Japanese Literary Awards

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Junzo Kawada

かわだ じゅんぞう

Kawada Junzo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-06-20 （Fukagawa, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2024-12-20 （Japan） age 90
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Japan → France → Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso)

Career

Occupations
Cultural anthropologist, University professor, Translator
Active Years
1958-2024
Affiliations
Saitama University, Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Hiroshima City University, Institute for Japanese Folklore and Popular Culture, Kanagawa University
Memberships
Honorary member, Japanese Folklore Society
Influenced By
Claude Lévi-Strauss

Education

University of Tokyo
College of Arts and Sciences / Cultural Anthropology / Human Geography
Degree: 教養学士
Period: 1954-1958
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: Japan
Paris Descartes University (Paris V)
Ethnology
Degree: 博士（民族学）
Period: 1960s–1971
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: France
Studied as a French government-sponsored student and obtained doctoral degree

Awards

Japan Essayists Club Award
1974
Work: From the Wasteland
Organization: Japan Essayists Club
Result: 受賞
Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
1988
Work: Koe (The Voice)
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Grand Prize for the Francophone World (Académie française)
1991
Organization: Académie française
Result: メダル授与
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1992
Work: On Oral Tradition
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers (Mainichi Publishing Culture Award)
Result: 受賞
Ordre des Palmes académiques
1995
Organization: Government of France
Result: 授与
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2001
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 授与
Person of Cultural Merit
2009
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 選出
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (approx.)
2010
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 授与
Order of Cultural Merit (Burkina Faso)
2017
Organization: Government of Burkina Faso
Result: 授与
Order of Culture
2021
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 授与
Junior Third Rank (posthumous)
2024
Organization: Government of Japan (Official Gazette)
Result: 叙位

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

From the Wasteland: Reflections from Africa

1973 Cultural anthropology / Travel writing

A combination of fieldwork-based reflection and travel writing from West Africa. One of his representative works introducing African field perspectives to Japanese readers.

FieldworkAfrican studiesCross-cultural comparison

Koe (The Voice)

1988 Cultural anthropology / Voice studies

Records and analyzes voices and oral expressions that would be lost when written down, demonstrating the importance of non-literate communication. Awarded the Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize.

Oral traditionSoundNon-literate cultures

On Oral Tradition

1992 Cultural anthropology / Theory

Theoretically organizes traditions transmitted by storytelling and music, proposing a framework for 'oral tradition studies'. Winner of the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award.

Oral tradition theoryComparative civilization studiesTriangulation of cultures

Mount Fuji and the Shamisen: What Is Culture?

2014 Essay / Cultural studies

An examination of the meaning and transmission of culture using traditional Japanese subjects and instruments as themes.

Japanese cultureFolkloreMusical instruments

Bibliography

  • Maghreb: Travel Notes
  • From the Wasteland: Reflections from Africa
  • History of Non-literate Societies: The Case of the Mossi of West Africa
  • Natural History of the Savannah
  • Koe (The Voice)
  • On Oral Tradition
  • Mount Fuji and the Shamisen: What Is Culture?
  • Triangulation of Cultures: Collected Lectures of Junzo Kawada

Translations by Author

  • Tristes Tropiques (partial translation / translation contributor)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Combines on-site field descriptions with theoretical analysisComparative and cross-cultural perspective
Recurring Motifs
Voice and storytellingMusic and bodily expressionThe savannah and fieldworkOral cultures

Health

  • Aspiration pneumonia
    2024年末
    Led to his death on 20 December 2024

Legacy

A pioneer of research on non-literate communication centered on oral tradition and sound, Kawada made major contributions to the dissemination of cultural anthropology and interdisciplinary comparative studies. He was highly regarded for his fieldwork-based practice and theorization and received many honors including the Order of Culture.

Academic Societies

  • Japanese Folklore Society (Honorary member)

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holds works and translations)
  • Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, TUFS (research materials)

Trivia

  • Lived with the Mossi people during fieldwork in West Africa.
  • Contributed to translation of Claude Lévi-Strauss's Tristes Tropiques.
  • Awarded the Order of Culture in 2021.