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Tatsuya Kumagai

くまがい たつや

Kumagai Tatsuya

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1958-04-25 （Sendai, Miyagi, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture, Japan) → Kesennuma (Miyagi Prefecture, Japan) → Saitama Prefecture (worked as a teacher)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer, Former junior high school teacher, Musician
Active Years
1997-

Education

Tokyo Denki University
Faculty of Science and Engineering / Department of Mathematical Sciences
Country: Japan

Awards

Shosetsu Subaru Newcomer Award
1997
Work: Uenkamuy no Tsume
Organization: Shueisha (Shosetsu Subaru)
Result: 受賞
Nitta Jiro Literary Prize
2000
Work: Hyohaku no Kiba
Organization: Nitta Jiro Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yamamoto Shugoro Prize
2004
Work: Kaikou no Mori
Organization: Yamamoto Shugoro Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
2004
Work: Kaikou no Mori
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Uenkamuy no Tsume

1998 Novel

Debut novel, incorporating themes related to the Tohoku region's landscape and folklore. Winner of the Shosetsu Subaru Newcomer Award.

TohokuFolkloreNature

Hyohaku no Kiba

1999 Novel

A novel set against the landscapes of Tohoku and Hokkaido; winner of the Nitta Jiro Literary Prize.

NatureWanderingLocal culture

Kaikou no Mori (Forest of Encounters)

2004 Novel

The second volume of the 'Matagi' trilogy; depicts nature, traditional culture, and human relationships in Tohoku. Winner of the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize and the Naoki Prize in 2004.

Nature and humanityTraditional cultureConflict and reconciliation
Translations
  • Chinese (Simplified) planned publication: 邂逅之森 (Jilin Publishing Group)

Sokoku no Mori

2003 Novel

First work in the Matagi trilogy; explores human relationships around hunting and interactions with nature.

Matagi (traditional hunters)Hunting cultureNature

Hyoketsu no Mori

2007 Novel

Third and final novel of the Matagi trilogy; concludes the series with vivid natural description and human drama.

Natural descriptionSeries conclusion

Bibliography

  • Uenkamuy no Tsume
  • Hyohaku no Kiba
  • Mahoroba no Kaze (Mahoroba's Gale)
  • Mukaebi no Yama (Mountain of Welcome Fires)
  • Yamasegō (short stories)
  • My Home Town
  • Sokoku no Mori
  • Kaikou no Mori
  • Ara Ezo
  • From Yamase no Sato: Soliloquies in the Forest City (essays)
  • Moby Doll
  • Kaikyo (Nostalgia)
  • Landscape in Rainbow Colors
  • The New Teacher
  • Tanabata Shigure
  • Hyoketsu no Mori
  • Biography of Minzukuri Yahei
  • Hagure Taka (Stray Hawk)
  • Sink in Ultramarine: Our Kamikaze
  • Someday at X Bridge
  • Yutoria
  • Oyaji Age Rock'n'Roll
  • Moratorium Seasons
  • Silver Wolf King
  • Sea of Rice Ears
  • Breath into the Wings
  • Bye-Bye Foggy Day
  • Hill Where Light Falls
  • Requiem of the Gale
  • The Tuner
  • Child of Rias
  • Sea of Slumber
  • Teens Edge Rock'n'Roll
  • Sound of the Tide, Blue of the Sky, Poem of the Sea
  • Sea of Hope: Sengaumi Sketches
  • Shaken Town
  • Hama no Jinbei
  • Maguridate no Umi
  • I Am Keisuke
  • Escape Train
  • The Usual Tomorrow
  • Pedal to Tomorrow
  • Isolated Universe
  • Mukeibito Ashigashirayama

Translations of Works

  • Kaikou no Mori — Chinese (Simplified) planned (Jilin Publishing Group)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Regionalist writing with strong local colorDetailed depictions of natureEpic/chronicle-like narrative structure
Recurring Motifs
Tohoku and Hokkaido landscapesMatagi (traditional hunting culture)Fishing villages and life by the seaRelations between nature and humansDisasters and regional memory

Legacy

Known for works rooted in the folklore and landscapes of Tohoku and Hokkaido, Kumagai is regarded as a prominent regional novelist. He attracted wide attention when he won both the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize and the Naoki Prize in 2004 for 'Kaikou no Mori.' Based in Sendai, he has written the multi-volume Sengaumi Saga depicting his home region, including post-disaster narratives.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (NDL) authority ID: 00668454
  • VIAF ID: 115936613
  • ISNI: 0000000083234531

In Popular Culture

  • Activities as a guitarist in the rock band K'z
  • Known as an enthusiast of foreign motorcycles

Trivia

  • Worked eight years as a public junior high school mathematics teacher.
  • Known to favor foreign-made motorcycles.
  • Also active as a musician, playing guitar in the rock band K'z.
  • Won both the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize and the Naoki Prize in 2004 for 'Kaikou no Mori.'