Japanese Literary Awards

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Mantaro Kubota

くぼた まんたろう

Kubota Mantaro

Pen Names: Chino Kikujirō（Pen name used for some plays and early submissions）, （Haiku pseudonym (early)）, （Haiku pseudonym (later)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1889-11-07 （Asakusa (Tawaramachi), Tokyo, Japan (now Taito-ku, Tokyo)）
Died
1963-05-06 （Ichigaya Kagacho, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan (at the residence of Ryūzaburō Umehara)） age 73
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Buddhism (Soto Zen)
Residence History
Asakusa (birthplace, childhood) → Komagata (Komagata area, Tokyo) → Tabata (Takinogawa area, Tokyo)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Playwright, Haiku poet
Active Years
1912-1963
Affiliations
Japan Art Academy, Japan Theatre Association (served as president), NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) (advisor/board member)
Memberships
Member, Japan Art Academy, President, Japan Theatre Association, Honorary member, Japan Writers' Association
Influenced By
Mori Ōgai, Nagai Kafū, Izumi Kyōka, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Influenced
Matsutarō Kawaguchi (protégé), Postwar theatre practitioners, directors in Shinpa and Shingeki

Education

Keio University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of Literature
Degree: 学士 (Bachelor of Arts)
Period: 1911-1914
Year of Graduation: 1914
Country: Japan
Gained attention for his plays while still a student

Awards

Kikuchi Kan Prize
1942
Organization: Japan Literary Promotion Society
Result: 受賞
NHK Broadcasting Culture Award
1951
Organization: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Result: 受章
Yomiuri Literary Prize
1957
Work: San no Tori
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Order of Culture
1957
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Junior Third Rank (posthumous)
1963
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 叙位
Order of the Sacred Treasure, First Class
1963
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Asakusa

1912 Short fiction / Novel

Debut work. A short piece set in Asakusa portraying downtown Tokyo life.

Downtown lifeEveryday sentimental narratives

Suegare (Suegare)

1924 Fiction / Short story collection

Collection of short stories depicting people and scenes around Asakusa. Later reprinted.

Edo atmosphereUrban common people's life

Michi Shiba (haiku collection)

1927 Haiku

First haiku collection; includes a preface by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.

Seasonal imageryDowntown life

Hanabie

1938 Novel / Fiction

A prewar work exploring human relationships and moods; a collection of mid-length pieces and short stories.

Human relationshipsNostalgia

Shiseijin

1950 Novel

A postwar long-form work depicting the lives of ordinary citizens.

Postwar societyCommon people

San no Tori

1956 Novel

One of his notable late works; its publication led to the Yomiuri Literary Prize.

Downtown lifeHuman sentiment

Bibliography

  • Asagao
  • Asakusa
  • Yuki
  • Wakaruru Toki
  • Shitamachi Johwa
  • Asakusa Monogatari
  • From Komagata
  • Tokyo Yawa
  • Days of Love: New Tokyo Yawa
  • Mantaro Plays Collection
  • Fukuro and Children
  • Aosagi
  • Amazora
  • From Mitsugimachi
  • Roshiba
  • Suegare
  • Saishi
  • The Toy Shop Trial
  • Kuregata / Tsukiyo
  • If Lonely
  • Modern Plays Collection: Winter
  • Kokorogokoro
  • Haiku Collection: Michi Shiba
  • Yogara
  • Ugo
  • Shundoro
  • Umisuzume
  • Kataru
  • Kadode (play collection)
  • Tsukiakari / Machinaka
  • Haiku Collection: Momochidori
  • Mozuya Shunkin (play)
  • Yakochū
  • Wakarejimo
  • Poor Girl / About Moving / Hagi
  • Haiku Collection: Yukigegawa
  • Sanutei Yawa
  • At the Fish Pond
  • Kokikushō
  • Yae Hitoe (essays)
  • Kubota Mantaro Haiku Collection
  • Water's Scent
  • Hagi Susuki
  • Theatrical Training
  • Sounds of Town
  • Under the Moon
  • This Is It
  • Once Upon a Time (essays)
  • Aburaderi
  • Without Saying to Anyone
  • Akikusa Banashi
  • September (Kaya)
  • Tablecloth Given by the North Wind
  • Shiseijin / Ushirokage
  • Shadow of Trees
  • Oslo
  • Zankiku Cho
  • Sound of Snow
  • San no Tori
  • Kaji Musuko
  • Asakusa Fudoki
  • Record of Regrets
  • Haiku Collection: Rūgushō
  • Yoshiya Wazakure: Kubota Mantaro Short Pieces
  • Old Companions
  • After 'Rūgushō' Haiku Collection

Adaptations

  • Mozuya Shunkin (stage play adaptation of Tanizaki Jun'ichirō's Shunkinshō by Kubota)
  • Stage performances of various plays (performed by Shinpa, Shingeki, Bungakuza, etc.)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Plain, everyday diction rooted in common lifeSentimental narratives incorporating Edo-era atmosphereConcise haiku style with lingering implication
Recurring Motifs
Downtown lifeEdo atmosphereSeasonal imagery (haiku)Everyday lives of common people

Health

  • Aspiration choking (accidental death)
    1963-05-06
    Sudden death ended ongoing literary and public activities

Legacy

Through works focusing on Asakusa and downtown culture, and long activity in plays and haiku, he left a significant imprint on modern Japanese literature and theatre. He donated his copyrights to Keio University; memorial lectures and haiku stones remain around Japan.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy
  • Japan Theatre Association

Archives

  • Keio University Library (donation of works and collections)

In Popular Culture

  • Haiku monuments in various locations (Kuwana, Asakusa Shrine, Keio University, etc.)
  • Featured in stage productions and literary studies focused on Asakusa

Quotes

  • Takeuma ya iroha ni hohe to chirijiri ni
    Source: Representative haiku (inscribed on haiku monuments)
  • Yudōfu ya inochi no hate no usuakari
    Source: Late-period haiku (collected in haiku collections)

Trivia

  • Used the pen name Chino Kikujirō; haiku pen-names included '暮雨' and '傘雨'.
  • Donated copyrights to Keio University (which holds a memorial lecture series).
  • Awarded the Order of Culture in 1957 and won the Yomiuri Literary Prize in 1957 (for 'San no Tori').
  • Died suddenly in 1963 after accidentally choking on shellfish at a banquet.
  • Founded and edited the haiku magazine 'Shuntō' (Shuntō/Harutō).