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第31回（1992年） award
Mayumi Inaba
いなば まゆみ
Inaba Mayumi
別名:
平野 眞弓
ペンネーム:
Kurata Yumi（Pen name used for some commercial works, novelizations and scripts—known for novelizations of adult anime series.）,
Kurata Yuko（Another pen name used mainly in the 1980s–1990s for novelizations and fantasy novels.）
プロフィール
- 性別
- 女性
- 生誕
- 1950-03-08 （Saya, Ama District, Aichi Prefecture (now Aisai City), Japan）
- 死没
- 2014-08-30 （Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan） 64歳
- 国籍
- Japan
- 言語
- Japanese
- 居住地歴
- Saya, Ama District, Aichi Prefecture (now Aisai City), Japan → Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (worked there) → Shinagawa, Tokyo (resided after moving to Tokyo) → Shima Peninsula, Mie Prefecture (maintained a cottage/retreat)
経歴
- 職業
- Novelist, Poet, University professor
- 活動期間
- 1973年〜2014年
- 所属
- Aichi Shukutoku University (part-time lecturer), Nihon University (part-time lecturer, later professor), Oda Sakunosuke Prize selection committee member (until 2013), Arts Encouragement (MEXT) selection committee member (until 2013)
- 所属団体
- Oda Sakunosuke Prize selection committee member (until 2013), Arts Encouragement (MEXT) selection committee member (until 2013), Aichi Shukutoku University (part-time lecturer), Nihon University, College of Art (Professor)
- 影響を受けた人物
- Junzaburo Nishiwaki
- ノミネート
- Akutagawa Prize candidate (104th, 1990 — second half) for 'Kohaku no Machi' ('Amber Town'), Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize candidate (1995) for 'Mayu wa Midori' ('The Cocoon Is Green'), Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize candidate (1997) for 'Asa ga Nido Kuru' ('Morning Comes Twice'), Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize candidate (2000) for 'Nanasen Nichi' ('Seven Thousand Days'), Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize candidate (2005) for 'Until I Return There' (Japanese title: 私がそこに還るまで), Hagiwara Sakutaro Poetry Prize candidate (2002) for the poetry collection 'Mother Vowel River' (母音の川), Takami Jun Prize candidate (2015, posthumous) for 'Series: Shima — Journey Toward Light' (連作・志摩 ひかりへの旅), Miyoshi Tatsuji Prize candidate (2015, posthumous) for 'Series: Shima — Journey Toward Light'
学歴
| 学校 | 学部 | 学科 | 学位 | 期間 | 国 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aichi Prefectural Tsushima High School | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Tokyo Designer Gakuin (Nagoya campus) | — | — | — | 在学中に詩集を自主制作 | Japan |
Aichi Prefectural Tsushima High School
卒業年:
1968
国:
Japan
Began writing poetry while in high school. In 1966 won 2nd place in a contest organized by Bungei Shunju, which motivated her literary career.
Tokyo Designer Gakuin (Nagoya campus)
期間:
在学中に詩集を自主制作
国:
Japan
Self-published the poetry collection '白い日々を唄うために' while studying. After vocational school worked at a design firm in Nagoya.
受賞歴
| 年 | 賞名 | 対象作品 | 部門 | 主催 | 結果 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 16th Female Newcomer Award | The Pain of the Blue Shadow | — | Sakuhin-sha (publisher) | 受賞 |
| 1980 | Sakuhin Award (Work Prize) | Hotel Zambia | — | Sakuhin (Sakuhin-sha) | 受賞 |
| 1992 | 31st Women's Literary Prize | Endless Waltz | — | Women's Literary Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1995 | 23rd Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize | The Prostitute of Voices | — | Hirabayashi Taiko Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2008 | 34th Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize | Miru | — | Kawabata Yasunari Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2010 | Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of MEXT, Literature Division) | Miru | — | Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) | 受賞 |
| 2011 | 47th Tanizaki Jun'ichirō Prize | To the Peninsula | — | Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2011 | 64th Chūnichi Culture Award | To the Peninsula | — | Chunichi Shimbun (Chūnichi Newspaper) | 受賞 |
| 2012 | 7th Shinran Prize | To the Peninsula | — | Shinran Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Medal with Purple Ribbon | — | — | Cabinet Office | 受章 |
16th Female Newcomer Award
1973
対象作品:
The Pain of the Blue Shadow
主催:
Sakuhin-sha (publisher)
結果:
受賞
Sakuhin Award (Work Prize)
1980
対象作品:
Hotel Zambia
主催:
Sakuhin (Sakuhin-sha)
結果:
受賞
31st Women's Literary Prize
1992
対象作品:
Endless Waltz
主催:
Women's Literary Prize Committee
結果:
受賞
23rd Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize
1995
対象作品:
The Prostitute of Voices
主催:
Hirabayashi Taiko Prize Committee
結果:
受賞
34th Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize
2008
対象作品:
Miru
主催:
Kawabata Yasunari Prize Committee
結果:
受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of MEXT, Literature Division)
2010
対象作品:
Miru
主催:
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
結果:
受賞
47th Tanizaki Jun'ichirō Prize
2011
対象作品:
To the Peninsula
主催:
Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize Committee
結果:
受賞
64th Chūnichi Culture Award
2011
対象作品:
To the Peninsula
主催:
Chunichi Shimbun (Chūnichi Newspaper)
結果:
受賞
7th Shinran Prize
2012
対象作品:
To the Peninsula
主催:
Shinran Prize Committee
結果:
受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2014
主催:
Cabinet Office
結果:
受章
受賞・候補エディション
-
第23回（1995年） award
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第34回（2008年） award
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第60回（2010年） award
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第47回（2011年） award
Shinran Award
1回登壇
-
第7回（2012年） award
作品
代表作
Endless Waltz
1992年 NovelA roman à clef depicting the actress/author Izumi Suzuki and saxophonist Kaoru Abe. Winner of the Women's Literary Prize in 1992.
