Japanese Literary Awards

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Hideo Fujikawa

ふじかわ ひでお

Fujikawa Hideo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1909-02-16 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2003-02-10 （Kamakura, Japan） age 93
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, German
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan → Okayama, Japan → Saga, Japan → Fukuoka, Japan → Kamakura, Japan

Career

Occupations
German literature scholar, Comparative literature scholar, University professor, Translator, Editor/compiler
Active Years
1932-2003
Affiliations
Kyushu Imperial University (now Kyushu University), University of Tokyo, Tamagawa University
Memberships
Japan Art Academy
Influenced By
Rainer Maria Rilke, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Stefan George
Influenced
Keiichiro Kobori, Yasuhiro Hirakawa, Toru Haga

Education

Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo)
Faculty of Letters / Department of German Literature
Degree: 文学士
Period: 1928–1932
Year of Graduation: 1932
Country: Japan
Graduated in 1932. Official degree title varies by source.

Awards

Yomiuri Literary Prize (Criticism/Biography)
1968
Work: Poets of the Late Edo Period
Category: 評論・伝記賞
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: winner
Takamura Kōtarō Prize
1968
Work: Poets of the Late Edo Period
Organization: Takamura Kōtarō Prize Committee
Result: winner
Japan Art Academy Prize
1986
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: winner
Osaragi Jirō Prize
1990
Work: Suga Chazan
Organization: Osaragi Jirō Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Poets of the Late Edo Period

1966 Literary research / Comparative literature

A study examining poets of the late Edo period, focusing on Japanese kanshi (Chinese-style poetry) and comparative-literary perspectives.

Kanshi (Chinese-style poetry)Edo-period literatureComparative literature

Rilke Collected Works (editorial responsibility)

1960 Translation / Compilation

A multi-volume compilation and translation of Rainer Maria Rilke's works and letters, significantly contributing to Rilke studies in Japan.

TranslationPoeticsCorrespondence

Suga Chazan

1990 Biography / Research

A biographical study of the Edo-period poet Suga Chazan. Awarded the Osaragi Jirō Prize.

BiographyEdo-period poetsRegional culture

Rilke: The Life of a Poet

1948 Biography / Literary criticism

An introductory study in Japanese outlining the life and works of Rilke.

Study of poetsModern poetryTranslation

Bibliography

  • Rainer Maria Rilke: The Life of a Poet (1948)
  • Rilke (1950)
  • Rilke: The Man and His Work (1952)
  • Poets of the Late Edo Period (1966)
  • Rilke Collected Works (1960-1965)
  • Suga Chazan (1990)

Translations by Author

  • Hofmannsthal, 'On Literature' (translation, 1942)
  • Rilke: Letters (co-translation, 1950-1951)
  • Selected Rilke (co-translation, 1954)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly and annotative proseClear and measured argumentation
Recurring Motifs
Dialogue between poetry and translationJapanese–German cultural exchangeReevaluation of early-modern kanshi

Legacy

Made major contributions to German studies (notably Rilke), comparative literature, and research on kanshi of the late Edo period. His students and editorial and translation work left a lasting impact on Japanese literary scholarship.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy

Archives

  • Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature (materials related to Hideo Fujikawa exhibition)
  • Kodansha Bungei Bunko (collection including selected essays and posthumous works)

Trivia

  • His father was Yu Fujikawa, a physician and medical historian, who had ties with novelist Mori Ōgai.
  • His son, Yoshiyuki Fujikawa, became a scholar of English literature and a university lecturer.
  • Led Rilke scholarship in Japan through translations and editorial work on collected editions.