Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Shunsaku Ikehata

いけはた しゅんさく

Ikehata Shunsaku

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1946-01-07 （Kure, Hiroshima, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Screenwriter, Broadcast writer, Writer, Film director
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
Japan Broadcasting Writers Association, Japan Screenwriters' Association, Japan Script Archives Promotion Consortium (Representative Director)
Memberships
Member, Japan Broadcasting Writers Association, Member, Japan Screenwriters' Association, Representative Director, Japan Script Archives Promotion Consortium
Influenced By
Shōhei Imamura, Yasuo Tsuruhashi, Yasuo Yagi
Influenced
Successive screenwriters and students at Japan Film School and scenario courses

Education

Hiroshima Prefectural Kure Mitsuta High School
Country: Japan
Member of the high school drama club; became interested in scriptwriting.
Meiji University, School of Political Science and Economics
School of Political Science and Economics
Year of Graduation: 1970
Country: Japan
Attended the Scenario Institute (scenario course) while at university.

Awards

Mukōda Kuniko Award (3rd)
1984
Work: "Watashi o fukaku umete" / "Hanedaura Map" / "Kiken na Toshi-goro"
Organization: Tokyo News Service
Result: 受賞
Newcomer Award of the Minister of Education (Arts Encouragement)
1984
Work: Television dramas (multiple works)
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize - Minister of Education Award
2009
Work: ‘‘Hat’’ (TV drama)
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2009
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Broadcast Person Grand Prix (Grand Prix)
2017
Work: ‘‘Soseki Natsume's Wife’’ (TV drama)
Organization: Broadcast Person Grand Prix Committee
Result: グランプリ
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
2017
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Hashida Award
2021
Work: ‘‘Kirin ga Kuru’’ (NHK Taiga Drama)
Organization: Hashida Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
NHK Broadcasting Culture Award
Organization: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Result: 受賞
Arts Encouragement Prize (other)
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
2022
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee

1971 TV anime

A children's anime about Hutch, an orphaned bee searching for his family; Ikehata contributed to scripts.

AdventureFamilyComing of age

Vengeance Is Mine

1979 Film

Directed by Shōhei Imamura; Ikehata worked as a script assistant and on early drafts. A heavy drama of vengeance.

RevengeHuman darknessSocial critique

Taiheiki

1991 Television drama (NHK Taiga)

A historical epic depicting the Kamakura and Nanboku-chō periods; an NHK Taiga drama scripted by Ikehata.

HistoryPower strugglesBushido (samurai ethics)

Hat

2008 Television drama

An NHK Hiroshima TV drama; a regionally rooted human drama that won the Minister of Education award.

Local communityFamilyMemory

Kirin ga Kuru

2020 Television drama (NHK Taiga)

An NHK Taiga drama set in the Sengoku period; scripted by Ikehata and recognized with awards including the Hashida Award.

Sengoku periodPowerBiographical drama

Bibliography

  • Shunsaku Ikehata Drama Collection (1990, Nippon TV Network)
  • Shunsaku Ikehata Best Scenario Selection (1998, San'ichi Shobō)

Adaptations

  • Participation in screenplay for 'Vengeance Is Mine' (film, 1979)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic depictionCharacter-centered psychological portrayalWeighty narrative style in historical dramas
Recurring Motifs
Family and bondsMemory and reconciliation with the pastConflict between society and the individual

Legacy

As a television and film screenwriter, he has had a major influence on Japanese broadcasting and cinema and worked actively to train younger generations. He has received numerous public honors.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Broadcasting Writers Association
  • Japan Screenwriters' Association

Archives

  • Japan Script Archives Promotion Consortium
  • NHK Archives (related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • NHK Taiga Drama 'Taiheiki'
  • NHK Taiga Drama 'Kirin ga Kuru'

Trivia

  • Worked as a script assistant to Shōhei Imamura and contributed to early drafts of 'Vengeance Is Mine' and 'The Ballad of Narayama'.
  • Directed his debut film 'Atsumono' (1999), starring Ken Ogata.
  • Served as representative director of the Japan Script Archives Promotion Consortium, promoting preservation of screenplay materials.