Naoki Sanjugo Award
1 appearances
Kyu Eikan
きゅう えいかん
Kyū Eikan
Aliases:
邱炳南 / 丘永漢
Pen Names:
Qiu Bingnan（Early pen name used during his Taiwan period）,
Qiu Qingtai（Another early pen name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1924-03-28 （Tainan City, Tainan Prefecture, Taiwan (then under Japanese rule)）
- Died
- 2012-05-16 （Hospital in Tokyo, Japan） age 88
- Nationality
- Taiwan, Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, Chinese
- Residence History
- Tainan City (birthplace) → Taipei (attended Taipei High School) → Hong Kong (exile and business) → Tokyo, Japan (long-term residence and literary activity) → Yunnan Province, China (later coffee cultivation)
Career
- Occupations
- Businessman, Writer, Economic commentator, Management consultant
- Active Years
- 1937-2012
- Affiliations
- Kyu Eikan Office Co., Ltd., Kyubi Co., Ltd. (invested/managed), Contributor to magazines such as 'Chuo Koron'
- Influenced By
- Nishikawa Mitsuru, Dan Ichirō, Sato Haruo
- Influenced
- Shigesato Itoi
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei High School (old system) | General course | — | — | 1937-1940 | Taiwan |
| University of Tokyo (then Tokyo Imperial University) | Faculty of Economics | Department of Economics | 学士 | 1943-1945 | Japan |
| University of Tokyo, Graduate School | Public finance (graduate studies) | — | — | 1945-1946 | Japan |
Taipei High School (old system)
General course
Period:
1937-1940
Year of Graduation:
1940
Country:
Taiwan
Began writing poetry in youth; published a private magazine 'Yue Laixiang'
University of Tokyo (then Tokyo Imperial University)
Faculty of Economics
/ Department of Economics
Degree:
学士
Period:
1943-1945
Year of Graduation:
1945
Country:
Japan
After graduation entered graduate studies in public finance
University of Tokyo, Graduate School
Public finance (graduate studies)
Period:
1945-1946
Country:
Japan
Left graduate school and returned to Taiwan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Naoki Prize | Hong Kong | — | Naoki Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Naoki Prize
1955
Work:
Hong Kong
Organization:
Naoki Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Zoshui-kei
1954 Fiction (short stories)An autobiographical collection of short stories based on his experiences during exile in Japan and life in Hong Kong and Taiwan; portrays migrants and exiles.
ExileMigrationIdentitySocial critique
Notes of an Illegal Immigrant
1954 Short storyA work based on the exile and clandestine voyages of figures linked to the Taiwan independence movement; first published in a magazine as an early piece.
ExilePoliticsFriendship
Hong Kong
1955 NovelA work set in Hong Kong depicting commerce and human relations; through these portraits it explores postwar upheaval and survival strategies; awarded the Naoki Prize.
Hong KongCommerceSurvivalCultural intersections
Journey to the West (serialized by Kyu Eikan)
1959 Serialized novel / reinterpretation of a classicA modern retelling of the classic 'Journey to the West', combining social satire and contemporary touches; serialized between 1959 and 1963.
Classical retellingSocial satireAdventure
Adaptations
- [Film] Journey to the West (1960)
Money Reader
1959 Essay / Practical guideA practical essay on investment and wealth accumulation, widely read as a guide drawing on his personal experience.
InvestmentMoney philosophyPragmatism
Bibliography
- Zoshui-kei
- Notes of an Illegal Immigrant
- Hong Kong
- Journey to the West (serial)
- Money Reader
- Investor's Guide
- My Money-Making Autobiography
- Kyu Eikan Selected Works (10 vols)
- Kyu Eikan Best Series (50 vols)
- My Youth in Taiwan, My Youth in Hong Kong
Adaptations
- Journey to the West (1960 film, supervised)
Translations by Author
- (Translated) Can You Shake Hands with Your Current Self? (Anthony Robbins)
- (Translated) To My Son: What to Learn at the School of Life (John Graham)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Reworking of classical literature with contemporary critiquePlain, practical narrative style
- Recurring Motifs
- Money and investmentBusiness acumenExile and migrationScenes of Hong Kong and TaiwanFood culture
Health
-
Diabetes mellitus長年A chronic condition requiring management of diet and lifestyle; affected daily life.
-
Stomach ailment (hospitalized)1970年代（オイルショック後）Hospitalized and treated following business setbacks and stress during the oil shock period.
-
Heart failure (cause of death)2012年Died of heart failure in May 2012.
Legacy
Kyu Eikan, born in Taiwan and active in Japan, was a businessman and writer known for economic commentary and investment guides as well as literary work such as his retelling of Journey to the West. He is regarded as a practical figure linking Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan; his business and political ties were sometimes controversial.
Archives
- Materials held by the National Diet Library (Japan)
- NHK archives (personal profile)
In Popular Culture
- His 'Journey to the West' was republished as a serial on Shigesato Itoi's 'Hobonichi' website.
- Several family members are culinary researchers and have appeared on TV cooking programs, increasing public exposure.
Quotes
-
My literary enthusiasm was known to everyone at school and it seemed natural that I should enter the Faculty of Letters. I did not because, born in colonial Taiwan, I had no confidence that I could make a living as a writer.
Source: My Youth in Taiwan, My Youth in Hong Kong (1994)
Trivia
- Winner of the 34th Naoki Prize (one of the first non-Japanese recipients).
- Birth name Qiu Bingnan; after naturalization used the kanji 丘永漢. Early pen names included Qiu Bingnan and Qiu Qingtai.
- Naturalized as a Japanese citizen in 1980.
- Survived the China Airlines Flight 605 runway overrun accident in 1993.
- In 2015 his heirs were reported for undeclared inheritance taxes in Japan.