Japanese Literary Awards

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Mayumi Mori

もり まゆみ

Mori Mayumi

Pen Names: Tachibana Mayumi（Pen name used for her debut, derived from her maternal family name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1954-07-10 （Bunkyo, Tokyo (Hon-komagome)）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Bunkyo, Tokyo (Hon-komagome) → Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi area (Yanesen), Tokyo

Career

Occupations
Writer, Essayist, Editor, Civic activist
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
Japan National Trust (Director), Waseda University, Journalism Research Institute (Special Visiting Researcher), Meiji Gakuin University, Institute for International Peace (Researcher), Tokyo International University (Professor, 2004–2007), Broadcasting Ethics & Program Improvement Organization (BPO), Broadcasting Ethics Review Board (2013–2015), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Council (Cultural Properties Subcommittee) Member, Editorial board member, magazine 'Tokyojin'
Memberships
Councilor, Association for Preservation Techniques of Cultural Property Structures, Councilor, Japan Arts Council
Influenced By
Tomie Kondo, Yasunobu Fujiwara, Michio Inaba, Saburo Konai

Education

Bunkyo City Seishi Elementary School
Country: Japan
Ochanomizu University Junior & Senior High School
Country: Japan
Waseda University
School of Political Science and Economics / Department of Political Science and Economics
Degree: 学士
Country: Japan
Studied under Yasunobu Fujiwara
University of Tokyo, Institute of Newspaper Research (now Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Graduate School, University of Tokyo)
Institute of Newspaper Research (completed)
Degree: 修了
Country: Japan
Completed studies under Michio Inaba and Saburo Konai

Awards

Japan Trivia Grand Prize (11th)
1989
Result: 受賞
Suntory Regional Culture Prize
1992
Work: Yanesen Workshop (magazine 'Yanaka-Nezu-Sendagi')
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (New Artist), Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1997
Work: Ogai no Saka
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Architectural Institute of Japan Cultural Award
1999
Work: Town-planning activities and proposals with a focus on regional culture
Organization: Architectural Institute of Japan
Result: 受賞
JTB Travel Literature Award
2003
Work: Italy of the 'Improvisational Poet'
Organization: JTB
Result: 受賞
Murasaki Shikibu Literary Award
2014
Work: 'The Adventure of "Seito": Women Gathering to Make a Magazine'
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Women of Japan: How Women Lived (Prewar)

1980 Non-fiction / Women's history

A study tracing how women lived from the Meiji period to the prewar era, based on archival sources and oral histories. Her debut was published under the pen name Tachibana Mayumi.

women's historysocial historyoral history

Ogai no Saka

1997 Novel / Historical fiction

A novel using Mori Ogai and the Meiji literary world as material, weaving together people and the memories of places. Winner of the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists.

Meiji literaturememoryurban narratives

Italy of the 'Improvisational Poet'

2003 Travelogue / Reportage

A travelogue visiting various parts of Italy, exploring the culture of improvisational poetry and local life. Winner of the JTB Travel Literature Award.

travelcultural exchangemusic

Tokyo Heritage: From Preservation to Regeneration

2003 Non-fiction / Urban studies

Discusses preservation movements and approaches to regeneration, focusing on sites such as the Ueno Concert Hall and the Former Iwasaki Residence Garden. Questions how urban heritage should be passed to future generations.

heritage preservationurban regenerationcivic activism

'Seito' Adventure: Women Gathering to Make a Magazine

2013 Non-fiction / Literary history

Examines the Meiji-era women's magazine 'Seito', its editorial context and the connections among women, exploring the meaning of women coming together. Winner of the Murasaki Shikibu Literary Award.

women's movementsmagazine historyfeminism

A Bright Harada Disease Diary: A Civil War Inside My Body

2010 Memoir / Illness narrative

A diary-style account of her battle with Harada disease, which began in 2007. Candidly records her treatment experiences, including a risk of blindness.

