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Takashi Kawamura

かわむら たかし

Kawamura Takashi

Pen Names: Takashi Kawamura (real name: Takashi Kawamura / 川村隆)（Real name (used pen name "川村 たかし" for publications)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-11-08 （Gojō, Nara Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2010-01-30 age 78
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Children's author, Teacher, University professor
Active Years
1960-2010
Affiliations
Japan Association of Children's Literature Writers, Kinki Children's Culture Association
Memberships
Japan Association of Children's Literature Writers (served as president: 1998), Kinki Children's Culture Association

Education

Nara Gakugei University (now Nara University of Education)
Country: Japan
Listed as a graduate; faculty/major not specified in source.
Nara Prefectural Gojō High School
Country: Japan
Alma mater; later served as a teacher at the school's evening division.
Hanaoka (mentorship/study)
Country: Japan
Noted to have studied under/with Hanaoka after graduating; details not specified.

Awards

Hans Christian Andersen Award (Recognized Work)
1978
Work: A Cow Going to the Mountain (Yama e iku ushi)
Organization: Related to IBBY / international awarding body
Result: 受賞
Noma Children's Literature Prize
1978
Work: A Cow Going to the Mountain (Yama e iku ushi)
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: 受賞
Rohbo no Ishi Literature Prize
1980
Work: Yama e iku ushi / Kita e iku tabibito-tachi (Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari)
Organization: Rohbo no Ishi Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Children's Literature Association Award
1981
Work: Between Day and Night: Night High School Students
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Children's Literature Association Award
1989
Work: Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari (complete 10 volumes)
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (Grand Prize)
1989
Work: Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari (complete 10 volumes)
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞（大賞）
Japan Association of Children's Literature Writers Award
1995
Work: Ten no Taiko
Organization: Japan Association of Children's Literature Writers
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2002
Organization: Japan
Result: 受章
Honorary Citizen (Gojō City)
2010
Organization: Gojō City
Result: 称号授与
Junior Fifth Rank (posthumous)
2010
Organization: Japan
Result: 叙位（追贈）
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays (posthumous)
2010
Organization: Japan
Result: 追贈

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Cow Going to the Mountain

1977 Children's literature

A children's story depicting nature and local life, focusing on pastoral themes and human relationships.

NatureAnimalsLocal community

Travellers Going North (Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari #1)

1977 Children's / YA novel

First volume of a long-running series about people moving to and living in Shin-Totsukawa; the series spans ten volumes.

MigrationCommunityJourney
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari (TV drama) (1980)

Between Day and Night: Night High School Students

1980 Short story collection / Children's literature

A short-story collection portraying the lives and struggles of students attending night high school.

EducationComing of ageSociety

Ten no Taiko

1994 Children's literature

A work drawing on nature and traditional motifs; recipient of the Japan Association of Children's Literature Writers Award in 1995.

FolkloreNatureCourage

Bibliography

  • A Castle Standing in the River (1968)
  • The Last Whale Boat (1969)
  • A Cow Going to the Mountain (1977)
  • Travellers Going North (Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari #1) (1977)
  • Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari (10 vols) (1977–1988)
  • Between Day and Night: Night High School Students (1980)
  • Ten no Taiko (1994)

Adaptations

  • TV drama adaptation by NHK (Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari, starring Yuki Saito)

Translations by Author

  • Karl the Seal: Return to the North Sea (translation of Burkhardt Bartos) 1991

Style & Themes

Literary Style
LyricalFolktale-like narrativeBlend of realism and fantasy
Recurring Motifs
Nature and animalsJourneys and migrationCommunity and bonds

Health

  • Sepsis
    2010年1月（訃報時）
    Died of sepsis on January 30, 2010.

Legacy

Regarded as a prolific children's author focusing on children and local communities. Influential through the Shin-Totsukawa Monogatari series, his educational career, and leadership roles in professional associations.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Association of Children's Literature Writers

In Popular Culture

  • Popularized the phrase "Another Koshien" (referring to the national evening/part-time high school baseball tournament) via contributions to the Mainichi Shimbun and subsequent media attention.
  • Works became widely known through NHK TV drama adaptations.

Trivia

  • Real name: 川村 隆 (Kawamura Takashi / Kawamura Takashi pronounced as 川村たかし).
  • Born in Gojō, Nara Prefecture.
  • Served as an evening-division teacher and baseball coach at Nara Prefectural Gojō High School; led the team to a national tournament appearance.
  • Served as the 3rd president of the Japan Association of Children's Literature Writers in 1998.
  • Awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2002; named an honorary citizen of Gojō City in 2010.