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Takeshi Kawamura

かわむら たけし

Kawamura Takeshi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1959-12-22 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Yokohama, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
playwright, theatre director, author, film director, actor
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
Founder of T factory (theatre production company)

Education

Kanagawa Prefectural Kibogaoka High School
Country: Japan
High school graduate
Meiji University, Faculty/Graduate School of Political Science and Economics
Faculty of Political Science and Economics
Country: Japan
Founded a theatre troupe while enrolled

Awards

Kishida Kunio Drama Award (30th)
1986
Work: Shinjuku Hakkenden, Part One
Organization: Kishida Kunio Drama Award Committee
Result: won
Tsuruya Namboku Playwright Award (16th)
2013
Work: 4 four
Organization: Tsuruya Namboku Playwright Award Committee
Result: won
Art Promotion Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
2013
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Genocide/Nippon Wars — Kawamura Takeshi First Play Collection

1984 play/drama

Early collection of plays addressing social satire and violent themes.

violencesocial critiquenationalism

Shinjuku Hakkenden (Part One)

1985 play/drama

An ensemble drama set in the city. Part of the work that won the 1986 Kishida Kunio Drama Award.

urban lifeensemble dramaviolence and redemption

4 four

2012 play/drama

A play that captures contemporary society from multiple perspectives. Winner of the Tsuruya Namboku Playwright Award.

contemporary societyinterpersonal dynamicsidentity

Last Frankenstein

1991 film (director)

A film directed by Kawamura. An example of his engagement with cinematic expression alongside his theatrical work.

mutationhuman naturemonstrosity
Adaptations
  • [film] Last Frankenstein / 川村毅 (1991)

Bibliography

  • Genocide/Nippon Wars — Kawamura Takeshi First Play Collection (Miraisha, 1984)
  • Shinjuku Hakkenden — Kawamura Takeshi Second Play Collection (Miraisha, 1985)
  • Last Frankenstein — Kawamura Takeshi Third Play Collection (Miraisha, 1986)
  • Last Asia: What the Convicted Saw at Dawn (Hakusuisha, 1986)
  • Freaks: A Cruel Fashion Show in One Act (Shinjuku Shobo, 1987)
  • The Empire AIDS Strikes Back (Shinjuku Shobo, 1988)
  • Straight Ahead (co-authored, Konami Publishing, 1988)
  • Image of Sand (novel, Shueisha, 1988)
  • Beautiful Children: Myths of the 20th Century (Kadokawa, 1990)
  • Shinjuku Hakkenden 2 (Miraisha, 1991)
  • Gitters (novel, Shinchosha, 1993)
  • Male Incapable: An Autobiography of an Unnamed Generation (East Press, 1997)
  • Hamlet Clone (Ronsohsha, 2000)
  • Aoi Komachi (Ronsohsha, 2003)
  • Thoughts While Walking: Easy Theatre Essays (Goryu Shoin, 2007)
  • Harudokumaru (Ronsohsha, 2010)
  • Shinjuku Hakkenden Complete Edition (Miraisha, 2010)
  • Rehearsal (Shogakukan Bunko, 2011)
  • 4 four (Ronsohsha, 2012)
  • Knight of a Godless Country (Ronsohsha, 2014)

Adaptations

  • Last Frankenstein (film, dir. Takeshi Kawamura, 1991)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
dialogue-driven theatrical stylea mix of realism and allegory
Recurring Motifs
urban violenceensemble castsfragile identities

Legacy

A prominent figure in postwar Japanese theatre, active as playwright, director and filmmaker. He has won major drama awards including the Kishida Kunio Drama Award and the Tsuruya Namboku Playwright Award, and has been recognized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Trivia

  • Founded the theatre troupe 'Daisan Erotica' in 1980.
  • Established the production company 'T factory' in 2002 to produce stagings of his plays.