Japanese Literary Awards

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Komao Furuyama

ふるやま こまお

Furuyama Komao

Pen Names: Komawo Furuyama（Pen name used for translations）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1920-08-06 （Sinuiju (Sinŭiju), Korea (then under Japanese rule)）
Died
2002-03-11 （Kamitukuma (Kamituruma), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan） age 81
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Sinuiju, Korea (birthplace) → Ryūoka, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan → Tokyo, Japan (work and residence) → Kamitukuma, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Editor
Active Years
1948-2002
Affiliations
Japan Film Education Association, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, Kyoiku Shuppan, Geijutsu Seikatsu (magazine / editorial office)
Memberships
Japan Writers Association, Japan PEN Club, Japan Essayists' Club
Influenced By
Shotaro Yasuoka, Jun Eto, Fumiko Enchi, Shusaku Endo
Influenced
Atsushi Mori, Kenji Nakagami, Tetsuo Shimizu

Education

Third High School (old system)
Liberal Arts (Division C)
Period: 1940-1941
Country: Japan
Enrolled but failed progression due to poor grades and attendance; dropped out
Keio University (medical preparatory course)
Medical preparatory course
Period: 1940-1941
Country: Japan
Left the preparatory medical course due to academic issues

Awards

Akutagawa Prize
1970
Work: The Dawn of Preo-8
Organization: Akutagawa Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement (Newcomer) Prize
1973
Work: A Small City Map
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Prize)
Result: 受賞
Kawabata Yasunari Literary Award
1993
Work: Recollections of the Cicada
Organization: Kawabata Yasunari Literary Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
2000
Work: Three-part war trilogy: 'Dansakusen', 'Ryuryō Kaisen', 'Fukon Chronicles'
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

At the Cemetery

1969 Short story

A short story depicting postwar returnees and daily life, exploring enduring aspects of human nature.

war experiencepostwar lifehuman nature

The Dawn of Preo-8

1970 Short fiction / Novel

One of his representative works, sharply portraying soldiers and their psyche during wartime; recipient of the Akutagawa Prize.

soldier's perspectivewar and the individualloneliness

A Small City Map

1972 Novel

A novel that brings into relief human relationships and facets of postwar society through detailed depictions of urban life.

urban lifepostwar societyhuman relationships

Freedom of Ants

1974 Short story collection

A collection of short pieces interweaving autobiographical elements and war experience.

autobiographical fictionwarmemory

The Soldier Ant Walked

1977 Essays / Memoir

Based on wartime service, this work records soldiers' everyday life and memories.

military service experiencememoireveryday life

Operation Dansakusen

1982 War novel

Part of a war trilogy. A long work depicting battlefield details and soldiers' psychology.

war chroniclesoldier psychologyhistory

The Battle of Ryuryō

1985 War novel

Middle volume of the war trilogy, portraying combat and its aftermath.

combatpostwar effectsorganization vs individual

Fukon Chronicles

1999 War novel

A long novel based on war experiences; carries elements of the concluding part of a trilogy.

military historybattlefield recordsmemory and legacy

Recollections of the Cicada

1994 Short story collection

A sharp collection of personal memories and fragments of life. Winner of the Kawabata Yasunari Literary Award.

recollectionfamilymemory

Bibliography

  • The Dawn of Preo-8 (Kodansha)
  • Put Beer in the Hot Water Bottle (Kodansha)
  • My Way of Horse Racing (Bunwa Shobo)
  • A Small City Map (Kawade Shobo Shinsha)
  • Journey Without Scenery (Bungeishunju)
  • Freedom of Ants (Bungeishunju)
  • The Soldier Ant Walked (Bungeishunju)
  • Operation Dansakusen (Bungeishunju)
  • The Battle of Ryuryō (Bungeishunju)
  • Fukon Chronicles (Bungeishunju)
  • Recollections of the Cicada (Shinchosha)
  • Wife's Room: Twelve Posthumous Pieces (Bungeishunju, posthumous)
  • Life, After All, Fortune and Misfortune (Soshisha, unfinished memoir, posthumous)
  • The Editor's Privilege of Life (Chuko Bunko)
  • Twenty-Three War Short Stories (Bungeishunju)
  • Numerous other short stories, essays, and edited works

Translations by Author

  • Abraham Lincoln (Sterling North) — translated by Komawo Furuyama
  • Konjaku Monogatari-shu (Volume 1) — edited/translated (coauthor)
  • Konjaku Monogatari-shu (Volume 2) — edited/translated (coauthor)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
detailed depictionconcise and critical perspectiverealistic style with autobiographical elements
Recurring Motifs
war and the soldier's viewpointpostwar reintegration and daily lifeloneliness and nostalgiaconflict between organization and individual

Legacy

Komao Furuyama wrote from his wartime experience about war and humanity, and as an editor discovered and supported younger writers. He is recognized in postwar literature for his war chronicles and memoirs.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Writers Association
  • Japan PEN Club

In Popular Culture

  • Known as a horse-racing enthusiast; wrote the occasional 'Devil's Whisper' column in Sports Hochi
  • Had ties with TV host Kiyoshi Kodama and a wide network among literary and media figures

Quotes

  • He was a wonderful writer who could depict soldier life not as an abstraction but as an ordinary private.
    Source: Hiroyuki Agawa (obituary / tribute) (2002)
  • Mr. Furuyama has the bittersweet, gently sorrowful flavor of fiction itself.
    Source: Kenji Nakagami (from 'The Power of Dreams')

Trivia

  • Akutagawa Prize winner (1970)
  • Used the pen name '古山こまを' for translations
  • Horse-racing enthusiast; authored the column 'Devil's Whisper'
  • As an editor he is credited with discovering author Atsushi Mori
  • Grave located at Tochoji Temple, Shinjuku, Tokyo