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Emu Namae

エム ナマエ

Emu Namae

Pen Names: Emu Namae（Used as a pen name）, Masanori Namae（Legal name / birth name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948-09-01 （Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2019-03-06 （Meguro, Tokyo, Japan） age 70
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo (birthplace) → Meguro, Tokyo (place of death) → Karuizawa, Nagano (posthumous exhibition site) → New York, USA (exhibition)

Career

Occupations
illustrator, children's book author, painter
Active Years
1970-2019
Affiliations
Doubiren (Japan Children's Publishing Artists Federation)
Memberships
Doubiren (Japan Children's Publishing Artists Federation)
Influenced By
Takashi Yanase

Education

Keio Shiki High School
Period: 1964-1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: Japan
High school graduate
Keio University
Faculty of Law / Law
Period: 1967-1973
Country: Japan
Dropped out to focus on illustration

Awards

Children's Literature Newcomer Award
1989
Work: UFO Ringo and the Space Cat
Organization: Children's Literature (awarding body)
Result: 受賞
Disabled Art Bank Grand Prize (2nd)
1990
Organization: Art Bank for Persons with Disabilities
Result: 受賞
Sanrio Art Award (Poetry & Fairy Tales)
1992
Organization: Shi to Meruhen (Sanrio)
Result: 受賞
Japan Children's Literature Association Prize (Special Prize)
2003
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞（特別賞）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

UFO Ringo and the Space Cat

1988 children's fantasy

A long children's tale set in imaginative space, written after the author became blind; explores wonder, friendship and resilience.

spacefriendshipimagination

Horizon of Blindness

2002 essays / memoir

A collection of essays reflecting on the author's blindness and creative process, recounting struggles and hope.

visual impairmentcreative processself-expression

Three-Legged Race Plus One: We're Always Fantasy

1996 picture book / children's story

Authored and illustrated by Emu Namae; a collection of short fantasy-tinged stories.

dreamsfriendshipfantasy

Bibliography

  • UFO Ringo and the Space Cat
  • The Forest of the Nakoola Legend
  • Horizon of Blindness
  • Three-Legged Race Plus One: We're Always Fantasy
  • The Night the Town Became Happy

Style & Themes

Literary Style
fantastical, poetic illustrations and narrativesimagery that does not rely solely on sight
Recurring Motifs
dreamsspacecatslight and darkness

Health

  • diabetes
    1983-
    Vision loss diagnosed; future blindness predicted
  • blindness (complete)
    1986-2019
    Shifted production methods and turned to writing; continued creative work thereafter

Legacy

Recognized as an illustrator and children's author who continued to create after losing his sight; left an impact on children's literature and art by visually impaired creators.

Museums

  • Karuizawa Talisman (venue for Emu Namae memorial exhibition) Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan Opened in 2019

Academic Societies

  • Japan Children's Literature Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings)
  • CiNii (publication records)

In Popular Culture

  • Participation in John Lennon memorial concerts (Dream Power events)
  • Designed the 'Yumezou' mascot for NHK Radio's Radio Shinyabin 15th anniversary

Quotes

  • Believing in the power of dreams, I continue to create.
    Source: Emu Namae official website (2001)

Trivia

  • Continued illustration and writing after becoming completely blind
  • Designed the 'Yumezou' mascot for NHK Radio's 15th anniversary
  • Held a solo exhibition in New York