Nihon Essayist Club Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (1983) award
Yasutake Funakoshi
ふなこし やすたけ
Funakoshi Yasutake
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1912-12-07 （Kotoridani, Ichinohe, Ninohe District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan）
- Died
- 2002-02-05 age 89
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Catholicism Baptized in 1950
- Residence History
- Morioka → Tokyo (residence, work, teaching) → Tama → Fuchu
Career
- Occupations
- Sculptor, Professor, Essayist
- Active Years
- 1939-2002
- Affiliations
- Shinseisaku Association (founding member, sculpture section), Tokyo University of the Arts (professor, emeritus), Tama Art University (professor)
- Memberships
- Shinseisaku Association (Sculpture Section)
- Influenced By
- Kōtarō Takamura, Auguste Rodin (inspired by Rodin's words)
- Influenced
- Kei Funakoshi, Naoki Funakoshi
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts) | Sculpture Department | Sculpture | — | — | Japan |
Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts)
Sculpture Department
/ Sculpture
Year of Graduation:
1939
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Kōtarō Takamura Prize | Monument for the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki | — | — | 受賞 |
| 1972 | Teijirō Nakahara Prize | Hara's Castle (Gen no Shiro) | — | — | 受賞 |
| 1973 | Order of St. Gregory the Great (Knight Commander) | Hara's Castle (Gen no Shiro) | — | The Holy See (Papal honor) | 叙勲 |
| 1977 | Hasegawa Hitoshi Memorial Prize | Seasons of Eastern Hokkaido - Spring | — | — | 受賞 |
| 1978 | Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) | — | — | Ministry of Education | 受賞 |
| 1983 | Japan Essayists' Club Award | Boulders and Petals | — | Japan Essayists' Club | 受賞 |
| 1984 | Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (4th class) | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 1999 | Person of Cultural Merit | — | — | Government of Japan | 顕彰 |
| 2002 | Junior Fourth Rank (posthumous) | — | — | Government of Japan | 叙位 |
Kōtarō Takamura Prize
1962
Work:
Monument for the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki
Result:
受賞
Teijirō Nakahara Prize
1972
Work:
Hara's Castle (Gen no Shiro)
Result:
受賞
Order of St. Gregory the Great (Knight Commander)
1973
Work:
Hara's Castle (Gen no Shiro)
Organization:
The Holy See (Papal honor)
Result:
叙勲
Hasegawa Hitoshi Memorial Prize
1977
Work:
Seasons of Eastern Hokkaido - Spring
Result:
受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1978
Organization:
Ministry of Education
Result:
受賞
Japan Essayists' Club Award
1983
Work:
Boulders and Petals
Organization:
Japan Essayists' Club
Result:
受賞
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (4th class)
1984
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Person of Cultural Merit
1999
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
顕彰
Junior Fourth Rank (posthumous)
2002
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
叙位
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Tatsuko Statue
1968 Sculpture (stone)A statue installed at Lake Tazawa depicting the local legend of Tatsuko; one of his representative works.
local legendfemale figuresymbolism
Statue of Petro Kasui Kibe
1965 Sculpture (public monument)A standing statue in the Petro Kasui Kibe Memorial Park in Kunisaki, Oita; a work depicting a Christian martyr.
Christianitymartyrdomreligious themes
Hara's Castle (Gen no Shiro)
1972 Sculpture (stone carving)A work inspired by the Shimabara Rebellion, a stone carving emphasizing historical and religious themes and human expression.
historyreligionhuman expression
Monument for the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki
1962 Sculpture (monument)A memorial work for the martyrs of Nagasaki; one of his major religious-themed pieces and winner of the Kōtarō Takamura Prize.
Christianitypassion/sufferingmemorial
Bibliography
- Yasutake Funakoshi: Collected Works (Kodansha, 1982)
- Boulders and Petals: Essays and Drawings by Yasutake Funakoshi (Chikuma Shobo, 1982; paperback 1998)
- The Sculptor's Eye (Dialogue with Tadayoshi Sato, Kodansha, 1983)
- Sketches: Faces of Women (Kodansha, 1985)
- The Boy of Nazareth: From the New Testament (Suemori Books, 1986)
- The Big Clock (Suemori Books, 1992)
- Yasutake Funakoshi: Stones and Essays (Kyuryudo, 2005)
- Complete Essays of Yasutake Funakoshi: Boulders and Petals, etc. (Kyuryudo, 2012)
- Yasutake Funakoshi: Beyond the Gaze (Kyuryudo, 2014)
Adaptations
- NHK 'Sunday Art Museum: What Is Beauty in Life? Sculptor Yasutake Funakoshi and Children' (E-TV, Jan 12, 2025)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Figurative sculptureDirect carvingConcise, spiritually oriented expression
- Recurring Motifs
- Christianity and martyrdomfemale faces and childrentexture and presence of natural stone
Health
-
Cerebral infarction (stroke)1987-2002He developed right-side paralysis but continued creating works with his left hand after rehabilitation.
Legacy
A leading figure of direct-carving stone sculpture and one of postwar Japan's foremost figurative sculptors. Highly regarded for works that deeply express religious themes and human expression.
Museums
- Sakurajijin-kan (related) Ichinohe, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Academic Societies
- Shinseisaku Association
Archives
- Iwate Museum of Art (collections and archives)
In Popular Culture
- Featured in documentaries such as NHK's Sunday Art Museum (2025).
Trivia
- His wife, Michiko, was a painter and haiku poet; they had six children (some counts note seven including a child who died in infancy).
- The family was baptized into the Catholic Church in 1950.
- His grave is at the Fuchu Catholic Cemetery in Fuchu, Tokyo.
- A relief work at Hiroshima Station was discarded in 2020 during reconstruction.