Japanese Literary Awards

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Hisashi Inoue

いのうえ ひさし

Inoue Hisashi

Aliases: 井上 廈 / 内山 廈
Pen Names: Chihitsudou（Pseudonym used humorously to refer to his slow-writing reputation）, Hattori Hanzō（Joint pen name used with Mamoru Yamamoto for certain live-action 'Ninja Hattori-kun' works）, Enrico Trizzoni（One of the joint pen names used when co-writing television works with Mamoru Yamamoto）, Hisashi Inoue（Primary pen name used publicly (same as his common working name)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-11-16 （Kawanishi (formerly Komatsu), Higashiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2010-04-09 （Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan） age 75
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Catholic (baptized as a child; later left the faith) （Baptismal Name: Maria Joseph）
Residence History
Kawanishi (formerly Komatsu), Higashiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan → Sendai (attended La Salle orphanage 'Hikari-ga-oka Angel Home') → Yoyogi-Uehara, Tokyo (residence during university years) → Ichikawa, Chiba (later life) → Kamakura, Kanagawa (place of death)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Playwright, Broadcast writer
Active Years
1964-2010
Affiliations
Japan Playwrights Association (Director), Japan Literary Artists Association (Director), Japan PEN Club (President, 14th), Japan Art Academy (Member), Komatsu-za (Founder)
Memberships
Japan Art Academy, Japan PEN Club (served as President), Japan Literary Artists Association, Japan Playwrights Association, Sendai Literature Museum (Founding Director)
Influenced By
Ryōtarō Shiba, Kōbō Abe, Rokusuke Ei (in terms of broadcast and language advice)
Influenced
Hideki Noda, Koki Mitani, Yukio Ninagawa, Members and younger playwrights associated with Komatsu-za and contemporary Japanese theatre

Education

Sophia University, Faculty of Foreign Languages
Faculty of Foreign Languages / French Department
Degree: 学士
Period: 1956-1960
Year of Graduation: 1960
Country: Japan
Began writing scripts for theatre and broadcast while at university

Awards

Kishida Kunio Drama Award
1972
Work: Dōgen no Bōken
Organization: Kishida Kunio Drama Award Selection Committee
Result: winner
Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists
1972
Work: Dōgen no Bōken
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: winner
Naoki Prize
1972
Work: Tesa Shinjū
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: winner
Yomiuri Literary Prize (Drama)
1980
Work: Shimijimi Nippon / Nogi Taisho & Kobayashi Issa
Category: 戯曲賞
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: winner
Japan SF Grand Prize
1982
Work: Kiri Kiri Jin
Organization: Science Fiction Writers of Japan
Result: winner
Yomiuri Literary Prize (Fiction)
1982
Work: Kiri Kiri Jin
Category: 小説賞
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: winner
Seiun Award (Japanese Long Fiction)
1982
Work: Kiri Kiri Jin
Category: 日本長編部門
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: winner
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize
1986
Work: Haradazutsumi-ki / Fuchū Shinzō
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Prize Selection Committee
Result: winner
Tanizaki Jun'ichirō Prize
1991
Work: Shanghai Moon
Organization: Tanizaki Prize Selection Committee
Result: winner
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1999
Work: Tokyo Seven Roses
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result: winner
Asahi Prize
2001
Organization: Asahi Shimbun
Result: recipient
Mainichi Art Award
2003
Work: Taiko Tataite Fue Fuite
Organization: Mainichi Shimbun
Result: winner
Tsuruyananboku Playwright Award
2003
Work: Taiko Tataite Fue Fuite
Organization: Tsuruyananboku Award Committee
Result: winner
Person of Cultural Merit
2004
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: recipient
Japan Art Academy Award / Imperial Award
2009
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: winner
Yomiuri Theatre Awards (Artistic Honor)
2010
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hyokkori Hyōtan-jima

1964 Puppet show / Television

A nationally popular puppet TV series on NHK, co-created with Mamoru Yamamoto. A children's fable-style program that occasionally included satirical elements.

children's programfablesocial satire
Adaptations
  • [Television] Hyokkori Hyōtan-jima (TV broadcast) (1964)

Tesa Shinjū

1972 Play

A play set in the Edo period; awarded the Naoki Prize in 1972.

period dramadepiction of customshumor and tragedy

Yabuhara Kengyō

1973 Play

A 1973 play, sometimes considered part of Inoue's 'Edo trilogy' along with 'Ame' and 'Kobayashi Issa'.

