Japanese Literary Awards

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Wui-Sin Chong

チョン・ウィシン／てい よしのぶ

Tei Yoshinobu / Wui-Sin Chong

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1957-07-11 （Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan）
Died
null
Nationality
South Korean
Languages
Japanese, Korean

Career

Occupations
playwright, screenwriter, director, actor
Active Years
1987-
Influenced By
Shūji Terayama, Influences from Shinjuku Ryozanpaku theatre collective

Education

Himeji Municipal Shikama High School
Country: Japan
Doshisha University
Faculty of Letters
Period: 中退
Country: Japan
Dropped out
Yokohama Broadcasting and Film Academy (now Japan Film University)
Department of Arts (Set/Art) / Department of Arts
Country: Japan
Graduated from the predecessor of Japan Film University

Awards

Kinema Junpo Screenplay Award
1993
Work: Which Way Is the Moon?
Organization: Kinema Junpo
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Film Concours Screenplay Award
1993
Work: Which Way Is the Moon?
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Kishida Kunio Drama Award
1994
Work: The Terayama
Organization: Kishida Kunio Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize for Best Screenplay
1999
Work: A Cry in the Ocean (literal: A Person Begging for Love)
Organization: Japan Academy Film Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Kinema Junpo Screenplay Award
1998
Work: A Cry in the Ocean
Organization: Kinema Junpo
Result: 受賞
Kinema Junpo Screenplay Award
2004
Work: Blood and Bones
Organization: Kinema Junpo
Result: 受賞
Tsuruyananboku Playwright Award
2008
Work: Yakiniku Dragon
Organization: Tsuruyananboku Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Arts Festival Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award
2009
Work: Yakiniku Dragon
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Festival)
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2014
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Which Way Is the Moon?

1993 Film (screenplay)

An ensemble drama depicting relationships including Zainichi Korean characters; Chong's screenplay received critical acclaim.

Zainichi Korean experiencefamilydiscrimination and coexistence

A Cry in the Ocean (literal)

1998 Film (screenplay)

A film exploring complicated human relationships and desire. Won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Screenplay.

desirehuman relationshipsmorality and guilt

Yakiniku Dragon

2008 Play (stage); later adapted for film

An ensemble piece about a Zainichi Korean family. Highly regarded as a stage work and repeatedly staged and adapted.

familyimmigrationintergenerational conflict
Adaptations
  • [Film] Yakiniku Dragon (2018)

The Terayama

1994 Play (stage)

A play paying homage to the style of Shūji Terayama. Winner of the Kishida Kunio Drama Award.

experimental theatrehomagequestions to theatrical history

Bibliography

  • A Thousand Years of Solitude / My Beloved Media
  • Tomorrow with Gelsomina / Carmen Nocturne
  • The Terayama
  • Andreas' Hat: Landscapes with Theatre
  • Winter Cactus
  • For Example Like a Wildflower / Yakiniku Dragon / Perm-Shop Sumire: Plays by Chong Wui-Sin
  • Yakiniku Dragon (novelization)

Adaptations

  • Yakiniku Dragon (stage to film adaptation)
  • Which Way Is the Moon? (film)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
social realismensemble dramaincorporation of experimental theatre elements
Recurring Motifs
familyZainichi Korean/Chosun perspectivesdiscrimination and coexistencenostalgia and memory

Legacy

A playwright and screenwriter known for works depicting marginalized communities including Zainichi Koreans. Highly regarded in both theatre and film, Chong has left a significant mark on contemporary Japanese stage and cinema.

In Popular Culture

  • Yakiniku Dragon became widely known through both stage productions and a film adaptation.

Trivia

  • Reportedly born within the grounds of Himeji Castle.
  • Founded the Shinjuku Ryozanpaku theatre troupe and served as an in-house playwright.