Nihon SF Grand Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 20 (1999) special award
Ryu Mitsuse
みつせ りゅう
Mitsuse Ryu
Aliases:
飯塚喜美雄 / 千葉喜美雄
Pen Names:
Kikukawa Zenroku（Pen name used for poetry and early works）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1928-03-18 （Minami-Senju, North Toshima District, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan）
- Died
- 1999-07-07 age 71
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Minami-Senju (birthplace) → Nerima Minamicho (grew up there for part of childhood) → Maesawa, Iwate (evacuation / adolescence) → Senzoku / Oookayama (residence while teaching)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Children's author, Essayist, High school teacher, Science fiction writer, Original manga author
- Active Years
- 1960-1999
- Influenced By
- Unno Juuzo, Yasushi Inoue, Takumi Shibano (association via science-creation club)
- Influenced
- Mamoru Oshii, Rui Shimozawa (student influenced by his lectures)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo University of Education (now University of Tsukuba) | Faculty of Science | Zoology | 学士 | 1949-1953 | Japan |
Tokyo University of Education (now University of Tsukuba)
Faculty of Science
/ Zoology
Degree:
学士
Period:
1949-1953
Year of Graduation:
1953
Country:
Japan
Entered agriculture faculty then transferred to the Faculty of Science, zoology; later enrolled in faculty of letters (philosophy) but withdrew.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | S-F Magazine 1st Contest Encouragement Prize | Shiroe 2919 | — | S-F Magazine | 奨励賞 |
| 1999 | Japan SF Grand Prize (20th) Special Award | — | 特別賞 | Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan | 受賞（追贈） |
S-F Magazine 1st Contest Encouragement Prize
1961
Work:
Shiroe 2919
Organization:
S-F Magazine
Result:
奨励賞
Japan SF Grand Prize (20th) Special Award
1999
Category:
特別賞
Organization:
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan
Result:
受賞（追贈）
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
One Hundred Billion Days and One Thousand Billion Nights
1967 Science fiction / mythic epicA large-scale SF epic blending myth and science fiction; centers on mythic struggles involving figures such as Ashura King and Nazareth's Jesus.
mythconflictreligious motifscosmic scale
Adaptations
- [Manga] One Hundred Billion Days and One Thousand Billion Nights (manga) / 萩尾望都 (1977)
Return to Twilight
1964 Science fictionA long-form SF novel connected to his 'Chronicle of Space' series, exploring futures and human trajectories.
future societyhuman characterization
Ron-sensei's Magnifying Glass (series)
1976 Nature essays / juvenile non-fictionEssay series based on field observations of animals; combined natural history with approachable writing for a broad readership.
natural observationbiological insight
Adaptations
- [Manga] Ron-sensei's Magnifying Glass (manga) / 加藤唯史 (1977)
Bibliography
- Return to Twilight (1964)
- One Hundred Billion Days and One Thousand Billion Nights (1967)
- Ron-sensei's Magnifying Glass (1976)
- The Tale of the Heike (8 vols, 1983-1988)
- Alternate Journey to the West (1999)
Adaptations
- Yubae Sakusen (TV drama on NHK, 1974)
- One Hundred Billion Days and One Thousand Billion Nights (manga by Motoko Hagio, 1977)
- Ron-sensei's Magnifying Glass (manga adaptation, 1977)
- Andromeda Stories (anime, 1982)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- multi-genre fusion (SF, historical fiction, juvenile)epic, large-scale narrativedetailed descriptions grounded in biological observation
- Recurring Motifs
- Chronicle of Space (series tied to future chronology)alternate history / speculative war narrativesanimals and natural observation
Health
-
Esophageal cancer1999年Died in 1999 due to illness; brought an end to his creative activities.
Legacy
Active across multiple genres including SF, historical fiction and juvenile nature essays. Known for the 'Chronicle of Space' series and the Ron-sensei nature essays. Though he received few major literary prizes in life, he was posthumously honored with the Japan SF Grand Prize special award and his contributions have been re-evaluated.
Academic Societies
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (award-granting organization)
Archives
- National Diet Library (author-related holdings)
- Publishers and private collections archives
In Popular Culture
- Several works adapted into manga and anime and have been widely reinterpreted.
Quotes
-
It was my first time writing speculative science fiction. I had made and broken many literary doujinshi and formed a theater troupe to write plays, so the act of writing itself did not feel burdensome.
Source: Afterword to 'Uchujin' (comment / recollection) (1958)
Trivia
- Real name: Kimio Iizuka (born Chiba).
- Posthumously awarded the Japan SF Grand Prize (20th) special award.
- Early poetry appeared under the name Kikukawa Zenroku.
- The 'Ron-sensei's Magnifying Glass' series was adapted into manga and its characters popularized.
- Received an encouragement prize at the 1st S-F Magazine speculative fiction contest.