illness and recoverypersonal memoirresilience

Bibliography

  • Women of Japan: How Women Lived (Prewar)
  • Yanaka Sketchbook: A Gentle Urban Space
  • Let's Reclaim Tokyo's Water and Ponds
  • Town-building with a Small Magazine: The 'Yanesen' Adventure
  • The Mysterious Town Nezu: A Quiet Urban Space
  • Embracing Tokyo: The Town and Me
  • Longevity as an Art
  • Reading Holidays
  • Single Parent Running
  • Kashiko Ichiyo: Reading 'Popular Letterwriting'
  • Eccentrics of Meiji Tokyo
  • Life in a Temple
  • Ogai no Saka
  • The Smell of Alleys, the Sound of Towns
  • Midnight Reading
  • Love is Decision: Thirteen Women Born in the Meiji Era
  • Easygoing Parent Workshop
  • Day-by-Day Life
  • Taisho Beauties
  • Person of the Forest: Tsunae Shitei's Ninety Years
  • Ichiyo's Four Seasons
  • Asia Titmouse
  • Humans Are Vessels Filled with Dreams
  • Showa Jukebox
  • The Sea is Your Path: Transboundary Korean/Japanese
  • Mori Mayumi's Osaka Unfamiliar Guide
  • Eating Through Meiji and Taisho
  • Hello Ichiyo: A Female Writer Living in Meiji Tokyo
  • Accounts of the Shogitai
  • Pride of Place
  • Encho Galore: Reviving Edo/Meiji Language
  • Showa Literary History Seen in 'Fujin Koron'
  • Eating Through Nostalgic Showa
  • Modern Girls with Bobbed Hair: 42 Taisho Women
  • Hands-on Skills
  • Three Women on the Trans-Siberian Railway
  • Walking Along the Sea
  • Poor but Contented Life
  • Visiting Nostalgic Pubs
  • Soseki of Sendagi
  • Earthquake Diary: Recording Memory
  • The Rebellious Civil Servant Who Polishes a Town
  • Time Travel with the 'Yanesen' Map
  • A Stadium in the Forest: Considering the Runaway New National Stadium
  • What Showa Parents Taught Me
  • Germany of Forests Where Environment and Economy Work Together
  • Tokyo Long-established Restaurants Meals
  • People of Dark Times
  • The Sound of Shiki
  • Our Neighbor Islam: Visiting Muslims Living in Japan
  • Following 'Five Pairs of Shoes': Meiji School Trips
  • Travels Without Errands
  • Journeys to Meet
  • Towns I Want to Walk Again: My Townscape Travelogue
  • Street Portraits: Remembering People
  • The ABCs of Yanesen
  • Journeys with Books
  • Seiko: Landlady of the Literary Bar 'Fumon' in Shinjuku
  • Work Wandering: For People Who Want to Find Their Work
  • Sea Love Travelogue
  • Showa Tokyo: Eating Records
  • Kyoto Unfamiliar Guide
  • Asia Hearts Diner
  • Oral Histories of the Great Kanto Earthquake
  • The Stubborn Person: Motoko Hani and Her Era
  • Searching for Hidden Worthies in the Fields: Japan Walking Travels

Translations by Author

  • The Dancing Girl (Mori Ogai Selected Works) — modern translation

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Oral-history centered non-fictionFieldwork-style regional magazine approachEssayistic and personal narrative voice
Recurring Motifs
local communitiesmemorywomen's historytownscapestravelfood culture

Health

  • Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (Harada's disease)
    2007 - 約2年以上（発症と長期闘病）
    She experienced a severe episode including a risk of blindness, requiring more than two years of treatment; this significantly affected her writing and daily life.

Legacy

Known for founding and editing the regional magazine 'Yanaka-Nezu-Sendagi', contributing to local revitalization, participating in preservation movements for sites such as the Ueno Concert Hall and the Former Iwasaki Residence Garden, and writing extensively on women's history and Tokyo's cultural heritage. Her work links civic activism with publishing.

Academic Societies

  • Japan National Trust
  • Agency for Cultural Affairs (Cultural Properties Subcommittee)
  • Japan Arts Council
  • Association for Preservation Techniques of Cultural Property Structures

Archives

  • Yanesen Workshop Archives (editorial materials and oral-history records)

Quotes

  • A civil war broke out inside my body.
    Source: A Bright Harada Disease Diary: A Civil War Inside My Body (2010)
  • A small magazine can change a town.
    Source: Town-building with a Small Magazine: The 'Yanesen' Adventure (1991)

Trivia

  • Born into a family of dentists.
  • Her aunt was the writer Tomie Kondo.
  • Her nephew is musician Ryohiko Aogi (仰木亮彦).
  • Her debut was published under the pen name Tachibana Mayumi.
  • Through publishing the regional magazine 'Yanaka–Nezu–Sendagi', she helped popularize the Yanesen area.