Japanese Literary Awards

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Mutsumi Ishii

いしい むつみ

Ishii Mutsumi

Aliases: 駒井れん
Pen Names: Komai Ren（Pen name used for novels (used when publishing 'Pascal no Koi' and receiving the Asahi Newcomer Literary Prize).）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1957-01-04 （Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Career

Occupations
Children's literature author, Translator, Magazine editor, Novelist
Active Years
1988-
Affiliations
Seidosha (editor), Editor-in-chief, quarterly magazine 'Tobu Kyoshitsu' (2005–2013)
Influenced By
Yasuo Maekawa

Education

Ferris University
Faculty of Letters
Country: Japan
Source notes graduation from Ferris University; exact year not specified in available sources.

Awards

'Little Fairy Tale' Grand Prize (3rd)
Work: The Beginning of May, Sunday Morning
Organization: The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd.
Result: 受賞
Niimi Nankichi Children's Literature Award (8th)
Work: The Beginning of May, Sunday Morning
Organization: Niimi Nankichi Children's Literature Award
Result: 受賞
Asahi Newcomer Literary Prize (14th)
2003
Work: Pascal's Love
Organization: The Asahi Shimbun Company
Result: 受賞（筆名：駒井れん）
Japan Association of Children's Literature Authors Award (51st)
2011
Work: Plates and Paper Airplanes
Organization: Japan Association of Children's Literature Authors
Result: 受賞
Hirosuke Children's Story Award (26th)
2015
Work: Watashi-chan
Organization: Hirosuke Children's Story Award
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (53rd, Grand Prize)
2006
Work: Jack's New Yacht (translator)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 大賞受賞（訳書）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Pascal's Love

2003 Novel

A novel published under the pen name Komai Ren. It delicately depicts characters' emotions and relationships.

loveselfhuman relationships

Plates and Paper Airplanes

2010 Children's literature

A children's book that portrays small joys and losses of everyday life from a child's perspective. Winner of the Japan Association of Children's Literature Authors Award.

familygrowing upeveryday detail

Watashi-chan

2015 Children's tale

A children's tale told in the author's gentle voice, depicting moments from everyday life.

childreneveryday lifekindness

The Beginning of May, Sunday Morning

1989 Children's story

One of the early prize-winning pieces. A short children's story that captures subtle aspects of a child's heart through small events.

childhoodobservationsense of season

Eggs and Flour and Then Madeleine

2001 Children's literature / Picture book

A picture-book-like story that depicts family and the warmth of everyday life through cooking and daily routines.

foodfamilyattachment to everyday life

Bibliography

  • Papa wa Suteki na Otoko no Obasan
  • Sky-Colored Sunflower
  • The Beginning of May, Sunday Morning
  • The Problem Is a Present
  • Friends Are Nice
  • Come to the Come-Here Tree
  • Kiritubo (from 'The Tale of Genji')
  • Apparashion
  • The Big Bang's Tangerine Guinea Pig
  • Pamela Patty Poss's New House
  • A Tiny Family: Life of the Pygmy Hedgehog
  • Julia's Christmas
  • Eggs and Flour and Then Madeleine
  • Lemon Drops
  • Little Angel
  • Minami-chan & Kominami-chan
  • Sumire-chan
  • White Moon, Yellow Moon
  • Grandma Bear
  • The Girl Who Became a Grandmother
  • Cabbage
  • Sumire-chan Is a First Grader
  • Mint Scent under Ultramarine Sky: After Baked Sweets
  • West Bears, East Bears
  • A Precious Person
  • Sumire-chan's Hot Summer
  • The Doll's Move
  • Sibling Puzzle
  • Plates and Paper Airplanes
  • Let's Play
  • Reunion and Parting (co-authored)

Translations by Author

  • Mama Doesn't Know My Name
  • A Very Many Kinds of Day
  • The Happy Princess
  • Paradise
  • Furi Furi
  • Delila: The Naughty Little Lamb
  • Tiny the Little Mouse's Great Adventure
  • Jack's New Yacht
  • Harold's Tail
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (translator)
  • The Girl with the Fluffy Head
  • The Potato Field

Style & Themes

Literary Style
quiet narrative voicefocus on children's perspectivesdetail-oriented descriptions of everyday life
Recurring Motifs
family and homefood and handiworkseasons and everyday landscapes

Legacy

Active for many years as a children's author, translator and editor, she has contributed a steady body of works and editorial/translation activity to Japanese children's literature. She also received recognition in the novel field, winning the Asahi Newcomer Literary Prize.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Association of Children's Literature Authors
  • Japan Children's Literary Artists Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings)
  • Authority data such as VIAF / ISNI

Trivia

  • Real name is Mutsumi Ishii; she has published novels under the pen name Komai Ren.
  • Graduated from Ferris University, Faculty of Letters.
  • Served as editor-in-chief of the quarterly magazine 'Tobu Kyoshitsu' from 2005 to January 2013.
  • Her translation 'Jack's New Yacht' won the Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (Grand Prize).