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Morio Kita

きた もりお

Kita Morio

Aliases: 斎藤 宗吉
Pen Names: Saitō Yūkō（Pseudonym used during his old Matsumoto High School days.）, Morio Kita（Primary pen name used for literary activity; adopted to conceal his family connection.）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1927-05-01 （Aoyama Minamicho, Akasaka, Tokyo (now Minami-Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo), Japan）
Died
2011-10-24 （National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center, Higashigaoka, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan） age 84
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Minami-Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo (birthplace) → Sendai (student years) → Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture (worked at prefectural hospital) → Setagaya, Tokyo (residence) → Karuizawa, Nagano (vacation home)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Psychiatrist, Doctor of Medicine
Active Years
1959-2011
Affiliations
Japan Art Academy
Memberships
Member of the Japan Art Academy
Influenced By
Mokichi Saitō, Thomas Mann
Influenced
Yuka Saitō

Education

Matsumoto High School (old system)
Science (Class B)
Country: Japan
Enthusiastic about insect collecting.
Tohoku University
Faculty of Medicine / Faculty of Medicine
Degree: 卒業
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Faculty of Medicine; contributed to the literary magazine 'Bungei Shuto' during university.
Keio University Graduate School of Medicine
Graduate School of Medicine
Degree: 医学博士
Year of Graduation: 1960
Country: Japan
Obtained a Doctor of Medicine with the thesis 'A study on fine psychomotor movements in schizophrenia'.

Awards

Akutagawa Prize
1960
Work: In the Corner of Night and Fog
Organization: Akutagawa Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1964
Work: The People of the Nire Family
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Japan Literature Grand Prize
1986
Work: Under the Radiant Blue Sky
Organization: Japan Literature Grand Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Osaragi Jirō Prize
1998
Work: Biography of Mokichi (four-volume series)
Organization: Osaragi Jirō Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
2011
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 追贈

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ghost: A Story of Childhood and Youth

1954 Novel

An early semi-autobiographical long work depicting childhood and youth.

childhoodyouthfamily

Doctor Manbow's Voyage

1960 Essay / Travelogue

A humorous travel essay based on his experience as a ship's doctor aboard a fisheries research vessel; became a bestseller.

voyagetravelhumorinsects

In the Corner of Night and Fog

1960 Short story

A short story that uses the motif of the Nazi 'Night and Fog' operation; recipient of the Akutagawa Prize.

warethicshuman psychology

The People of the Nire Family

1964 Novel

An epic novel portraying the history and cast of the Saitō family; acclaimed as a major modern 'citizen novel'.

family historymodernityensemble cast

My Uncle

1972 Novel

A work centered on family and human relationships. Later adapted into a film.

familycoming of agememory
Adaptations
  • [Film] My Uncle / 山下敦弘 (2016)

Doctor Manbow's Insect Chronicle

1961 Essay / Natural history

An essay collection focused on insect collecting and natural observation, reflecting his lifelong interest in entomology.

insectsnaturereminiscence

Bibliography

  • Ghost: A Story of Childhood and Youth
  • In the Corner of Night and Fog
  • Doctor Manbow's Voyage
  • Doctor Manbow's Insect Chronicle
  • The People of the Nire Family
  • My Uncle
  • Under the Radiant Blue Sky (2 volumes)
  • The Manbow Family's Final Trip
  • Manbow Drunken Anthology (1-6)
  • Artificial Star
  • Doctor Manbow Reminiscences
  • To an Unknown Country

Adaptations

  • My Uncle (film, 2016)
  • Crazy Thief Jibako (film, 1967)
  • Doctor Manbow & Thief Jibako (animated special, 1983)
  • Comic adaptation: Doctor Manbow's Insect Chronicle (2013)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Humorous, essayistic proseLiterary/serious fiction elementsNonsense / satirical humorChildlike storytelling in children's worksWorks sometimes containing SF elements
Recurring Motifs
insects and natural observationtravel and voyagesfamily history (the Saitō family)personal experience of bipolar disorder presented with humorthe 'Manbow' persona

Health

  • Bipolar disorder (bipolar I disorder)
    壮年期以降
    Affected his life and work. He wrote about his condition with humor in essays, contributing to reduced stigma and public understanding of bipolar disorder.

Legacy

Drawing on his medical background, he reached a wide readership with humorous essays and novels across diverse genres. As an Akutagawa Prize winner and recipient of numerous literary awards, and by speaking publicly about bipolar disorder, he left a strong influence on literature and society.

Museums

  • Doctor Manbow Insect Exhibition (traveling exhibition) Various locations across Japan (including Karuizawa Kogen Bunko) Opened in 2008

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy

Archives

  • Karuizawa Kogen Bunko
  • Shinchosha (publisher archives)

In Popular Culture

  • Manbow Mabze Republic (self-styled mini-micronation)
  • Appearance in Nescafé commercial (1974)
  • Numerous TV/film adaptations and features based on essays and books

Quotes

  • From today I will be calm.
    Source: A phrase reportedly left in daily morning notes to his wife (anecdote)
  • I'm very embarrassed but honored. I'm pleased because I love that kind of beetle.
    Source: Comment upon having a newly discovered beetle species named after him (press remark) (2011)

Trivia

  • A passionate Hanshin Tigers (baseball) fan and author of many essays about the team.
  • Lifelong insect collector, with a particular attachment to scarab beetles even in old age.
  • Once declared his home the 'Manbow Mabze Republic', a playful self-styled micronation.
  • Suffered large financial losses during a 1976 manic episode, leading to bankruptcy and severe financial difficulties.
  • 'Doctor Manbow's Voyage' is based on his experience as a ship's doctor on a fisheries research vessel.