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Mitsuru Kawabayashi

かわばやし みつる

Kawabayashi Mitsuru

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-12-10 （Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan）
Died
2008-01-19 age 57
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan → Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan → Akishima, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer, Former municipal government employee, Former postal worker
Active Years
1986-2008
Memberships
Selection committee member, Yoshino Sei Prize (from 1991)
Influenced By
Kenji Nakagami, , ,
Nominations
Akutagawa Prize nominee (103rd) — Kassui, Akutagawa Prize nominee (109th) — Kokuu ("Grain Rain")

Education

Tokyo Metropolitan Tachikawa High School (night division)
Country: Japan

Awards

Yoshino Sei Prize (Encouragement Award)
1986
Work: Light from the Sea
Organization: Yoshino Sei Prize
Result: 奨励賞受賞
Jichirō Literary Award
1988
Organization: JICHIRO (All-Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers' Union)
Result: 受賞
Bungeikai Newcomer Prize
1990
Work: Kassui (Drought)
Organization: Bungeikai (literary magazine)
Result: 受賞
Galaxy Awards — Radio Division Excellence Prize
1990
Work: Kassui (NHK-FM 'FM Theater' radio drama)
Organization: Broadcast Critics Association (Hōsō Hihyō Kondankai)
Result: 優秀賞受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kassui (Drought)

1990 Fiction (short/medium-length stories)

A collection centered on "Kassui," drawing on the author's experience in waterworks and municipal service to depict relationships among local government employees and residents in a regional city.

WaterLife as a civil servantRegional citiesLaborHuman relationships
Adaptations
  • [Radio drama] NHK-FM 'FM Theater' — "Kassui" (1990)
  • [Film] Kassui (film) / 高橋正弥 (2023)

Black Water / Kokuu — Collected Works of Mitsuru Kawabayashi

2021 Short story collection / Collected works

A collected volume including "Black Water" and "Kokuu," compiling and reissuing previously published stories.

WaterWorkplaceLocal communities

Bibliography

  • Kassui (Bungei Shunju, 1990)
  • Black Water / Kokuu: Collected Works of Mitsuru Kawabayashi (Impact Publishing, 2021)
  • Kassui (Kadokawa Bunko edition, 2023 reissue)

Adaptations

  • Adapted as an NHK-FM 'FM Theater' radio drama (1990) and as a film (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
RealistDetailed workplace depictionRegional-novel sensibility
Recurring Motifs
WaterCivil servants / workplaceLife in regional citiesWork and human relationships

Health

  • Cerebral hemorrhage
    2008-01-19
    Died of a cerebral hemorrhage in January 2008 at age 57.

Legacy

Known for works drawing on his experience as a former Tachikawa municipal employee, particularly "Kassui," which received attention through radio and film adaptations. He produced multiple Akutagawa Prize-nominated works and is regarded for contributions to regional literature and portrayals of civil service life.

Archives

  • Tachikawa City Central Library (holds related materials; has hosted exhibitions)

In Popular Culture

  • Adaptations of "Kassui": radio drama (NHK-FM, 1990) and film (2023)

Trivia

  • Joined Tachikawa city government in 1973 and worked there for 27 years; retired in 1998 to focus on writing.
  • His representative work "Kassui" was written based on his experience in waterworks; it was adapted for NHK-FM radio and later into a film.
  • "Umibe no Hikari" (originally titled "Umi kara no Hikari") was retitled to avoid a title conflict with an existing work.
  • Served on the selection committee for the Yoshino Sei Prize from 1991.