Subaru Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1978) honorable mention
Kenshi Iio
いいお けんし
Iio Kenshi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1926-08-21 （Taketa, Ōita Prefecture, Japan）
- Died
- 2004-07-26 age 77
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Essayist, Editor, Teacher
- Active Years
- 1964-2004
- Nominations
- 1964 nominated for the Akutagawa Prize for 'Honoo', 1978 Subaru Literary Prize honorable mention for 'Blood Across the Sea', 1981 nominated for the Akutagawa Prize for 'The One-Eyed Man', 1982 nominated for the Naoki Prize for 'Jiketsu'
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Japanese Army Air Officer School | — | — | — | 1944（入学・終戦により中途退学） | Japan |
| Fifth Higher School (old system) | — | — | — | 〜1949 | Japan |
Imperial Japanese Army Air Officer School
Period:
1944（入学・終戦により中途退学）
Country:
Japan
Entered in 1944 but withdrew due to the end of World War II
Fifth Higher School (old system)
Period:
〜1949
Year of Graduation:
1949
Country:
Japan
Graduated from the humanities course
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Akutagawa Prize | Honoo ("Flame") | — | — | 候補 |
| 1978 | Subaru Literary Prize | Blood Across the Sea | 佳作 | — | 佳作 |
| 1981 | Akutagawa Prize | The One-Eyed Man | — | — | 候補 |
| 1982 | Naoki Prize | Jiketsu ("Jiketsu") | — | — | 候補 |
Akutagawa Prize
1964
Work:
Honoo ("Flame")
Result:
候補
Subaru Literary Prize
1978
Work:
Blood Across the Sea
Category:
佳作
Result:
佳作
Akutagawa Prize
1981
Work:
The One-Eyed Man
Result:
候補
Naoki Prize
1982
Work:
Jiketsu ("Jiketsu")
Result:
候補
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Kokō: People and Techniques that Preserve Tradition
1975 Non-fiction/EssayA non-fiction work depicting people who preserve traditional crafts and skills.
traditioncraftsmanshipcultural preservation
Memorial Tablets of Seoul
1980 NovelA novel dealing with memories and family history connected to the Korean peninsula.
family historyKorean peninsulamemory
Jiketsu: The Incident of the Killing of Division Commander Mori Konoe
1982 Novel with non-fiction elementsInvestigates the truth surrounding Captain Shigetaro Uehara and examines wartime events.
warresponsibilityhistorical investigation
The One-Eyed Man
1984 NovelA novel portraying personal pain and postwar conflicts.
personal conflictpostwar
Mount Kaimon: The Roar Fades and the Song of Arirang Disappears
1985 Reportage/Non-fictionA reportage-style work depicting communities and their relation to the Korean peninsula.
regional historyKorea/Chosunmemory
Bibliography
- Kokō: People and Techniques that Preserve Tradition (Elm, 1975)
- Memorial Tablets of Seoul (Shueisha, 1980)
- Jiketsu: The Incident of the Killing of Division Commander Mori Konoe (Shueisha, 1982)
- Ships and Men: The Death Struggle of Eight Hundred Naval Shipbuilders (Shueisha, 1983)
- The One-Eyed Man (Bungeishunjū, 1984)
- The Sun Rises on the Island (PHP Institute, 1984)
- Mount Kaimon (Shueisha, 1985)
- The Fifth High School Student Murder: Thoughts and Madness (Shueisha, 1986)
- To the Soul (Bungeishunjū, 1988)
- Quiet Self-Execution (Bungeishunjū, 1990)
- Resentment: What Japanese People Have Forgotten (Snail House, 1993)
- Motivating Morihiko Hiramatsu (editorial work, 1994)
- Samuhara (Shueisha, 1994)
- Busan 1940 (Bungeishunjū, 1995)
- Killing Intent (Shueisha, 1997)
- Poisonous Laughter: Posthumous Collected Works (Shueisha, 2004)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- historical-investigative prosefact-based narrativedense, descriptive style
- Recurring Motifs
- military and warconnections to the Korean peninsulafamily secretsmemory and atonement
Legacy
Known for works portraying wartime experiences, military figures, and ties to the Korean peninsula. Nominated for major prizes such as the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes, he occupies a distinct place in postwar Japanese literature for blending historical investigation with personal history.
Trivia
- His father was from Keijo (now Seoul) in Korea; on official records he was registered as his mother's illegitimate child.
- He entered the Imperial Army Air Officer School but withdrew due to the end of the war.
- He was nominated for major literary prizes including the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes.