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Nobuhiko Kadooka

かどおか のぶひこ

Kadooka Nobuhiko

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1963-08-06 （Beppu, Kakogawa, Hyogo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Resides in Osaka

Career

Occupations
Freelance writer, Museum curator, Journalist, Part-time lecturer
Active Years
1992-
Affiliations
Chair, Hormone Promotion Committee (NPO)

Education

Hyogo Prefectural Kakogawa Kita High School
Country: Japan
Kwansei Gakuin University
Faculty of Sociology
Country: Japan
Active in the Buraku Liberation study group during university

Awards

Kodansha Nonfiction Prize
2011
Work: Crabs Walk Sideways: Half a Century of Independent Disabled People
Organization: Kodansha
Result: Winner
Shogakukan Nonfiction Award
2014
Work: Yume Iran Kane: A Biography of Takajin Yashiki
Category: 優秀賞
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: Excellence Award

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Youth of Discriminated Buraku Communities

1999 Reportage

A reportage documenting the realities of people from discriminated Buraku communities; considered one of his representative works.

Buraku issuesDiscriminationLocal history

Horumon Bugyō

2003 Reportage

A nonfiction work exploring the social background and human stories around horumon (offal) cuisine.

Food cultureLocal communities

Introductory Guide to Buraku Issues

2005 Introductory non-fiction

An introductory book explaining the basics of Buraku issues, summarizing the history and current situation of discrimination.

Buraku issuesAnti-discrimination education

Crabs Walk Sideways: Half a Century of Independent Disabled People

2010 Non-fiction

A reportage documenting the history and struggles of disabled people's independence movements; won the Kodansha Nonfiction Prize in 2011.

Disability issuesIndependent livingMovement history

Pistol and Crown of Thorns: Kunihiko Konishi, the Man Who Bore Osaka with 'Discrimination' and 'Violence'

2012 Non-fiction

A biographical nonfiction work focusing on figures related to the Asuka-kai incident, portraying stories of discrimination and violence.

Violent incidentsDiscrimination

Yume Iran Kane: A Biography of Takajin Yashiki

2014 Biography / Non-fiction

A researched biography of singer/celebrity Takajin Yashiki; received the Excellence Award at the Shogakukan Nonfiction Awards.

BiographyEntertainment historyOrigins

Bibliography

  • The Youth of Discriminated Buraku Communities
  • Horumon Bugyō
  • Introductory Guide to Buraku Issues
  • Thoroughly! Buraku Issues
  • Crabs Walk Sideways: Half a Century of Independent Disabled People
  • Pistol and Crown of Thorns: Kunihiko Konishi
  • Yume Iran Kane: A Biography of Takajin Yashiki
  • The Strange Buraku Issue
  • Don't Be Fooled by Nonfiction! (On Naoki Hyakuta's 'Junai' etc.)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Reportage styleJournalisticInvestigative reporting tone
Recurring Motifs
Sites of discriminationVoices of affected peopleInvestigation of vested interests and power

Legacy

Nobuhiko Kadooka has written reportage focusing on Buraku and disability issues, conveying marginalized voices through investigative methods. His work is sometimes controversial but has received recognition in nonfiction circles.

Quotes

  • I am not a member of the Buraku Liberation League, but I consider myself close to its position.
    Source: Interview (2011) (2011)

Trivia

  • His father is described in sources as a first-generation Zainichi Korean/Chōsenese.
  • Reported to be chair of the Hormone Promotion Committee (an NPO).
  • Was active in the Buraku Liberation study group during university.