Japanese Literary Awards

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Tsutomu Mizukami

みずかみ つとむ

Mizukami Tsutomu

Pen Names: Mizukami Tsutomu (Mizukami Tsutomu as variant)（Pseudonym used early in his career）, Mizukami Wakasao（Pen name used in some magazines and short pieces）, Mizukami Shuei（One of the monastic names used after ordination）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1919-03-08 （Hongo Village, Oi District, Fukui Prefecture, Japan (now Oi Town)）
Died
2004-09-08 （Tomi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan） age 85
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Buddhism (Rinzai Zen)
Residence History
Fukui Prefecture (birthplace) → Kyoto (monastic training in youth) → Tokyo (base during early literary career) → Karuizawa (vacation home) → Tomi, Nagano Prefecture (later life)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Playwright, Essayist, Translator
Active Years
1947-2004
Affiliations
Japan–China Cultural Exchange Association (executive director), Japan Writers' Association (board member), Wakashu Itteki Bunko (founder/host)
Memberships
Japan Art Academy, Japan Writers' Association, Naoki Prize selection committee (from 1966); Akutagawa Prize selection committee (1985–1990)
Influenced By
Koji Uno, Seicho Matsumoto

Education

Ritsumeikan University
Faculty of Letters, Department of Japanese Literature / Japanese Literature
Period: 1937 - 中退
Country: Japan
Enrolled in 1937; dropped out

Awards

Japan Detective Writers Club Award
1961
Work: Sea's Fang
Organization: Japan Detective Writers Club
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
1961
Work: The Temple of the Wild Geese
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Bungei Shunju Readers' Award
1965
Work: Castle
Organization: Bungeishunju
Result: 受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1971
Work: Biography of Uno Koji
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize
1973
Work: Stories of Women of the North / The Soldier's Mane
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize
1975
Work: Ikkyu
Organization: Tanizaki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Kawabata Yasunari Literary Award
1977
Work: Teradomari
Organization: Kawabata Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Art Award
1984
Work: Ryokan
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Japan Art Academy Prize & Imperial Award
1986
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: 受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
1998
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 顕彰
Shinran Prize
2002
Work: Kyotake no Fue (The Bamboo Flute)
Organization: Shinran Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays (posthumous)
2004
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 授与（没時）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Temple of the Wild Geese

1961 Autobiographical/literary novel with mystery elements

A semi‑autobiographical novel based on Mizukami's experiences at a Zen temple, exploring human guilt, fate and suffering; it uses elements of mystery to deepen character study.

Zen Buddhismfateatonementstruggles of ordinary people
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Temple of the Wild Geese / 川島雄三 (1962)

Hunger Strait

1963 Social‑problem mystery novel

A major social‑problem mystery novel that builds on real events such as the Toyamaru disaster to examine human drama and societal issues.

social issuesdisaster and responsibilitystruggle for survival
Adaptations
  • [Film] Hunger Strait / 内田吐夢 (1965)
  • [Television] Hunger Strait (TV drama) (1968)

Sea's Fang

1960 Social‑problem novel with mystery elements

A novel treating Minamata‑type disease (fictionalized as 'Mizugata disease'), addressing pollution, corporate responsibility and victims' suffering.

pollutionaccountabilityvictims' perspective
Adaptations
  • [Television] Angry City (based on Sea's Fang) (1962)

Echizen Bamboo Dolls

1963 Fictional folk tale / regional literature

A story centered on bamboo dolls and regional craft traditions; it was adapted to film and stage and helped popularize bamboo‑doll craft in the Hokuriku region.

traditional craftsregional culturepuppetry
Adaptations
  • [Film] Echizen Bamboo Dolls / 吉村公三郎 (1963)

Gobancho Yūgiri‑ro

1963 Novel (historical / human drama)

Uses motifs from incidents such as the burning of Kinkaku‑ji to depict the suffering and passions of people from rural backgrounds.

fate and loveurban‑rural contrast
Adaptations
  • [Film] Gobancho Yūgiri‑ro / 田坂具隆 (1963)

