Japanese Literary Awards

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Mataji Miyamoto

みやもと またじ

Miyamoto Mataji

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1907-03-05 （Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Died
1991-03-12 age 84
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Osaka City (primary base) → Fukuoka City (worked at Kyushu University) → Nishinomiya (worked at Kwansei Gakuin University) → Fukuyama (worked at Fukuyama University)

Career

Occupations
historian, university professor
Active Years
1931-1991
Affiliations
Osaka University (Professor Emeritus), Kyushu University (Professor), Kwansei Gakuin University (Professor), Fukuyama University (Professor), The Japan Academy (member)
Memberships
The Japan Academy, The Society for the History of Business Administration (served as president)

Education

Kyoto Imperial University (now Kyoto University)
Faculty of Economics / Department of Economics
Degree: 学士
Period: ～1931
Year of Graduation: 1931
Country: Japan
Completed graduate work and served as an assistant at the same university
Kyushu University
Faculty of Economics / Graduate School of Economics (Doctoral)
Degree: 博士（経済学）
Period: ～1950
Year of Graduation: 1950
Country: Japan
Doctoral dissertation: 'Research on Edo-period Wholesale Merchants'

Awards

Nikkei Economic Book Culture Award
1958
Work: Osaka Machinin / Osaka Shonin: Continuation of Osaka Machinin
Organization: Nikkei Inc.
Result: 受賞
Japan Essayists' Club Award
1967
Work: Kansai and Kanto
Organization: Japan Essayists' Club
Result: 受賞
Onshi (Imperial) Prize / The Japan Academy Prize
1971
Work: Study of the Ono-Gumi
Organization: The Japan Academy
Result: 受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
1988
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Osaka Machinin (Osaka Townspeople)

1957 Japanese economic history / local history

A representative work examining the lives, commercial culture, and development of Osaka townspeople from the Edo period to modern times.

commercial historylocal culturetownspeople

Kansai and Kanto

1966 Essays / Comparative cultural history

An essay collection discussing cultural and economic differences and exchanges between Kansai and Kanto regions.

regional comparisoncultural differences

Study of the Ono-Gumi

1970 Business history / commercial history

A detailed multi-volume study analyzing the business history of the Ono family/firm from the early modern to modern period.

merchant family studiesbusiness history

Bibliography

  • Collected Works of Mataji Miyamoto (10 volumes)
  • Osaka Shonin (The Osaka Merchant)
  • Studies in Early Modern Japanese Business History

Adaptations

  • NHK Taiga Drama 'Toge no Gunzo' (supervisor)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly, explanatory proseincorporates local-history narrative elements
Recurring Motifs
biographies of wealthy merchantsOsaka regional characteristicsevolution of commercial management

Legacy

Renowned for studies of Japanese economic and commercial history centered on Osaka. Left a large body of work ranging from academic monographs to popular regional histories, influencing both scholars and general readers.

Academic Societies

  • The Japan Academy
  • The Society for the History of Business Administration

Archives

  • Osaka University Library (holds related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Involvement in historical reconstruction through supervision of NHK Taiga Drama 'Toge no Gunzo' (1982)

Trivia

  • His eldest son, Matao Miyamoto, is also a researcher of Japanese economic history (note: son named in sources as 宮本又郎).
  • His collected works span 10 volumes.