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Hiroshi Kohiyama

こひやま ひろし

Kohiyama Hiroshi

Aliases: 小檜山 博（こひやま はく と表記されることがある）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1937-04-15 （Takinoue, Hokkaido, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Takinoue, Hokkaido, Japan → Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Author, Newspaper reporter, University professor (special appointment), Museum director
Active Years
1976-
Affiliations
Hokkaido Shimbun (former employee), Hokkaido University of Education (special-appointed professor, former), Kanda Nisshō Memorial Museum (director)
Memberships
Hoppou Bungei (participated as a member)
Nominations
Candidate for the 75th Akutagawa Prize

Education

Hokkaido Tomakomai Technical High School
Electrical Department / Electrical Course
Country: Japan
After graduating from high school, he worked at the Hokkaido Shimbun while beginning his writing career.

Awards

Hoppou Bungei Prize
1976
Work: Deba
Organization: Hoppou Bungei (editorial)
Result: winner
Hokkaido Shimbun Literary Prize
1983
Work: Hikaru Onna
Organization: Hokkaido Shimbun
Result: winner
Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize
1983
Work: Hikaru Onna
Organization: Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner
Sapporo Arts Award
1997
Organization: Sapporo City
Result: winner
Takinoue Town Social Merit Award
1998
Organization: Takinoue Town
Result: winner
Kiyama Shōhei Literary Award
2003
Work: Hikaru Taisetsu
Organization: Kiyama Shōhei Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner
Hokkaido Cultural Award
2005
Organization: Hokkaido Prefecture
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Deba

1976 Novel

Published in 1976 and winner of the inaugural Hoppou Bungei Prize; a work that centers on Hokkaido's landscape and human relationships.

HokkaidoHuman relationshipsNature

Hikaru Onna

1983 Novel

A representative work published in 1983 that sensitively portrays characters' emotions and hometown scenery. Adapted into a film in 1987 directed by Shinji Somai.

LocalityLonelinessMemory
Adaptations
  • [Film] Hikaru Onna / 相米慎二 (1987)

Squall

1999 Novel

Published in 1999; a work about human relationships and romance. The novel served as the basis for the 2005 film 'Koisuru Tomato' (Tomato in Love).

RomanceHuman dramaEveryday life
Adaptations
  • [Film] Koisuru Tomato (Tomato in Love) (2005)

Hikaru Taisetsu

2002 Autobiography

An autobiographical work that won the Kiyama Shōhei Literary Award in 2003.

AutobiographyReminiscenceHometown

Drift

2010 Novel

One of his later works; a collection of short and medium-length stories reflecting on human drifting and the meaning of life.

DriftingExistenceLife

Hymn to Life

2012 Essays/Novel

Published in 2012; contains essays and works that positively portray life and ways of living.

View of lifeAffirmationReminiscence

Bibliography

  • Deba. Koso-sha, 1976 (paperback)
  • Kurai Ashioto (Dim Footsteps). Shueisha, 1979
  • Ikimono-tachi (Living Creatures). Shueisha, 1980
  • Rikon-ki (Record of Divorce). Sakuhin-sha, 1980
  • Yajin no Su (Nest of the Wild). Ushio Shuppansha, 1981
  • Jibuyuki (Blizzard). Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1982
  • Arakumi (Rough Sea). Futabasha, 1982
  • Hikaru Onna. Shueisha, 1983 (paperback)
  • Ransui-ki. Ushio Shuppansha, 1984
  • Chi no Oto (Sound of the Land). Shueisha, 1985 (paperback)
  • Tennyo-tachi (Celestial Maidens). Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1985
  • Yukiarashi (Snowstorm). Kodansha, 1986 (paperback)
  • Muen-zuka. Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1987
  • Genjin no Koi (Love of the Primitive). Bunka Publishing Bureau, 1987
  • Kagami no Ura (Behind the Mirror). Ushio Shuppansha, 1989
  • Kumaso Takeru no Matsu'ei (Descendants of Kumaso Takeru). Shinchosha, 1989
  • Tada Sakamichi o Arukitakute (Just Wanting to Walk the Slope). Bunka Publishing Bureau, 1990
  • Yume no Onna (Woman of Dreams). Kodansha, 1991
  • Boku no Horaana (My Cave). Yugaku Shorin, 1993
  • Palau Lennon. Shueisha, 1994
  • Sarigenaku Kita no Machi (Casually in the Northern Town). Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1994
  • Isshun no Jinsei (A Moment's Life). Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1996
  • Karaoke Manyuuki (Karaoke Travelogue). Librio Publishing, 1996
  • Jibun ni Deau Hi (The Day I Meet Myself). Kosaido Publishing, 1997
  • Yume no Kayoiji (Path of the Dream). Hokkaido Shimbun, 1999
  • Squall. Shueisha, 1999 (basis for the film 'Koisuru Tomato')
  • Kaze Shonen (Wind Boy). Kodansha, 2000
  • Hikaru Taisetsu. Kodansha, 2002
  • Kita-guni no Jinsei (Life in the Northern Country). Kodansha, 2003
  • Jinsei to Iu Tabi (The Journey Called Life). Kodansha, 2004 (later Kawade Bunko)
  • Boku no Honne (My True Feelings). Hatorosha, 2004
  • Boku no Hakujou (My Confessions). Kodansha, 2005
  • The Complete Works of Hiroshi Kohiyama (8 vols). Hatorosha, 2006
  • Drift. Hatorosha, 2010
  • Hymn to Life. Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2012

Adaptations

  • Film 'Hikaru Onna' (1987; dir. Shinji Somai)
  • Film 'Koisuru Tomato' (2005) — based on the novel 'Squall'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic depictions set in HokkaidoStrong regional/local colorNarration that dwells on characters' inner lives
Recurring Motifs
Snow and blizzardsNorthern landscapesLoneliness and memoryHometown

Legacy

One of the notable writers in Hokkaido literature since the 1970s. He is recognized for works portraying local landscapes and human conditions, with several adaptations and awards acknowledging his contribution to regional literature. His reputation was marred by a plagiarism controversy in 2008, which led to a public apology and his resignation from a university post.

Museums

  • Kanda Nisshō Memorial Museum

In Popular Culture

  • Film 'Hikaru Onna' (1987)
  • Film 'Koisuru Tomato' (2005) (based on 'Squall')
  • Literary monument erected in his hometown Takinoue (2009)

Trivia

  • His given name character 博 is read 'Hiroshi' though it is sometimes pronounced 'Haku' in print.
  • Winning the inaugural Hoppou Bungei Prize in 1976 for 'Deba' marked the start of his full-time literary career.
  • 'Hikaru Onna' was adapted into a film in 1987 directed by Shinji Somai.
  • In 2008 it was revealed he had used reader submissions to Mainichi Shimbun without proper attribution; he apologized and resigned his special-appointed professorship at Hokkaido University of Education.
  • A literary monument was erected in his hometown Takinoue in 2009.