Nitta Jiro Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (1993) award
Kazutoshi Hando
はんどう かずとし
Handō Kazutoshi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1930-05-21 （Mukojima, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture (now Sumida, Tokyo), Japan）
- Died
- 2021-01-12 （Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan） age 90
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Mukojima, Sumida, Tokyo, Japan → Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture (evacuation during war) → Setagaya, Tokyo (later life)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Journalist, Editor, Military historian
- Active Years
- 1965-2021
- Influenced By
- Ango Sakaguchi, Masanori Ito, Ryotaro Shiba
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters | Faculty of Letters | Department of Japanese Literature | — | — | Japan |
University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Country:
Japan
Graduated from Department of Japanese Literature; member of the university rowing club
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Nitta Jiro Literary Award | Soseki-sensei Zona, Moshi | — | Nitta Jiro Literary Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 1998 | Yamamoto Shichihei Prize | The Summer of Nomonhan | — | Yamamoto Shichihei Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2006 | Mainichi Publishing Culture Prize (Special Award) | Showa History | — | Mainichi Newspapers | 受賞 |
| 2015 | Kikuchi Kan Prize | For lifetime contributions | — | Japan Literary Promotion Foundation | 受賞 |
Nitta Jiro Literary Award
1993
Work:
Soseki-sensei Zona, Moshi
Organization:
Nitta Jiro Literary Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Yamamoto Shichihei Prize
1998
Work:
The Summer of Nomonhan
Organization:
Yamamoto Shichihei Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Prize (Special Award)
2006
Work:
Showa History
Organization:
Mainichi Newspapers
Result:
受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
2015
Work:
For lifetime contributions
Organization:
Japan Literary Promotion Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Kikuchi Kan Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 63 (2009) award
Works
Major Works
Japan's Longest Day: The Fateful August 15
1965 Historical non-fiction (military history)A non-fiction account of the events surrounding Japan's surrender, centered on August 15, 1945, compiled from interviews and source materials.
Pacific WarJapan's surrenderShowa-era historyUse of oral testimony
Adaptations
- [Film / Television] Japan's Longest Day
Showa History 1926-1945
2004 HistoryA narrative history covering the early Showa period with broad commentary on politics, diplomacy, military affairs and society.
Showa politicsMilitary and national responsibilityTransformations of modern Japan
The Summer of Nomonhan
1998 Historical non-fictionA detailed reportage and analysis of the Nomonhan incident, depicting battlefield realities and issues in command.
Nomonhan incidentMilitary tacticsCommander-staff relationships
Soseki-sensei Zona, Moshi
1992 Essays / Literary studiesA collection of essays about Natsume Soseki, focusing on people around Soseki and analyses of his works.
Study of Natsume SosekiIntersection of literature and history
Bibliography
- Japan's Longest Day: The Fateful August 15
- Showa History 1926-1945
- Showa History Postwar 1945-1989
- The Summer of Nomonhan
- Soseki-sensei Zona, Moshi
- History Detective: Walking Showa History
- The Battle off Leyte Gulf
- History Detective: Memories Left Behind
- Don't Stop Being Human
Adaptations
- The Showa Emperor's Story (manga, original work)
- Japan's Longest Day (influenced film/TV adaptations)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Fact-driven, accessible narrativeExtensive use of interviews and roundtable formatsDialogic and explanatory essayistic prose
- Recurring Motifs
- Responsibility of the military and politicsBiographical portraits of Showa-era figuresEmphasis on testimony and primary sourcesLessons of war and peace
Health
-
senility / natural causes of old ageExperienced age-related decline in later years; died of natural causes related to old age in 2021
Legacy
He made major contributions to popular understanding of Showa-era and wartime history. As a self-styled "history detective," his empirical interviews and use of testimony significantly influenced studies of war history. His TV appearances and commentary reached broad audiences.
In Popular Culture
- Well known for appearances on history programs such as NHK's 'The Day History Moved'
- Provided source material and influence for media works such as 'The Showa Emperor's Story' (manga)
Quotes
-
I call myself a 'history detective.'
Source: Self-description in interviews and writings -
We should not merely defend Article 9 of the Constitution, but nurture it.
Source: 'Talking About War and Peace Now' (collection of essays/interviews) and public statements (2010) -
Participants in history sometimes lie; that is why multifaceted research is necessary.
Source: Remarks in interviews and works
Trivia
- He reported that as a child he nearly drowned during the Tokyo air raids.
- He was a member of the University of Tokyo rowing club.
- His wife, Mutsuriko Hando, belongs to a family connected to Natsume Soseki (Hando was an in-law to Soseki's descendants).
- Worked for many years as an editor at Bungei Shunju; served as editor-in-chief of Weekly Bunshun and Bungei Shunju.
- In later years he was active in pro-constitutional (pacifist/pro-Article 9) advocacy.