Edo customshistorical motifshuman drama

Kiri Kiri Jin

1981 Novel / Long fiction with speculative elements

Set in the fictional 'Kiri Kiri' country, the novel explores language, civilization, and the relationship between state and citizens. It won the Japan SF Grand Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize.

fictional nationlanguagecritique of civilization

The Man Who Walked Forty Million Steps

1986 Novel

A long novel weaving historical and cultural elements; reflects Inoue's historical perspective and character portrayal.

historybiographical elementshumor

Living with My Father

1994 Play

A play that treats the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a central theme, exploring family, loss, and memory.

atomic bombingfamilymemory and loss
Adaptations
  • [Film] Living with My Father (film) / 黒木和雄 (2004)

Bibliography

  • Hyokkori Hyōtan-jima
  • Tesa Shinjū
  • Yabuhara Kengyō
  • Newly Interpreted Tono Monogatari
  • Kiri Kiri Jin
  • The Man Who Walked Forty Million Steps
  • Living with My Father
  • Tokyo Seven Roses
  • Aftermath of Mockingpot
  • Aoba Shigereru
  • The Forty-First Boy
  • Regards from Isamu
  • The New Tōkaidō Fifty-Three Stations
  • Heat Wind Arrives (unfinished)

Adaptations

  • Hyokkori Hyōtan-jima (TV broadcast)
  • Living with My Father (film, 2004, dir. Kazuo Kuroki)
  • Musashi (stage, international performances)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Witty prose with a sharp sense for languageCombines humor with seriousness
Recurring Motifs
Explorations of language and the Japanese languageHiroshima / atomic bombingShowa-era ordinary people's lifeHistory and parody

Health

  • Stuttering
    幼少期
    Developed in childhood; affected spoken communication but he pursued writing
  • Alopecia areata
    幼少期
    Recorded as a stress-related condition during his time in the orphanage
  • Depression / Suicide attempt
    1985（自殺未遂）
    Attempted suicide in 1985; continued creative work while receiving treatment
  • Lung cancer
    2009-2010
    Diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 and died in 2010

Legacy

One of Japan's leading writers in both theatre and fiction. Known for his deep scholarship of language and playful yet serious style, founding Komatsu-za to stage his plays, donating his extensive library to establish the Chihitsudou Library, and contributing to literary education.

Museums

  • Chihitsudou Library Kawanishi, Higashiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan Opened in 1987

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy
  • Japan Playwrights Association
  • Japan Literary Artists Association
  • Japan PEN Club

Archives

  • Chihitsudou Library (donated personal library)
  • Komatsu-za (theatre company archives)

In Popular Culture

  • Provided research/material cooperation for films such as 'Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko'
  • The play 'Living with My Father' was adapted into a film and gained wide recognition

Quotes

  • Write difficult things simply, simple things deeply, deep things pleasantly, and pleasant things seriously.
    Source: Inoue's stated creative motto (various interviews/essays)
  • It turns out there is a causal link between lung cancer and tobacco. I gave up smoking, after all.
    Source: Statement reported during his illness in 2009 (2009)

Trivia

  • Famous for his self-styled pen-name 'Chihitsudou' (Slow-writing Hall) because of extreme slowness in producing manuscripts.
  • Baptized in childhood at a La Salle orphanage (baptismal name: Maria Joseph) and later left the faith.
  • Was a heavy smoker (reportedly 40 cigarettes a day) and quit after a lung cancer diagnosis.
  • Attempted suicide in 1985; recovered and continued creative activity.
  • Donated his library to his hometown in Yamagata and established the Chihitsudou Library.
  • His date of death is commemorated as 'Kiri Kiri Memorial' (吉里吉里忌) in reference to his novel 'Kiri Kiri Jin' (established 2015).