Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (1994) award
Shunichi Kobayashi
こばやし しゅんいち
Kobayashi Shunichi
Aliases:
小林 靖彦
Pen Names:
Shunichi Kobayashi（Pen name. Legal name is Yasuhiko Kobayashi）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Tsu, Mie, Japan
- Died
- 2024-01-17 （Tsu, Mie, Japan） age 82
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- Non-fiction writer, Investigative reporter
- Active Years
- 1965-2024
- Influenced By
- Takashi Tachibana
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mie Prefectural Tsu High School | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Waseda University, Faculty of Letters | Faculty of Letters | German literature | — | 在学（約6年） | Japan |
Mie Prefectural Tsu High School
Year of Graduation:
1960
Country:
Japan
Waseda University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters
/ German literature
Period:
在学（約6年）
Country:
Japan
Attended for about six years but dropped out
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Oya Soichi Nonfiction Prize | The Man of Darkness: The Hundred Years of Sanzō Nosaka | — | — | Winner |
Oya Soichi Nonfiction Prize
1994
Work:
The Man of Darkness: The Hundred Years of Sanzō Nosaka
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
JR's Phantom: How Men Came to Rule a Giant Organization
1996 Non-fiction / Investigative reportageAn investigative reportage on JR East and the figures who wield power within the organization. Its serialization provoked significant backlash.
Corporate investigationLabor-management relationsOrganizational power
The Man Who Built Sony: Masaru Ibuka
2002 Non-fiction / BiographyA biographical reportage portraying Masaru Ibuka, one of Sony's founders, and the history of the company.
Corporate historyStudy of leadership
The Man of Darkness: The Hundred Years of Sanzō Nosaka
1993 Non-fiction / BiographyA critical biography of Sanzō Nosaka. Coauthored with Akira Katō, it won the Oya Soichi Nonfiction Prize in 1994.
Political historyPostwar history
Bibliography
- JR's Phantom: How Men Came to Rule a Giant Organization (1996)
- The Man Who Built Sony: Masaru Ibuka (2002)
- The Man of Darkness: The Hundred Years of Sanzō Nosaka (1993, coauthored with Akira Katō)
- Zainichi Korean Power: Records of Sweat and Tears of Korean Residents in Japan (co-edited, 1988)
- Spy M (coauthored, 1980)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Detail-oriented investigative reportageNarrative non-fiction approach
- Recurring Motifs
- Politics and powerCorporate内幕 (inner workings of corporations)Re-examination of postwar history
Health
-
Interstitial pneumonia〜2024年1月Died of interstitial pneumonia on January 17, 2024
Legacy
Known for meticulous investigative reportage and narrative non-fiction. Praised for uncovering corporate and political内幕, while some works—such as his serialized piece on JR East—provoked controversy.
Trivia
- Real name is Yasuhiko Kobayashi.
- Won the Oya Soichi Nonfiction Prize in 1994 for 'The Man of Darkness: The Hundred Years of Sanzō Nosaka'.
- A 1994 serialization in Weekly Bunshun provoked backlash from JR East.