Japanese Literary Awards

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Yasuo Maekawa

まえかわ やすお

Maekawa Yasuo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1921-12-25 （Tokyo）
Died
2002-10-14 age 80
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
children's literature author, translator
Active Years
1950-2002

Education

Waseda University Senior High School
Period: 1939-
Country: Japan
Entered in 1939 (details of graduation unknown)
Waseda University
German literature department
Period: 1942-1943
Country: Japan
Left studies in 1943 due to wartime conscription

Awards

Japan Association of Children's Literature Newcomer Award
1952
Work: "Kawa Shogun" and "Mura no Ichibanboshi"
Organization: Japan Association of Children's Literature
Result: winner
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1967
Work: Yan
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: winner
Japan Association of Children's Literature Award
1969
Work: Sea of the Demon
Organization: Japan Association of Children's Literature
Result: winner
Noma Children's Literature Award
1981
Work: The Sad Story of the Car
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: winner
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1991
Organization: Japanese government
Result: honor

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Yan

1967 children's literature

A children's book focusing on friendship and growth, containing episodic adventure elements.

friendshipcoming-of-ageadventure

Sea of the Demon

1969 children's literature

A children's adventure about a boy confronting nature and fear through imagination.

adventurenaturefear and overcoming

The Sad Story of the Car

1981 children's literature

A fable-like children's story about a car, containing moral and humorous elements.

moralityhumornature vs. machine

Bibliography

  • Tales of Biographies
  • Adventure Fairy Tales
  • Toy Tales
  • I Am Like Myself
  • Various Animals
  • Train
  • The Tale of Kurobe Dam / Mammoth Tanker Story
  • Stories of the Mysterious Forest
  • Miracle Club
  • Yan
  • Harisenbon Club
  • Sea of the Demon
  • Goodbye Kumaemon
  • Yubisui Kyun
  • Strange Peach Stories
  • Wanting Little Boy
  • Two Magicians
  • The Mole's Camera
  • Silent Onijyu
  • Song of the Phantom Cicada
  • Five Lucky Tales
  • The House Where Mother Was Born
  • Grandpa Clock's Clock
  • The Story of a Cute Echo
  • Song of the Hare
  • The Upside-down Dog
  • The Day He Became a Bird Monster
  • The Selfish Alien Came Flying
  • Red Oni Gochomora
  • The Punk Incident
  • Tektak's Slightly Scary Stories
  • Footsteps of the Eiffel Tower
  • Fish in the Forest
  • Drift of the Sengokubune
  • The World's Best Father
  • To a New Star

Style & Themes

Literary Style
simple prose for childrenmixes fable-like and fantastical elements
Recurring Motifs
adventurefriendshipencounters with nature

Legacy

One of Japan's notable 20th-century children's authors. He contributed to children's literature through many original works and translations and received multiple awards.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Association of Children's Literature

Archives

  • National Diet Library (authority data)

Trivia

  • His wife's father was the painter Tatsushiro Takabatake.
  • Returned from internment in Shanghai in 1946; had wartime and internment experiences.
  • Received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1991.