Japanese Literary Awards

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Ken Miyamoto

みやもと けん

Miyamoto Ken

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1926-12-02 （Shiranui, Uto District, Kumamoto Prefecture (now Uki City), Japan）
Died
1988-02-28 age 61
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kumamoto Prefecture (birthplace) → Beijing (lived ~6 years during middle school) → Oita Prefecture (education and later high school teacher) → Tokyo (Ministry of Justice employment and playwright career)

Career

Occupations
playwright, screenwriter, teacher
Active Years
1957-1988
Affiliations
Mugi no Kai (workers' theatre circle), Welfare Association for Korean Residents in Japan (employment), Ministry of Justice (employment)
Influenced By
Mantaro Kubota

Education

Oita College of Economics (specialized school)
Country: Japan
Experienced wartime student mobilization while enrolled
Kyushu Imperial University (now Kyushu University)
Faculty of Economics / Department of Economics
Country: Japan

Awards

Kishida Kunio Drama Award (8th)
Work: "Nippon People's Republic"; "Mechanism Operation"
Organization: Kishida Kunio Drama Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Arts Festival Encouragement Award (Script)
Work: “Meiji no Hitsugi”
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Festival)
Result: 受賞（奨励賞・脚本）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

When We Sing

1957 play/drama

An early notable work portraying conflicts and hopes within a workplace theatre circle.

workplaceworkers' conflicthope

Nippon People's Republic

political drama/play

Depicts the outcome of the Feb. 1 general strike from grassroots unions, exploring contradictions between leaders and the masses.

revolutionleaders vs. masseslabor movement

Mechanism Operation

play

One of his plays dealing with political and social themes.

politicssociety

Meiji's Coffin

1962 revolutionary drama/play

Counted among his revolutionary tetralogy; premiered in 1962.

revolutionhistoryleadership and populace

The True Story of Ah Q (Adaptation/Spin-off)

play

A work using Lu Xun's character to explore China-Japan relations.

Chinacultural exchangehistory

Legend of Beautiful Things

ensemble drama/play

Portrays a group of Taisho-era intellectuals; continues to be staged repeatedly.

historyintellectualsensemble

Dream — The Tale of Momochuken Gyuuemon

1976 play

A play centered on Miyazaki Toten; production faced interference from the Chinese embassy due to political currents in the Cultural Revolution era.

Chinabiographical elementspolitics

Hana Ichimonme

play

One of his plays dealing with China-Japan relations.

Chinarelations

Bibliography

  • Collected Plays of Ken Miyamoto (6 vols., Hakusuisha, 1989)
  • Ken Miyamoto Essay Collection (4 vols., Ichiyosha, 2017-20)
  • How to Write Drama (Meiji Shoin, revised ed. 1979)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
politically charged realismensemble character portrayalssocially engaged drama
Recurring Motifs
revolution and leader-vs-masses contradictionsSino-Japanese relationswomen's perspectives and interpersonal relationships

Health

  • lung cancer
    〜1988年2月（死亡）
    Died of lung cancer in 1988. Likely affected his late-career activities.

Legacy

One of the representative playwrights of postwar Japanese political and social drama. His revolutionary works and plays addressing China have been highly regarded and continue to be staged into the 21st century.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Playwrights Association

Trivia

  • Spent about six years in Beijing during middle school.
  • Worked at the Ministry of Justice while engaging in theatre activities, later becoming a professional playwright.
  • The 1957 play 'When We Sing' is considered his de facto debut.
  • Died of lung cancer in 1988.