Hitachibō Kaizon
Organization: Tamura Toshiko Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Arts Festival Award (Theatre Division)
1968
Work: Hitachibō Kaizon
Category: 演劇部門
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Festival)
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Arts Award
1969
Work: Kasabuta Shikibu Kō
Organization: Mainichi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize (Drama)
1976
Work: Shichinin Misaki (Seven Misaki)
Category: 戯曲賞
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Kinokuniya Theatre Award
1975
Work: Adios
Organization: Kinokuniya Theatre Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award
1979
Work: Chikamatsu Love-Suicide Story
Organization: Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Order of the Purple Ribbon
1979
Organization: Japanese Government
Result: 受章
Theatre Merit Award
1985
Result: 表彰

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Light Dust

1947 Play/Drama

An early play first published in 1947, marking Akimoto's debut as a playwright.

familyfemale perspectivealienation

Formal Dress

1949 Play/Drama

A play performed at the Haiyūza theatre in 1949 that attracted attention.

family relationsconflict

The Life of Muraoka Ihei

1960 Play/Drama

A play depicting a man who worked as a procurer in Southeast Asia.

traces of imperialismhuman desire

Hitachibō Kaizon

1964 Play/Drama

A drama set against Manila and overseas experiences; one of her representative works that received multiple Arts Festival Awards and the Tamura Toshiko Prize.

historical materialwomen and society

Kasabuta Shikibu Kō

1969 Play/Drama

Based on legends surrounding Izumi Shikibu; dramatized and published in 1969 and awarded the Mainichi Arts Award.

legend and women's historygrudge/resentment
Adaptations
  • [Stage] Kasabuta Shikibu Kō / 高山図南雄 (1969)

Shichinin Misaki (Seven Misaki)

1975 Play/Drama

A play published in 1975 that won the Yomiuri Literature Prize (Drama).

community and individualrevenge

Adios

1975 Play/Drama

A play from 1975 that received the Kinokuniya Theatre Award.

farewelljourney

Chikamatsu Love-Suicide Story

1979 Play/Drama

A work staged at the Imperial Theatre directed by Yukio Ninagawa, which brought Akimoto popular acclaim; it has since been frequently restaged.

love and tragedyreinterpretation of classics
Adaptations
  • [Stage] Chikamatsu Love-Suicide Story (Imperial Theatre production) / 蜷川幸雄 (1979)

Deeper Than the Sea

1965 Television drama

A television drama broadcast by RKB in 1965, created using legends about Izumi Shikibu; it received an Arts Festival Award.

reinterpretation of folklorefemale ensembles
Adaptations
  • [Television] Deeper Than the Sea (RKB broadcast) (1965)

Bibliography

  • Butterfly's Dream (1955)
  • Onna Mai (structure, 1960)
  • Akimoto Matsuyo Play Collection (1962)
  • Manila Mizuho-ki / Hitachibō Kaizon (1964)
  • Kasabuta Shikibu Kō / Hitachibō Kaizon (1969)
  • Plays and Real Life (1973)
  • Sugae Masumi: Discovery of Common People (1973)
  • Adios (1975)
  • Shichinin Misaki (Seven Misaki) (1975)
  • Complete Works of Akimoto Matsuyo (3 vols, 1976)
  • Ice Stairs (1979)
  • Genroku Port Songs / Chikamatsu Love-Suicide Story (1980)
  • Each Person's Place (1992)
  • Collected Works of Akimoto Matsuyo (5 vols, 2002)

Adaptations

  • Deeper Than the Sea (TV drama, RKB, 1965)
  • Kasabuta Shikibu Kō (Theatre Company Engekiza, 1969)
  • Chikamatsu Love-Suicide Story (Imperial Theatre; dir. Yukio Ninagawa, 1979)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
strong female perspectivedramas based on historical material and folklorecold, precise structure
Recurring Motifs
grudge and revengefamily riftsfemale isolation

Health

  • tuberculosis
    幼少期〜若年期
    Suffered tuberculosis in youth, which made continuing education difficult.
  • pleurisy
    戦後（1940年代〜1950年代）
    Contracted pleurisy after World War II during a period of family responsibilities, affecting her health and creative work.
  • lung cancer
    晩年（2001年に死去）
    Died of lung cancer in 2001.

Legacy

One of the leading postwar female playwrights, known for austere dramas based on historical material and folklore. The 'Akimoto Matsuyo Prize' was established within the Asahi Stage Arts Awards in 2001, and her reputation has been sustained by collected editions of her works.

Archives

  • Collected Works of Akimoto Matsuyo (Chikuma Shobo) holdings
  • National Diet Library holdings

In Popular Culture

  • 'Akimoto Matsuyo Prize' established within the Asahi Stage Arts Awards (2001)
  • Her plays such as 'Chikamatsu Love-Suicide Story' have been repeatedly staged and have become fixtures in Japanese theatre.

Quotes

  • A leading postwar female playwright, she was described as a perfectionist and a solitary artist.
    Source: Wikipedia (Akimoto Matsuyo)

Trivia

  • She remained unmarried.
  • Her brother was the haiku poet Akimoto Fushio (Fujio).
  • In later life she lived in a senior residence in Shonan.
  • A collected edition of her works was published by Chikuma Shobo in 2002.