Japanese Literary Awards

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Kon Kan'ichi

こん かんいち

Kon Kan'ichi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1909-12-08 （Nishimomori, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan）
Died
1983-03-01 age 73
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Protestant Baptized in 1926
Residence History
Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Poet, Editor
Active Years
1940-1983
Influenced By
Osamu Dazai, Shigeharu Nakada, Kōjirō Fukushi

Education

To-o Gijuku High School
Country: Japan
Baptized by Nakada Shigeharu while a student
Waseda University
Department of Russian Literature / Department of Russian Literature
Period: 中退
Country: Japan
Left before graduation from the Department of Russian Literature

Awards

Naoki Prize
1956
Work: Wall Flower
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Seagull Chapter

1940 Novel

Published in 1940; a prewar linked-piece/short story work that depicts the sea and regional life.

searegional lifehuman relationships

Dragon Chapter

1941 Novel

Published in 1941; a work from the wartime-adjacent period characterized by lyrical and symbolic narration.

symbolismlyricisminner life

Phantom Flower Journey

1949 Novel

Published in 1949; a mid-period work incorporating fantastical motifs.

fantasymemorynostalgia

Wall Flower

1956 Novel

Published in 1956; winner of the 35th Naoki Prize. A work that examines human relationships and solitude.

solitudeinterpersonal relationshipssocial depiction

The Cowherd's Seat

1961 Novel

Published in 1961; a novel about Edwin Dun, who served as a Hokkaido development official, treating historical figures as its subject.

historybiographical fictionsettlement

Bibliography

  • Seagull Chapter
  • Dragon Chapter
  • Phantom Flower Journey
  • Homeland of Literature (editor)
  • Wall Flower
  • Pier No.13
  • The Poet Fukushi Kōjirō
  • The Story of the Akō Loyalists
  • Sumidagawa's Mississippi Stylus (Poems)
  • Natural History of Elegance
  • The Virgin in the Square Bottle
  • The Cowherd's Seat
  • Japan's Sensual Beauties
  • Osamu Dazai (Volume 1)
  • KONKAN's Tsugaru-bushi
  • Unsinkable: Battleship Nagato
  • Collected Works of Kon Kan'ichi Vol.1: 'Leaves of the Great Trees'
  • Works of Kon Kan'ichi
  • Remembered People
  • My Friend Osamu Dazai
  • Daddy, the House Is Burning
  • Silver Hairpin & Sea Lilies: Selected Works of Kon Kan'ichi

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Strong regionalist depiction reflecting the Tsugaru landscapeLyrical and descriptive narrative styleBlend of reality and fantasy in expression
Recurring Motifs
Tsugaru regionsea and fishing villagesnostalgiasolitudememory

Legacy

A 20th-century Japanese novelist and poet known for works rooted in the Tsugaru region. He won the 35th Naoki Prize in 1956 for 'Wall Flower'. A friend of Osamu Dazai, his work is noted for combining regional sensibility and lyrical expression.

Trivia

  • He is credited with naming the memorial 'Sakuto-ki' (cherry memorial).
  • Baptized by Shigeharu Nakada in 1926 (Protestant).
  • Dropped out of Waseda University's Department of Russian Literature.
  • Won the 35th Naoki Prize in 1956 for 'Wall Flower'.
  • Born in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture