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Taku Mayumura

まゆむら たく

Mayumura Taku

Aliases: 村上 卓児
Pen Names: Taku Mayumura（Used as pen name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-10-20 （Nishinari-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2019-11-03 （Osaka Railroad Hospital, Abeno-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan） age 85
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Osaka City (born and long-term residence) → Hinase (Hinase-cho), Bizen, Okayama Prefecture (work/stay) → Osaka (throughout later life)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Copywriter, Radio personality, University professor
Active Years
1960-2019
Affiliations
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ), Creative Group Prominence (originally 'Shonen Bungei Writers Club'), Osaka University of Arts, Faculty of Arts, Department of Literature (Professor)
Memberships
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ), Creative Group Prominence

Education

Osaka University, Faculty of Economics
Faculty of Economics / Department of Economics
Degree: 学士
Year of Graduation: 1957
Country: Japan

Awards

Hayakawa SF Contest (Kusou Kagaku Novel Contest)
1961
Work: Lower-class Idea Man
Category: 佳作
Organization: Hayakawa Publishing
Result: 受賞（佳作）
Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize
1979
Work: The Annular of Extinction
Organization: Izumi Kyoka Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Japan, Best Long Work)
1979
Work: The Annular of Extinction
Category: 日本長編部門
Organization: Federation of SF Fan Groups (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Japan, Best Long Work)
1996
Work: When the Tide Recedes
Category: 日本長編部門
Organization: Federation of SF Fan Groups (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Japan Literary Award
1987
Work: The Carousel at Sunset
Organization: Japan Literary Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan SF Grand Prize (Merit Award)
2020
Category: 功績賞
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
Result: 受賞（追贈）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Administrator (Tsiseikan) Series

1974 Science Fiction

A series of short and long SF works exploring conflicts between organizations and individuals, set against political and social backdrops.

conflict between organization and individualpolitical powerdystopian elements

The Mysterious Transfer Student

1972 Juvenile fiction with SF elements

A juvenile novel featuring young protagonists; one of his representative works adapted to TV and film.

coming-of-ageintersection of the ordinary and the extraordinary
Adaptations
  • [TV / Film] The Mysterious Transfer Student (TV / Film adaptations) / 小中和哉（映画化の一例） (1998)

The School in Peril

1976 Juvenile/SF

A juvenile SF novel set in a school; adapted multiple times for TV and film.

schoolconspiracyfriendship and betrayal
Adaptations
  • [Film] The School in Peril (1981 film) / 大林宣彦 (1981)
  • [Animated film] The School in Peril (2012 animated film) / 中村亮介 (2012)

The Annular of Extinction

1979 Science Fiction

A long SF work about societal-scale disappearance and transformation. Won the Izumi Kyoka Prize and Seiun Award in 1979.

disappearancesocial transformationexploration of humanity

When the Tide Recedes

1988 SF (multi-volume / long work)

A five-volume long work series; includes material that won the Seiun Award in 1996.

timehistorical changeindividual and society

My Wife and I: 1778 Stories

2004 Essay / Non-fiction

A factual collection based on the short-shorts he wrote for his wife, Etsuko. Adapted into a film in 2011.

love and devotionstories of everyday lifeshort-shorts
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Story of Me and My Wife: 1778 Stories / 星護 (2011)

Bibliography

  • Moeru Keisha (1963)
  • Semi-B-Class Citizen (1965)
  • A Very Long Nap (1969)
  • The Administrator (1974)
  • The Annular of Extinction (1979)
  • The Carousel at Sunset (1986)
  • When the Tide Recedes (1988-1995)
  • 1778 Stories Dedicated to My Wife (2004)
  • Unknown End (2020, posthumous)

Adaptations

  • The School in Peril (film, 1981, dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi)
  • The Mysterious Transfer Student (film, 1998, dir. Kazuya Konaka)
  • The Story of Me and My Wife: 1778 Stories (film, 2011, dir. Mamoru Hoshi)
  • Time-Space Traveler (anime film, 1986, dir. Mamoru Masaki)

Translations by Author

  • Private Detective Sventon series (translations of Oke Holmberg works)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, fast-paced short-shortsplain narrative that connects the everyday with the uncannyorganizational-focus derived from 'insider literature' theory
Recurring Motifs
friction between organizations and individualsthe workplace as site of ordinary and extraordinary eventssmall miracles and absurdityschool settings (juvenile fiction)

Health

  • aspiration pneumonia
    2019
    Died from aspiration pneumonia in 2019 at a hospital in Osaka.

Legacy

A leading Japanese SF author known for an enormous output of short-shorts. Representative works such as the Administrator series, The Mysterious Transfer Student, and The School in Peril were adapted for screen; he received multiple major literary and SF awards and contributed to education as a university professor.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)

In Popular Culture

  • The Story of Me and My Wife: 1778 Stories (2011 film adaptation)
  • TV and film adaptations of works such as The School in Peril and The Mysterious Transfer Student

Quotes

  • I did not feel loneliness; rather I felt exhilaration.
    Source: Interview about life in Hinase (Sanyo Shimbun) (2011)

Trivia

  • Authored approximately 3000 short-shorts.
  • Birth name: Murakami Takuji.
  • Nickname: 'Kumagoro'.
  • Wrote 1778 short-shorts for his terminally ill wife; part of these were published as '1778 Stories Dedicated to My Wife'.