Bunna, Come Down from the Tree

1972 Children's literature

A children's fable that gently explores life and nature; adapted for theater and animated film and performed/screened internationally.

view of natureeducation about lifefolkloric imagination
Adaptations
  • [Animated film] Bunna, Come Down from the Tree (animated film) (1986)

Burning of the Kinkaku

1979 Historical novel / crime‑inspired fiction

Follows the upbringing and inner life of the Kinkaku‑ji arsonist, portraying Kyoto's culture and the lives of the marginal people who sustained it.

beauty and destructionmarginalized communitieshistorical memory

Ikkyu

1975 Biographical novel

A biographical novel of the Zen monk Ikkyu Soshun, exploring his life and thought from a perspective attuned to ordinary people.

Zenreligious historylives of common people

Bibliography

  • The Temple of the Wild Geese
  • Fog and Shadow
  • Sea's Fang
  • Hunger Strait
  • Echizen Bamboo Dolls
  • Burning of the Kinkaku
  • Ikkyu
  • Ryokan
  • Bunna, Come Down from the Tree

Adaptations

  • The Temple of the Wild Geese (film, 1962)
  • Hunger Strait (film, 1965)
  • Echizen Bamboo Dolls (film, 1963)
  • Gobancho Yūgiri‑ro (film, 1963)
  • Bunna, Come Down from the Tree (animated film, 1986)

Translations by Author

  • Shinju Tenmōjima (modernized translation)
  • Nihon Reiiki (modern translation)
  • The Tale of the Heike (modern translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A lyrical, introspective style combining social‑problem mystery and autobiographical narrativeIncorporates Buddhist and historical perspectives
Recurring Motifs
Zen temples and monastic lifeRegional landscapes (Wakasa, Hokuriku)Poverty and everyday lifeSin and atonement

Health

  • Tuberculosis
    1938頃（満州滞在後に罹患）
    Returned to Japan for treatment; affected his life and writing.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
    1986頃〜
    Swelling and limited finger movement affected handwriting; it prompted engagement in craftwork and alternative creative activities.
  • Myocardial infarction
    1989（入院・治療）
    ICU treatment and prolonged recovery prompted a switch from handwritten manuscripts to word processors/Mac; the experience was reflected in subsequent essays.
  • Vitreous/retinal hemorrhage and detachment (left eye), cataract (right eye)
    1999〜2000頃
    Severe loss of left‑eye vision; adopted voice input and computing aids for writing.
  • Pneumonia (cause of death)
    2004-09-08
    Died of pneumonia on 2004‑09‑08 (aged 85).

Legacy

Mizukami established a distinct body of work that moved from social‑problem mysteries to autobiographical and biographical literature. His lyrical, regionally rooted style—often called the 'Mizukami style'—and numerous adaptations for film and television secure him an important place in postwar Japanese letters.

Museums

  • Wakashu Itteki Bunko Ooi Town, Fukui Prefecture, Japan Opened in 1985
  • Itteki‑sui Memorial House (family home relocated to Taiwan) Tamsui, New Taipei City, Taiwan Opened in 2010

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy
  • Japan Writers' Association

Archives

  • Wakashu Itteki Bunko (collection and archives)
  • Holdings in the National Diet Library and other major libraries

In Popular Culture

  • Numerous novels and stories were adapted to film and TV, bringing Mizukami's work to wide audiences.
  • 'The Temple of the Wild Geese', 'Hunger Strait', and 'Echizen Bamboo Dolls' are among the well‑known adaptations.

Quotes

  • I want to portray human beings.
    Source: Statement / essay (from interviews and essays)
  • One should think not about whom to kill but whom to keep alive.
    Source: 'Kinkaku and Minamata' and related essays

Trivia

  • The day of his death is called 'Kikan‑ki' (returning geese memorial) after his Naoki Prize work 'The Temple of the Wild Geese'.
  • At one period he produced up to 1,200 manuscript pages per month and was promoted as 'the man of 37 professions'.
  • He engaged in practical activities such as creating echizen bamboo dolls and making bamboo paper, and he ran a puppet troupe.