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Chihiro Isa

いさ ちひろ

Isa Chihiro

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1929-06-27 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2018-02-03 （Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan） age 88
Nationality
Japanese
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan → Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan → Toyama Prefecture, Japan → Okinawa Prefecture, Japan → Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Career

Occupations
Non-fiction writer, Translator, Editor
Active Years
1950-2018

Education

Urawa High School (old system)
Country: Japan
Dropped out after one year

Awards

Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award
1978
Work: Gyaku-ten: Jury Trial in U.S.-Administered Okinawa
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Gyaku-ten: Jury Trial in U.S.-Administered Okinawa

1977 Non-fiction

A reportage tracing a jury trial under U.S. administration in Okinawa in the 1960s, examining false convictions, judicial issues, and Okinawa–U.S. relations.

false convictionscritique of the judiciaryOkinawa issuesU.S. military administration
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Documentary Drama: Gyaku-ten — Jury Trial in U.S.-Administered Okinawa (1978)

Autopsy: Marilyn Monroe's Hair

1981 Non-fiction

An investigative non-fiction work concerning Marilyn Monroe, handling topics that drew public interest.

case investigationdeath of cultural figuresmedia and truth

Bibliography

  • Gyaku-ten: Jury Trial in U.S.-Administered Okinawa
  • Autopsy: Marilyn Monroe's Hair
  • Enjō: The Koza Riot
  • Crime of the Judiciary
  • Courtroom: The Lonely Struggles of Lawyers
  • Fairway Gangs
  • Clash: The Tōhō Crossroads Incident at Narita Airport
  • The Shimada Case
  • Winning Golf: Patience
  • For Love's Sake: The Love and Sexuality of Abe Sada
  • Witness
  • Ship Without a Rudder: The Injustice of the Fukawa Case
  • Men's Feelings: 12 Chapters for Enjoying Life
  • The Benefits of Golf: The Ultimate Spice to Enliven Life
  • The Story of Chaco: Hisako Higuchi's Professional Golf Life
  • Words of the Masters
  • Handan's Dream: A Journey through Chinese Poetry and History
  • Rakkashin no Fu: A Journey to the World of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
  • Will the Lay Judge System Change Criminal Trials? Reasons to Seek a Jury System
  • Okinawa and the Boy
  • Good at Golf, Good with Words

Adaptations

  • NHK documentary drama adaptation of 'Gyaku-ten'

Translations by Author

  • Trevino's Wild Golf Life (Lee Trevino) — translation
  • The Last Defendants: The Scottsboro Case (Clarence Norris, Sybil D. Washington) — co-translation
  • One Minute Golfer (Kenneth Blanchard) — translation
  • The Body Swing (Kip Puterbaugh) — translation

Style & Themes

Literary Style
reportage-oriented, fact-focused prosecalm, testimony-driven investigative narrative
Recurring Motifs
false convictions and judicial flawsOkinawa and Japan–U.S. relationsperspectives of the socially disadvantagedcharacter portrayals through golf

Health

  • Prostate cancer
    2010年代末（詳細不明）
    Died of prostate cancer in 2018

Legacy

Known for incisive non-fiction on false convictions, judicial issues, and Okinawa. His reportage works contributed to debates on jury systems and abolition of the death penalty, earning recognition in Japanese non-fiction circles.

In Popular Culture

  • Documentary drama adaptation on NHK (1978) in which he appeared

Quotes

  • My father was not a man of doctrine but rather a freer spirit. He simply wanted to paint. I think he resented those who hindered him and the state power, and rebelled against them.
    Source: Essay in Ushio magazine (account of meeting with Taro Yashima) (1979)

Trivia

  • Biological father was artist and picture-book author Taro Yashima (who later emigrated to the U.S.)
  • Half-brother is actor Mako Iwamatsu; half-sister is actress Momo Yashima (Iwamaotsu Momoko)
  • Served as a juror in a U.S.-related criminal case in Okinawa in 1964
  • Won the Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award in 1978 for 'Gyaku-ten', then turned to full-time writing
  • Authored and translated many golf-related books