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Shigeto Kita

きた しげと

Kita Shigeto

Aliases: 渡辺 重人
Pen Names: Shigehito Watanabe（birth name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948-01-03 （Sakata, Yamagata, Japan）
Died
2009-08-26 age 61
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Architect, Landscape architect, Landscape consultant
Active Years
1999-2009
Affiliations
LAU Urban Facilities Research Institute (now LAU Public Facilities Research Institute)
Nominations
77th All Yomimono New Author Prize ("Hizakari no Natsume") candidate (1997), 5th Matsumoto Seicho Prize ("Nishi-Shinjuku: Bones and Moon") candidate (1998), 8th Matsumoto Seicho Prize candidate ("Soka", 2001), 11th Matsumoto Seicho Prize finalist ("Tenmei, Hikojyu Shop Affair", 2004), 21st Yamamoto Shugoro Prize candidate ("Tsukishibai", 2008), 140th Naoki Prize candidate ("Shio no Nagori", 2009)

Education

Chiba University
Faculty of Engineering / Department of Architecture
Period: 〜1971
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: Japan

Awards

All Yomimono Mystery New Author Prize (38th)
1999
Work: A Moon over the Skyscraper, and Bones
Organization: Bungeishunju (All Yomimono)
Result: 受賞
Oyabu Haruhiko Award (9th)
2007
Work: Blue Fire
Organization: Oyabu Award Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Matsumoto Seicho Prize (candidate)
2004
Work: Tenmei: The Hikojyu Shop Affair
Organization: Matsumoto Seicho Prize Committee
Result: 候補

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Summer Camellia

2004 Period novel

A period novel published with the recommendation of Ijuin Shizuka; includes a prequel and interweaves urban settings with human drama.

period lifehuman dramarevenge

Blue Fire

2005 Period novel

A long period novel set in the Edo era. Considered one of his representative works and winner of the Oyabu Haruhiko Award.

historical settingduty and human feelingviolence and redemption

White Gale

2007 Period novel

A relatively shorter long-form work written in the style of period fiction.

chivalryjourneyfate

Moon Theater

2007 Period novel

Contains theatrical elements in its depiction and was a candidate for the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize.

theaterhuman feelingsnight

Remnants of the Tide

2008 Period novel

A work including short and medium-length stories; was a candidate for the Naoki Prize.

seanostalgiahuman relationships

Song of the Birdcage

2009 Period novel

Published in 2009; contains works from the late period of the author's career.

confinementfreedomredemption

Darkness of Fire: The Candy-Seller Sanza Casebook

2009 Period novel

A period novel with mystery/case elements.

casesinvestigationtown life

Bridge of Dawn

2009 Period novel

A work compiling several short stories into a longer collection-like structure.

rebirthmemorydeparture

Hanasarashi (Posthumous Works of Shigeto Kita)

2012 Period fiction / Short story collection

A posthumous collection of unpublished and scattered works compiled after the author's death.

remembrancelegacynostalgia

Bibliography

  • Summer Camellia (2004)
  • Blue Fire (2005)
  • White Gale (2007)
  • Moon Theater (2007)
  • Remnants of the Tide (2008)
  • Song of the Birdcage (2009)
  • Darkness of Fire: The Candy-Seller Sanza Casebook (2009)
  • Bridge of Dawn (2009)
  • Hanasarashi: Posthumous Works of Shigeto Kita (2012)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and detailed descriptive styleweighty narration grounded in historical research
Recurring Motifs
Edo and urban commoner culturecontrast of nature and cityduty and human sentiment

Health

  • stomach cancer
    2009年
    Died of stomach cancer in 2009; ended literary activity.

Legacy

Although he had a background in architecture and landscape design, he debuted later as a novelist and gained recognition in period fiction. He left a notable legacy including the Oyabu Haruhiko Award and a posthumous collection of his works.

Trivia

  • His real name was Shigehito Watanabe.
  • Graduated from Chiba University Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architecture, and held a first-class architect license.
  • Before debuting as a novelist, he worked as a landscape consultant.