Dojin Magazine Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (1965) award
Junichi Watanabe
わたなべ じゅんいち
Watanabe Jun'ichi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1933-10-24 （Sunagawa, Sorachi District, Hokkaido, Japan (now Kamisunagawa)）
- Died
- 2014-04-30 （Tokyo, Japan (home)） age 80
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Buddhism （Baptismal Name: Airakuin Shaku Junshin）
- Residence History
- Kamisunagawa (formerly Sunagawa), Hokkaido, Japan (birthplace) → Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan → Tokyo, Japan (residence and place of death)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Novelist, Essayist, Orthopedic surgeon
- Active Years
- 1965-2014
- Affiliations
- Sapporo Medical University (faculty), Medical University Literary Club
- Memberships
- Japan–Iceland Friendship Association (President), Member, Naoki Prize selection committee, Member, Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award committee
- Influenced By
- Shūzō Nakayama, Bunichirō Kawamura
- Influenced
- Chinese romance novelists (noted to be influenced by Watanabe's romantic fiction)
- Nominations
- Akutagawa Prize nominee ("Shikeshō"), Naoki Prize nominee ("Mizore"), Akutagawa Prize nominee ("Otozure")
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido University (Division of Liberal Arts, General Education) | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Sapporo Medical University | Faculty of Medicine | Orthopedic Surgery | 医学士 | 1954-1958 | Japan |
| Sapporo Medical University Graduate School (Department of Medicine) | — | Orthopedic research | 医学博士 | 1958-1963 | Japan |
Hokkaido University (Division of Liberal Arts, General Education)
Country:
Japan
Completed liberal arts coursework before entering Sapporo Medical University
Sapporo Medical University
Faculty of Medicine
/ Orthopedic Surgery
Degree:
医学士
Period:
1954-1958
Year of Graduation:
1958
Country:
Japan
Graduated from medical school and later entered graduate school
Sapporo Medical University Graduate School (Department of Medicine)
Orthopedic research
Degree:
医学博士
Period:
1958-1963
Year of Graduation:
1963
Country:
Japan
Doctoral thesis: 'Experimental studies of bone grafting using P32'
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Shincho Doujin Magazine Award | Shikeshō | — | Shinchosha | 受賞 |
| 1970 | Naoki Prize (Naoki Sanjugo Award) | Light and Shadow | — | Naoki Prize Selection Committee | 受賞 |
| 1980 | Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award | A Distant Sunset / Nagasaki Russian Brothel House | — | Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 1986 | Bungeishunju Readers' Award | The Voice of Silence – The Life of Nogi and his Wife | — | Bungeishunju | 受賞 |
| 2001 | Order of the Falcon (Iceland) - Knight's Cross | — | — | Government of Iceland | 受章 |
| 2003 | Order of the Purple Ribbon | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 2003 | Kikuchi Kan Prize | — | — | Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Bungeishunju Readers' Award | Tenjo Guren | — | Bungeishunju | 受賞 |
Shincho Doujin Magazine Award
1965
Work:
Shikeshō
Organization:
Shinchosha
Result:
受賞
Naoki Prize (Naoki Sanjugo Award)
1970
Work:
Light and Shadow
Organization:
Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result:
受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award
1980
Work:
A Distant Sunset / Nagasaki Russian Brothel House
Organization:
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Bungeishunju Readers' Award
1986
Work:
The Voice of Silence – The Life of Nogi and his Wife
Organization:
Bungeishunju
Result:
受賞
Order of the Falcon (Iceland) - Knight's Cross
2001
Organization:
Government of Iceland
Result:
受章
Order of the Purple Ribbon
2003
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Kikuchi Kan Prize
2003
Organization:
Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Bungeishunju Readers' Award
2011
Work:
Tenjo Guren
Organization:
Bungeishunju
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Naoki Sanjugo Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 63 (1970) award
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 14 (1980) award
Kikuchi Kan Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 57 (2003) award
Works
Major Works
Light and Shadow
1970 Novel (historical/biographical)A short-story collection including a piece modeled on a prime minister; explores politics and human character.
