Nihon Essayist Club Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 18 (1970) award
Akutagawa Hiroshi
あくたがわ ひろし
Akutagawa Hiroshi
Pen Names:
（Pen name used for poetry and translations）,
（Pen name used for poetry and translations）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1920-03-30 （Tabata, Takinogawa, Tokyo-fu (now Tabata, Kita-ku, Tokyo)）
- Died
- 1981-10-28 （Meguro, Tokyo, Japan） age 61
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Tabata (Kita-ku, Tokyo) → Kugenuma (Fujisawa, Kanagawa; wartime evacuation) → Meguro (Meguro-ku, Tokyo; later residence)
Career
- Occupations
- actor, theatre director
- Active Years
- 1932-1981
- Affiliations
- Bungakuza, Gekidan Kumo (troupe affiliated with the Modern Theatre Association), Engeki Shudan En (Theatre Ensemble En) — founder and leader
- Influenced By
- Kato Michio, Nagaoka Teruko, Fukuda Tsuneari
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attached Elementary and Middle School of Tokyo Higher Normal School (now University of Tsukuba Affiliated Schools) | — | — | — | 1926-1939 | Japan |
| Keio University, Faculty of Letters, French Literature (entered via preparatory course) | Faculty of Letters | Department of French Literature | — | 1937-194X | Japan |
Attached Elementary and Middle School of Tokyo Higher Normal School (now University of Tsukuba Affiliated Schools)
Period:
1926-1939
Country:
Japan
Began theatrical activities while attending the affiliated schools
Keio University, Faculty of Letters, French Literature (entered via preparatory course)
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of French Literature
Period:
1937-194X
Country:
Japan
Left/early graduated due to the Pacific War (exact year uncertain)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Mainichi Film Concours — Best Supporting Actor | A Place Where Chimneys Are Seen | 映画 | Mainichi Newspapers (Mainichi Film Concours) | 受賞 |
| — | Kinokuniya Theatre Prize (4th) | — | — | Kinokuniya Company | 受賞 |
| 1974 | Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) — directing | The Scapin Scheme (director) | 演出 | Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1974 | Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival — Excellence Award (directing) | Kaijin Bessou (director) | 演出 | Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Festival) | 受賞 |
Mainichi Film Concours — Best Supporting Actor
1953
Work:
A Place Where Chimneys Are Seen
Category:
映画
Organization:
Mainichi Newspapers (Mainichi Film Concours)
Result:
受賞
Kinokuniya Theatre Prize (4th)
Organization:
Kinokuniya Company
Result:
受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) — directing
1974
Work:
The Scapin Scheme (director)
Category:
演出
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Prize)
Result:
受賞
Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival — Excellence Award (directing)
1974
Work:
Kaijin Bessou (director)
Category:
演出
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Festival)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Art Encouragement Prize for Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (1975) award
Works
Major Works
A Place Where Chimneys Are Seen
1953 filmA 1953 film in which Akutagawa's supporting performance was highly praised; he won the Mainichi Film Concours Best Supporting Actor.
human dramapostwar society
Hamlet (stage, lead role)
1955 theatreHis 1955 lead in Hamlet received legendary acclaim in theatre history and became one of his signature roles (nicknamed the 'Elegant Hamlet').
tragedyisolationinner conflict
Minamoto no Yoshitsune (NHK Taiga drama)
1966 television dramaPortrayed Minamoto no Yoritomo in NHK's 1966 Taiga drama 'Minamoto no Yoshitsune', a widely recognized television role.
historical dramapower and relationships
Bibliography
- Ryunosuke Akutagawa (co-authored with Yoshida Seiichi, Meiji Shoin, 1967)
- Lines Other Than Those Prescribed (Shinchosha, 1970)
- Casual Lines (Shinchosha, 1977)
- Unforgettable Lines (Shinchosha, 1982)
- Selected Essays of Akutagawa Hiroshi (Shinchosha, 1995)
- Hamlet Actor: Selected Essays of Akutagawa Hiroshi (edited by Marutani Saiichi, Kodansha Bungei Bunko, 2007)
Adaptations
- The Thousand and One Nights (voice role, 1969, directed by Tezuka Osamu)
Translations by Author
- Translation of Jean Anouilh's Antigone (Hakusuisha, 1957 and later)
- Translations of Jean-Paul Sartre's plays (Jinbun Shoin et al.)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- refined and elegant deliverya theatrical expressive style (in essays and writings)
- Recurring Motifs
- Hamlet-like solitudearistocratic / princely personaboundary between stage and life
Health
-
pulmonary tuberculosis若年期以降（戦争罹患後～晩年まで断続的に入退院）Repeated hospitalizations disrupted stage and directing activities intermittently
Legacy
One of postwar Japan's foremost actors and directors. His 1955 Hamlet is legendary, earning him the nickname 'Elegant Hamlet'. He coined the name for Gekidan Shiki and, centered on Bungakuza, exerted major influence on Japanese theatre.
Archives
- NHK Archives (personnel records)
In Popular Culture
- Influence seen in the epithet 'Elegant Hamlet' and naming of Gekidan Shiki (Shiki Theatre Company)
Trivia
- He coined the name for Gekidan Shiki (Shiki Theatre Company).
- His 1955 performance as Hamlet is considered a historic theatrical masterpiece.
- Contracted pulmonary tuberculosis during wartime and underwent repeated hospitalizations thereafter.