Roman à clefShow businessMemoryLoss
映像化・舞台化
- [Film] Endless Waltz / 若松孝二 (Kōji Wakamatsu) (1995)
Miru
2009年 NovelA novel based on life on the Shima Peninsula, notable for delicate nature descriptions and attachment to place. Awarded the Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize (2008) and the MEXT Art Encouragement Prize (2010, literature).
SeaNatureAttachment to placeSolitude
To the Peninsula
2011年 NovelA full-length novel depicting life, death and memory through the nature and everyday life of a peninsula. Winner of the Tanizaki Jun'ichirō Prize and the Chūnichi Culture Award in 2011.
PeninsulaNature描写MemoryCommunity vs individual
Amber Town
1991年 NovelAn early long-form work that was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize; notable for depictions of urban life and human relationships.
Urban lifeMemoryInterpersonal relationships
The Prostitute of Voices
1995年 NovelA novel exploring women's interiority and desire; winner of the Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize in 1995.
Female psychologySexuality and desireSubjectivity
Hotel Zambia
1981年 NovelOne of her important early works; selected for the Sakuhin Award (Work Prize) in 1980.
Travel and stayMargins of societyLoneliness
全著作
- Hotel Zambia (1981)
- Horobi no Oto (poetry collection, 1982)
- Amber Town (1991)
- Peaches at Dawn (poetry collection, 1991)
- Endless Waltz (1992)
- Embraced (1993)
- Suiciders: One Death a Day (co-edited, 1994)
- A Place Farther Than the Moon: My Movie Paradise (essay, 1995)
- The Cocoon Is Green (1995)
- The Prostitute of Voices (1995)
- The Age of Forests (1996)
- Love of Glass (1997)
- Scarecrow's Journey (1997)
- Days Filled with Cats (1998)
- The Other Me (1998)
- Pomegranates in the Water (1999)
- Mornings Without Me (essay, 1999)
- Garden Garden (2000)
- River of Vowels (poetry collection, 2002)
- Flower Echoes (2002)
- Afternoon Honey Box (2003)
- Elegy for Unusual Fishes (2003)
- Until I Return There (2004)
- Circulation (2005)
- The Post of Farewells (children's tale, 2005)
- Portraits of Sand (2007)
- Indigo Tides: A Colorful Fantasy (2008)
- Miru (2009)
- Lovers of a Thousand Years (2010)
- To the Peninsula (2011)
- A Little Spring on the Lips (2012)
- The Owls (2014)
- The Sea of R (2014)
- Series: Shima — Journey Toward Light (poetry collection, 2014)
- A Slightly Damp Place (essay, 2014)
- In the Palm of the Heart (poetry collection, 2015)
- The House of the Moon Rabbit's Ear (2016)
- Selected Poems: Let's Not Say 'Goodbye' (poetry collection, 2019)
- Desert Snow (Uyushu Publications, 2025; posthumous)
翻案
- Endless Waltz — film adaptation (1995, dir. Kōji Wakamatsu)
- Scarecrow's Journey — film adaptation (2005, dir. Kenji Tominaga; starring Chikako Kaku)
作風・主題
- 文体
- Lyrical proseConcrete, sensory descriptions of naturePsychological depictions from a female perspectiveOccasional use of roman à clef techniques
- 頻出モチーフ
- Sea and peninsula/coastal landscapesDetailed seasonal/natural descriptionsMemory and lossFemale body and desireNostalgia and attachment to place
健康
-
Pancreatic cancer2014年（診断・治療・2014年8月に死去）Died of pancreatic cancer in August 2014; literary activity ceased.
評価・遺産
Mayumi Inaba was acclaimed for delicate depictions of nature and penetrating portrayals of women's interior lives, receiving numerous major literary prizes. Her works focusing on regional landscapes (notably the Shima Peninsula) occupy a distinct place in contemporary Japanese literature. Posthumous publications of poetry and other works have continued to sustain her critical reputation.
大衆文化への影響
- Film adaptation of 'Endless Waltz' (1995)
- Film adaptation of 'Scarecrow's Journey' (2005)
- Reissues of works under the pen name Kurata Yuko (revival series by Seikaisha, 2020–2021)
豆知識
- Real name spelled 稲葉眞弓 (reading identical), maiden name Hirano.
- Wrote novelizations and scripts for adult anime under the pen names Kurata Yumi / Kurata Yuko.
- Began composing poetry while in high school; a 1966 contest placement helped launch her literary ambitions.
- Maintained a cottage on the Shima Peninsula and set many works there.
- Awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2014.
- Died of pancreatic cancer in August 2014 at age 64; works and poetry collections have been published or reissued posthumously.