historybiographical portraitpower and human nature
Beyond the Blossoming Fields
1970 Novel (biographical)A biographical novel based on Ogino Ginko; depicts a woman's life and struggles.
biographywomen's historypersonal struggle
Adaptations
- [Screen adaptation (TV/film)] Beyond the Blossoming Fields (screen adaptation exists)
Translations
- Beyond the Blossoming Fields (English translation by Deborah Iwabuchi & Anna Isozaki, 2008)
A Distant Sunset
1979 Novel (biographical)A biographical novel on Hideyo Noguchi, focusing on medicine and his life.
medicinebiographylife of a scientist
Adaptations
- [Screen adaptation (drama, etc.)] A Distant Sunset (screen adaptation)
Translations
- English translation published (example title: A Distant Sunset)
A Single Snowflake
1983 Novel (romance)A romance novel exploring the subtleties of human relationships and emotions.
lovemiddle-aged romanceemotional nuance
Adaptations
- [Film / TV drama] A Single Snowflake (screen adaptation)
Metamorphosis
1986 Novel (romance)One of his romantic novels serialized in newspapers; noted for explicit scenes and confessional first-person narration.
romancesexualityconfessional style
Adaptations
- [Screen adaptation (film / TV)] Metamorphosis (screen adaptation)
A Lost Paradise
1997 Novel (romance / contemporary fiction)A major work about an extramarital affair between middle-aged lovers leading to ruin; provoked wide public debate and became culturally significant.
adulterymidlife crisiseroticism
Adaptations
- [Film] A Lost Paradise (film) (1997)
- [TV drama] A Lost Paradise (TV drama)
Translations
- A Lost Paradise (English translation by Julie Carpenter, 2000)
- Translated into Chinese and several other languages
Bibliography
- Shikeshō (short story)
- Light and Shadow (1970)
- Beyond the Blossoming Fields (1970)
- A Distant Sunset (1979)
- A Single Snowflake (1983)
- Metamorphosis (1986)
- A Lost Paradise (1997)
- Donkanryoku (Essay collection, 2007)
- Tenjo Guren (2011)
Adaptations
- A Lost Paradise (film and TV adaptations)
- Metamorphosis (screen adaptations)
- Beyond the Blossoming Fields (screen adaptation)
- A Distant Sunset (screen adaptation)
Translations of Works
- A Lost Paradise (English translation by Julie Carpenter, 2000)
- Beyond the Blossoming Fields (English translation by Deborah Iwabuchi & Anna Isozaki, 2008)
- Chinese translations (various titles)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- confessional first-person narrationclear, accessible prosedetailed depiction of emotion and the body
- Recurring Motifs
- romances of middle-aged menmedicine and the bodyconflicts of desire and ethics
Health
-
Prostate cancer2014年（死去時）Died in April 2014 due to prostate cancer
Legacy
A best-selling writer with a medical background who maintained a long literary career, especially known for romantic fiction that had wide popular impact. His works have been translated and gained readership overseas; the Junichi Watanabe Literary Prize was established in his name.
Museums
- Junichi Watanabe Literary Museum
Academic Societies
- Japan–Iceland Friendship Association (served as president)
Archives
- Materials held by the Junichi Watanabe Literary Museum
In Popular Culture
- 'A Lost Paradise' was adapted for film and television and became linked to popular culture and buzzwords in 1997.
- The essay collection 'Donkanryoku' was quoted as a buzzword and referenced by politicians.
Quotes
-
Be insensitive to immediate matters. 'Donkanryoku' is important.
Source: Donkanryoku (essay collection) (2007)
Trivia
- He was a physician (orthopedic surgeon) before becoming a full-time writer.
- He gained significant popularity in China; since the late 1990s his works have been widely translated there.
- An avid shogi player; he was awarded an amateur 5-dan certificate in a magazine企画.
- Buddhist posthumous name: 'Airakuin Shaku Junshin'.