Japanese Literary Awards

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Takehiro Irokawa

いろかわ たけひろ

Irokawa Takehiro

Aliases: 阿佐田 哲也 / 井上 志摩夫 / 雀風子 / 御仲 十
Pen Names: Asada Tetsuya（Most famous pen name used for mahjong novels）, Inoue Shimao（Pen name used for popular and historical fiction）, ,

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1929-03-28 （Yaraimachi, Ushigome Ward, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture (now Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, Japan)）
Died
1989-04-10 （Miyagi Prefectural Semine Hospital, Semine Town, Kurihara District, Miyagi Prefecture (now Kurihara City), Japan） age 60
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo (Ushigome/Yaraimachi, Shinjuku) → Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture (short-term residence before death) → Semine Town, Kurihara District, Miyagi Prefecture (hospitalization location)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Mahjong player, Columnist
Active Years
1950-1989
Affiliations
Momozono Shobo (editor), Weekly Taishu (contributor), Weekly Post (contributor, mahjong commentator), Kindai Mahjong (contributor)
Memberships
New Japan Literary Association
Influenced By
Fujiwara Shinji, Yamada Fūtarō, Takeda Taijun, Mishima Yukio, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Gomi Kōsuke
Influenced
Kitano Hideaki (manga artist), Saifumei (manga original author), Many subsequent mahjong novelists, mahjong manga creators and mahjong culture

Education

Old Tokyo Municipal Third Middle School (now Tokyo Metropolitan Bunkyo High School)
Period: 1941–1945（中退）
Country: Japan
Left school after an indefinite suspension and did not complete formal secondary education; worked various jobs after the war.

Awards

Chuo Koron Newcomer Award
1961
Work: Black Cloth
Organization: Chuo Koronsha
Result: Winner
Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize
1977
Work: Suspicious Visitors' Register
Organization: Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Naoki Prize (79th)
1978
Work: Divorce
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: Winner
Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize
1982
Work: One Hundred
Organization: Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Yomiuri Literary Prize
1989
Work: Diary of a Madman
Category: 小説賞
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mahjong Wanderings

1969 Autobiographical novel / Gambling fiction

An autobiographical series centered on the protagonist 'Boy Tetsu', chronicling his mahjong exploits and itinerant life; it sparked a mahjong boom in Japan in the 1970s.

mahjonggamblingyouthoutlaw lifeluck and skill
Adaptations
  • [Film] Mahjong Wanderings (film) / 和田誠 (1984)
  • [Manga] Tetsuya - The Man Called Mahjong Saint / さいふうめい（原作）・星野泰視（作画） (1997)

Suspicious Visitors' Register

1977 Short stories / Essays

A collection of essays and short stories published under his real name; it won the Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize.

human relationshipseveryday strangenesshumorreminiscence

Divorce

1978 Novel

A novel blending fact and fiction that examines marriage and divorce. It won the 79th Naoki Prize and featured episodes based on the author's domestic life.

marriagedivorcefamilyautobiographical elements

One Hundred

1982 Novel

A long-form work collecting fragments of life and human patterns; it received the Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize.

life vignettesmemoryhuman drama

Diary of a Madman

1988 Novel

A late-period work reflecting the author's experiences of narcolepsy-related hallucinations and mental instability; it won the Yomiuri Literary Prize.

mental illnesshallucinationboundary between self and reality

Bibliography

  • Suspicious Visitors' Register
  • Divorce
  • Boufura Voyages
  • To My Birth Home
  • Fiction: Asada Tetsuya
  • The Lifeline of a Jobless Wanderer
  • Flowers Bloom in the Underpass
  • One Hundred
  • Fearful Marriage
  • Uraomote: Life Record
  • Eat as You Please
  • Distant Views: Sparrow, Revival
  • Variety Theater Wanderings
  • Acharaka Pai!
  • The City Is Capricious
  • Sing and It's Heaven: Jazz Songs
  • Diary of a Madman
  • Moving Poverty
  • Insect Chronicle
  • Nostalgic Entertainers

Adaptations

  • Mahjong Wanderings (1984 film, dir. Makoto Wada)
  • Mahjong Wanderings → Manga adaptations (e.g. Tetsuya - The Man Called Mahjong Saint, 1997–2004)
  • Dosa Ken: Mahjong Hell (2000, film)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Autobiographical narrationPicaresque (stories of rogues)Colloquial, wry voiceFrequent references to popular culture (cinema, jazz, gambling)
Recurring Motifs
mahjonggambling (keirin, horse racing, baccarat)father–son relationshipsoutlaw-type charactershallucinations and sleep attacks (late works)

Health

  • Narcolepsy
    1974–1989
    Diagnosed in 1974 and suffered lifelong symptoms: sleep attacks, cataplexy, hallucinations and auditory hallucinations. These affected daily life and writing, and are reflected in late works.
  • Gallstones
    1976（悪化、危篤を経験）
    Complications from gallstones in 1976 led to a critical condition followed by a remarkable recovery. Health remained unstable thereafter.
  • Myocardial infarction / cardiac rupture (fatal)
    1989年4月
    Collapsed with a myocardial infarction in April 1989 and subsequently died of cardiac rupture.

Legacy

Irokawa significantly established the form of the mahjong novel and played a major role in popularizing mahjong culture in postwar Japan. He became legendary as the 'Mahjong Saint' and influenced films, manga and mahjong media. He also received several major literary awards and left a distinctive narrative voice.

Museums

  • Asada Tetsuya Shrine (Inariyama, Daidokyo) Inariyama, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Opened in 1996
  • Yanaka Cemetery (gravesite) Yanaka 7-chome, Taito Ward, Tokyo, Japan

Academic Societies

  • New Japan Literary Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library, Japan

In Popular Culture

  • Mahjong Wanderings has been adapted into films and manga and has heavily influenced mahjong manga and media since the 1990s.
  • His influence continued into gambling culture, with events such as the 'Asada Tetsuya Cup' held at race venues (held until 2004 in some instances).

Quotes

  • Aim for nine wins and six losses. Eight wins and seven losses is lonely. If you aim for ten wins it becomes impossible.
    Source: Uraomote: Life Record (1984)
  • When good luck continues too long, it's dangerous. A big loss is a way to consume misfortune.
    Source: Asada Tetsuya's Curious Companions (1988)

Trivia

  • Asada Tetsuya is Irokawa's best-known pen name and brought him popular success with mahjong novels.
  • His pet Chihuahua was named 'Asada' after his pen name.
  • He frequently arrived late to award ceremonies due to narcolepsy.
  • After his death, Mahjong Wanderings continued to be adapted into films, manga and plays, influencing mahjong culture.
  • He had wide-ranging friendships with many notable figures, and numerous memorials and tributes have been held.