Japanese Literary Awards

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Shizuka Ijuin

いじゅういん しずか

Ijuin Shizuka

Aliases: 西山 忠来 / 趙 忠來
Pen Names: Ayumi Date（Pen name used as a lyricist）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-02-09 （Hofu, Yamaguchi, Japan）
Died
2023-11-24 （Japan） age 73
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan (resident since 1996) → Tokyo (long-term stays at hotels such as the Yamanoue Hotel)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Lyricist
Active Years
1970-2023

Education

Yamaguchi Prefectural Hofu High School
Period: 〜1968
Year of Graduation: 1968
Country: Japan
Rikkyo University
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese Literature
Degree: 文学士
Period: 1968-1972
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: Japan
Member of the Rikkyo University baseball team during studies

Awards

Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
1991
Work: Breasts
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Award Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
1992
Work: Ukezuki
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Shibata Renzaburo Award
1994
Work: The Locomotive Teacher
Organization: Shibata Renzaburo Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award
2002
Work: Gorogoro
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Award Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Shiba Ryotaro Award
2014
Work: Nobo-san: A Novel of Masaoka Shiki and Natsume Soseki
Organization: Shiba Ryotaro Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2016
Organization: Cabinet Office (Japan)
Result: 受章
Best Dresser Award (Academic & Culture)
2021
Organization: Best Dresser Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Record Awards — Special Achievement Award
2023
Organization: Japan Record Awards Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Breasts

1990 Novel

A work that treats family, the body and loss with a quiet, contemplative tone; known as a central piece of a collection containing autobiographical elements.

familylossthe body
Adaptations
  • [Film] Breasts (1993)

Ukezuki

1992 Novel

A novel set in a provincial community depicting the protagonist's life and interpersonal relationships. Winner of the Naoki Prize.

rural lifehuman relationshipslife

The Locomotive Teacher

1994 Novel

A largely autobiographical story set around his native Hofu in Yamaguchi Prefecture, depicting the delicate relations between a teacher and his pupils. A representative work that was adapted into animation and live-action films.

hometowneducationcoming of age
Adaptations
  • [Animated film] The Locomotive Teacher (1997)
  • [Live-action film] The Locomotive Teacher (2004)

Gorogoro

2001 Novel

A work weaving everyday life and nostalgia to portray human relationships. One of the works that earned the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award.

everyday lifenostalgiafamily

Nobo-san: A Novel of Masaoka Shiki and Natsume Soseki

2013 Historical novel

A literary-historical novel focused on the relationship between Masaoka Shiki and Natsume Soseki. Winner of the Shiba Ryotaro Award.

literary historymentor-student relationsmodern Japanese literature

Bibliography

  • Satsuki
  • That Child's Carnation
  • Sannenzaka (Three-Year Slope)
  • God is a Vagabond
  • Breasts
  • Take Off the Watch
  • The Strait
  • Ukezuki
  • The Locomotive Teacher
  • Gorogoro
  • Inemuri Sensei
  • Nobo-san: A Novel of Masaoka Shiki and Natsume Soseki
  • Oh Fool, I'm Lonely Without You
  • Hakushu
  • Tide
  • If I Walk With You
  • Dreams of Withered Fields (Keirin Mania Travel)
  • What I Learned from Hideki-kun
  • The Way of Adults
  • A Writer's Excessively Luxurious Time

Adaptations

  • Breasts (film, 1993)
  • Crepe (film, 1993)
  • The Locomotive Teacher (animated film 1997, live-action film 2004)
  • Tell Me the Way to the Station (film, 2019)
  • Inemuri Sensei (TV drama, 2013)

Translations by Author

  • Robinson Crusoe (translated; original by Daniel Defoe, 1999)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
autobiographical and reflective narrationconcise, lyrical proseessay-like depictions of everyday life
Recurring Motifs
flowersbaseballalcohol and gamblingdeath and lossfamily

Health

  • subarachnoid hemorrhage
    2020年1月21日 - 2020年3月（入院・手術・リハビリ）
    Emergency hospitalization and surgery followed by rehabilitation; temporarily suspended writing but later returned to work.
  • intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
    2023年10月 - 2023年11月（診断～死去）
    Diagnosed in October 2023; halted writing activities and passed away in November 2023.

Legacy

A prolific novelist and lyricist who impacted contemporary Japanese literature and popular culture through autobiographical works, numerous song lyrics and multiple adaptations. Recognized with major literary awards and the Medal with Purple Ribbon.

In Popular Culture

  • Many works adapted into films and TV dramas; produced numerous hit songs as a lyricist
  • Widely known in pop music through long collaboration with artists such as Masahiko Kondo

Quotes

  • To me, living people matter more than Masako.
    Source: Interview / press report (2007)
  • You must accept this (the Medal with Purple Ribbon). If your father were alive, he would surely scold you.
    Source: Family anecdote (regarding the award) (2016)

Trivia

  • Used the pen name 'Ayumi Date' as a lyricist; provided lyrics for many artists including Masahiko Kondo.
  • Born Cho Chung-rae (趙 忠來); a second-generation Zainichi Korean who later naturalized and became Nishiyama Tadaki.
  • Married actress Masako Natsume; she died suddenly in 1985.
  • Suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2020, underwent surgery and rehabilitation, and later returned to work.
  • Diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in 2023 and died in November 2023.