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Akira Maruoka

まるおか あきら

Maruoka Akira

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1907-06-29 （Kojimachi, Tokyo City, Japan）
Died
1968-08-24 age 61
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Translator, Critic
Active Years
1930-1968
Influenced By
Naofumi Ochiai, Takitaro Mizukami, Tatsuo Hori

Education

Gyosei Junior High School
Country: Japan
Keio Preparatory Course
Country: Japan
Keio University
Department of French Literature / French Literature
Country: Japan
During his studies he became acquainted with Takitaro Mizukami and others

Awards

Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1966
Work: Shizukana Kagee; Machi no Hi
Organization: Ministry of Education (Art Encouragement Prize)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Art Encouragement Prize for Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 2 appearances
  1. Edition 16 (1966) award
  2. Edition 16 (1966) award
    Work: 静かな影絵, 街の灯

    Shizukana Kage-e and Machi no Hi represent Akira Maruoka's mature, quietly autobiographical fiction of the mid-1960s. The Kodansha volume Shizukana Kage-e follows memory and everyday feeling in a restrained style, while Machi no Hi draws out traces of people and the shadows of the past in the city.

    Through faint memories and city lights, these works trace the loneliness and lingering resonance hidden in postwar everyday life.

    216 pages
    memoryurban lifeautobiographical fictionpostwar everyday life

Works

Major Works

Madame Martin's Tears

1930 Short story

Debut short story published in Mita Bungaku; a French-tinged tale that served as one of his early representative pieces.

French literary influenceHuman relationships

Records of Living Things

1936 Short story collection

Published in 1936, a collection of short stories that observes life and subtle everyday moments.

LifeMemory

The False Christ

1956 Novel

A novel modeled on the figure of Tamiki Hara, reflecting postwar literary concerns and deep character portrayal.

Postwar literatureCharacter studyMemory and loss

Quiet Shadow Pictures

1965 Short stories / Essays

Pieces depicting everyday scenes and memories in a calm voice. Along with 'Machi no Hi', it was cited for the 1966 Art Encouragement Prize.

Everyday lifeMemoryNostalgia

Noh of Japan

1957 Study / Guide

A guide to Noh theatre, discussing its history and expressive elements as a classical performing art.

Noh theatreJapanese culture

Encyclopedia of Noh Appreciation

1961 Reference / Commentary

A reference work intended to aid appreciation of Noh, containing notes and explanatory material.

Noh theatreAppreciation guide

Bibliography

  • Records of Living Things (Sara Shoten), 1936
  • Pomegranate Shoots (Nihon Bungakusha), 1939
  • Tragedy and Comedy (Shinchosha), 1939
  • A Certain Life: Short Story Masterpieces (Jinbun Shoin), 1940
  • Like Reeds Stirring in the Wind (Kochou Shorin), 1940
  • Journey of the Heart (Banrikaku), 1940
  • Fairy Memorial (Sekai-sha), 1947
  • The Story of a Yakuza Dog (Yotoku-sha), 1948
  • The Story of Constantia (Nohgaku Shorin), 1949
  • Tatsuo Hori: The Man and His Works (Shiki-sha), 1953
  • Noh Today (Nohgaku Shorin), 1954
  • Childhood (Kadokawa Bunko), 1954
  • The False Christ (Kadokawa), 1956
  • Noh of Japan (David-sha), 1957
  • Study of Tatsuo Hori (ed., Shinchosha), 1958
  • Talks on Noh (Tozai Satsuki-sha), 1959
  • Songs of Youth (Kodansha), 1961
  • Encyclopedia of Noh Appreciation (Kawade Shobo Shinsha), 1961
  • Quiet Shadow Pictures (Kodansha), 1965
  • Noh and Kyogen Stories (ed., Poplar), 1967
  • The Single Ginkgo (Chikuma Shobo), 1967
  • Harbor Scenery (Sangatsu Shobo), 1968
  • The Red Beret: Essays (Kodansha), 1969
  • Collected Novels of Akira Maruoka (Shinchosha), 1969
  • Takeo Kitahara & Akira Maruoka Collection (Shueisha), 1975
  • Akira Maruoka: Showa-era Kochi Novels Vol.8 (Kochi Shimbunsha), 1995

Translations by Author

  • Sans Famille (Hector Malot) — translation published by Shufu no Tomo-sha, 1951

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical prose with strong lyricismExpository tone reflecting deep knowledge of Noh theatre
Recurring Motifs
Noh theatreMemoryScenes of everyday life

Legacy

Known for his commentary and studies on Noh and for research on Tatsuo Hori, he contributed to postwar Japanese literature and scholarship on Noh. He received the Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) in 1966.

Trivia

  • Born in Kojimachi, Tokyo, as the eldest son of Maruoka Kei.
  • His grandfather Maruoka Kanji served as governor in Okinawa and Kochi.
  • Debuted in 1930 with "Madame Martin's Tears" in Mita Bungaku.
  • In 1966 he was awarded the Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) for 'Quiet Shadow Pictures' and 'Machi no Hi'.
  • He produced numerous commentaries and editorial works on Noh theatre.
  • His wife was Miyako Yamakawa (née Yamakawa), daughter of literary figures in the Yamakawa family.