Gunzo Newcomer Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 43 (2000) excellent work
Takeshi Ikuta
いくた たけし
Ikuta Takeshi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1964-06-02 （Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan → Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan → Kamagasaki, Osaka, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- social activist, author, critic
- Active Years
- 1982-
- Affiliations
- Yajusha Network / Homeless Network (Representative), National Network for Creating Lessons on Homelessness (Co‑representative)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doshisha University | Faculty of Letters | History of Mathematics | — | — | Japan |
Doshisha University
Faculty of Letters
/ History of Mathematics
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Gunzo New Writers' Award | Can a Patched Vessel Become a Fruit Cut by a Knife? | 評論部門 | Gunzō magazine editorial board | 優秀作 |
Gunzo New Writers' Award
2000
Work:
Can a Patched Vessel Become a Fruit Cut by a Knife?
Category:
評論部門
Organization:
Gunzō magazine editorial board
Result:
優秀作
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
On 'Attacks on Homeless People'
2005 Sociology / CriticismA critical study that discusses attacks and violence against homeless people and analyzes problems in media, local communities, and institutions.
homelessnessviolencesocial exclusionmedia
Reportage: The Very Bottom — Precarious Employment and Homelessness
2007 Reportage / NonfictionA reportage documenting day labor, precarious work, and homelessness; clarifies social backgrounds through voices from the field.
precarious workday laborhomelessnesspoverty
Freeters ≒ NEETs ≒ Homeless — Youth Labor, Family and Gender in Postindustrial Japan
2007 Essay / Scholarly articleAn essay examining youth labor, family, and gender in a postindustrial society, considering continuities between freeters, NEETs and homelessness.
youth employmentfamilygendersocial structure
Thinking About Poverty
2009 Introductory book / Social issues (Iwanami Junior Shinsho)An introductory book for younger readers that explains the structure and realities of poverty in an accessible way.
povertyeducationsocial welfare
Why Do You Sleep Outside, Grandpa? — Children's Night Patrols and the 'Homeless' People
2012 Children's nonfiction / Social educationThrough children's night patrol activities, portrays lives of homeless people encountered and asks questions about coexistence and understanding.
educationhomelessnesscoexistence
How to Tell Children About 'Homelessness'
2013 Co‑authored / EducationA co‑authored practical guide on how to convey issues of homelessness to children in educational settings and everyday life.
educationhomelessnesscommunication
From Kamagasaki — Poverty and Homelessness in Japan
2016 Nonfiction / Reportage (expanded revised edition)An expanded and revised edition focusing on Kamagasaki, portraying the realities of poverty and homelessness in Japan from the field.
Kamagasakipovertystreet sleepinglabor
Etiquette Toward Life — Transformations of State, Capital, Family and Animals
2019 Essay / Social thoughtAn essay collection reconsidering ethics around humans and animals and the treatment of 'life,' while reflecting on transformations of state, capital, and family.
bioethicsfamilycapitalanimals
Bibliography
- 'On <Attacks on Homeless People>' (2005, Jinbun Shoin)
- 'Reportage: The Very Bottom — Precarious Employment and Homelessness' (2007, Chikuma Shinsho)
- 'Freeters ≒ NEETs ≒ Homeless — Youth Labor, Family and Gender in Postindustrial Japan' (2007, Freeters Free No.1)
- 'Thinking About Poverty' (2009, Iwanami Junior Shinsho)
- 'Why Do You Sleep Outside, Grandpa? — Children's Night Patrols and the "Homeless" People' (2012, Akane Shobo)
- 'How to Tell Children About "Homelessness"' (2013, Tarojirosha Editas, co‑authored)
- 'From Kamagasaki — Poverty and Homelessness in Japan' (2016, Chikuma Bunko)
- 'Etiquette Toward Life — Transformations of State, Capital, Family and Animals' (2019, Chikuma Shobo)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- reportage-style fieldwork writingcritical and essayistic analysisa voice that emphasizes firsthand accounts
- Recurring Motifs
- homelessnesspovertylabor (precarious employment)familysocial exclusionanimals and bioethics
Legacy
Through fieldwork, support activities (notably in Kamagasaki), and publications, he has influenced discourse on homelessness and poverty in education and social policy. He is seen as a practical writer-activist who links practice and criticism.
Trivia
- Born June 2, 1964. Originally from Chiba City; moved to Kurashiki in 1974.
- Graduated from Doshisha University, Faculty of Letters (major: history of mathematics).
- Involved in support activities in Kamagasaki since university; has worked as a day laborer after graduation.
- In 2000, his piece 'Can a Patched Vessel Become a Fruit Cut by a Knife?' was selected as an excellent work in the Gunzo New Writers' Award (criticism category).
- His publications mainly consist of reportage and criticism on homelessness, poverty, labor, and education.