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Mitsunari Oizumi

おおいずみ みつなり

Oizumi Mitsunari

Pen Names: Youkai Birōn（A nickname (holy name) given by Shigeru Mizuki）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1961-11-16 （Tokyo (Shinjuku), Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Jehovah's Witnesses (former adherent)
Residence History
Shinjuku, Tokyo (birthplace) → Hitachi, Ibaraki (raised: elementary through high school) → Hitachi, Ibaraki (residence)

Career

Occupations
Non-fiction writer, Author, Journalist
Active Years
1988-
Influenced By
Shigeru Mizuki, Non-fiction writers / journalists (general)
Influenced

Education

Chuo University
Faculty of Letters / Department of Philosophy
Degree: Master's (修士課程修了)
Country: Japan
Completed graduate studies at the university's Graduate School of Letters. Exact year unknown.

Awards

Kodansha Non-Fiction Prize
1989
Work: Persuasion: Jehovah's Witnesses and the Blood Transfusion Refusal Incident
Organization: Kodansha
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Persuasion: Jehovah's Witnesses and the Blood Transfusion Refusal Incident

1988 Non-fiction / Investigative

A reportage based on investigation into a blood-transfusion refusal case. Explores Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs and related social issues.

ReligionMedical ethicsInvestigative reportage
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Persuasion (TV dramatization) (1993)

Tokyo's Lowest Lives — People Paying Less Than ¥20,000 Rent per Month

1993 Non-fiction / Social reportage

A close-reportage on people living on very low rents, portraying the underbelly of urban life.

Urban povertyEveryday life

Those Who Believed Asahara Shoko

1996 Non-fiction / Cult investigation

Investigates followers of Aum Shinrikyo and motivations for belief, based on investigative and undercover reporting.

CultsBeliefSocial issues

The Disappeared Manga Artists (vol.1-3)

1996 Non-fiction / Subculture

A collection of reports on manga artists who disappeared from public view, exploring the manga industry and subculture.

SubcultureMedia

See You in the Afterlife: Recollections of Shigeru Mizuki

2016 Co-authored / Memoir

Co-authored with Shigeru Mizuki; recollections and episodes about Mizuki from the perspective of a partner and friend.

MemoirManga history

Bibliography

  • Persuasion: Jehovah's Witnesses and the Blood Transfusion Refusal Incident (1988)
  • Tokyo's Lowest Lives — People Paying Less Than ¥20,000 Rent per Month (1993)
  • The Malay Tapir Does Not Dream (1994)
  • Those Who Believed Asahara Shoko (1996)
  • The Disappeared Manga Artists (1996-1997)
  • Adventures Around Personality Disorders (2005)
  • Studies of Moe (2005)
  • Hard After Hard (2013)
  • See You in the Afterlife: Recollections of Shigeru Mizuki (2016)
  • What is an Otaku? (2017)

Adaptations

  • Persuasion (TBS factual drama series, 1993, starring Beat Takeshi)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Reportage-driven, factual proseDescription based on investigative reporting
Recurring Motifs
Conflicts of religion and beliefMargins of subcultureLives of people on the social periphery

Legacy

Mitsunari Oizumi is known for in-depth non-fiction work on religious issues and social margins; he won the Kodansha Non-Fiction Prize and, through collaborations with Shigeru Mizuki, has influenced subculture discourse.

In Popular Culture

  • The book 'Persuasion' was adapted into a TV drama starring Beat Takeshi
  • Attracted attention in subculture circles through co-authorships and yokai explorations with Shigeru Mizuki

Quotes

  • The world revolves around Shigeru Mizuki
    Source: Interview / contribution (source unspecified)

Trivia

  • Was a Jehovah's Witness in his youth
  • Debut book 'Persuasion' dealt with a blood-transfusion refusal case and was later adapted for TV
  • Conducted undercover reporting into Aum Shinrikyo and reported on his training experience
  • His parents were exposed in the Tokai-mura JCO criticality accident; he served as secretary-general of a victims' group