Japanese Literary Awards

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Rie Muranaka

むらなか りえ

Muranaka Rie

Pen Names: Rie Muranaka（Pen name used for literary and public activities. Birth name is Hisako Takahashi.）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1958-10-21 （Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi → Tsukuba, Ibaraki → Residences in Yamaguchi area (for university positions) and other locations

Career

Occupations
Children's literature author, Picture-book author, Child education scholar, University professor
Active Years
1983-
Affiliations
Yamaguchi Prefectural University, Baiko Gakuin / Meiko Gakuin University, Notre Dame Seishin University, Japan Children's Literature Association, The Japanese Society of Children's Literature, Picture Book Society
Memberships
Japan Children's Literature Association, The Japanese Society of Children's Literature, Picture Book Society
Influenced By
Mikio Ando

Education

University of Tsukuba
College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Human Sciences)
Degree: Bachelor
Period: 1978-1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: Japan
Japan Women's University, Graduate School
Graduate School of Home Economics / Children's Literature Studies
Degree: Master
Period: 1981-1983
Year of Graduation: 1983
Country: Japan
Studied under Mikio Ando

Awards

Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award
1984
Work: Kamusahamunida
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Culture Prize
1985
Work: The Little Bed
Organization: Sankei (Sankei Shimbun)
Result: 受賞
Noma Children's Literature Award
1990
Work: Onee-chan
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: 受賞
Japan Children's Literature Association Prize
2013
Work: Char Siu Moon
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Picture-book Research Prize
2017
Work: Picture-book Reading for Long-term Hospitalized Children
Organization: Japan Picture-book Research Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Tsubota Joji Literature Award
2019
Work: Arara's Field
Organization: Tsubota Joji Literature Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kamusahamunida

1983 Children's literature / Picture book

An early picture-book work; a short picture book that gently depicts cultural and linguistic exchange.

cultural exchangelanguage

The Little Bed

1984 Children's literature / Picture book

A gentle story for young children, carefully portraying a small everyday event.

everyday lifefamily

Onee-chan

1989 Children's literature

A work that sensitively portrays sibling relationships and children's emotions.

familygrowing up

Char Siu Moon

2012 Children's literature / Picture book

A work that stimulates children's imagination through scenes of food and family.

foodfamilyimagination

Arara's Field

2019 Children's literature / Picture book

A story set around nature and fields, a book that resonates with children's sensibilities.

natureeveryday life

Bibliography

  • Kamusahamunida
  • The Little Bed
  • Thank You, Teacher
  • Onee-chan
  • To Shi Ma Sa
  • Tamagoyaki and Sausages
  • Sketches of Living: Picture Books, Children, and Me
  • Char Siu Moon
  • Arara's Field

Adaptations

  • NHK ETV Special: "The Mirror I Held Inside the Wall" (feature including the author)

Translations by Author

  • Nothing at All (by Wanda Gág) — translated into Japanese by Rie Muranaka

Style & Themes

Literary Style
gentle narrative voicesimple expressions suited for childrena dialogic style mindful of shared reading
Recurring Motifs
familysmall everyday discoveriesshared reading / bibliotherapynature and daily life

Legacy

As a children's literature and picture-book author, she has contributed for decades to creative work and the spread of reading therapy and book-communication. As a university professor she has trained many successors. With numerous awards, she is regarded as a figure connecting practical research and creative work in contemporary Japanese children's literature.

Academic Societies

  • The Japanese Society of Children's Literature
  • Picture Book Society

Archives

  • National Diet Library (collections and author records)
  • Authority records registered in VIAF / ISNI / WorldCat

In Popular Culture

  • Featured in NHK ETV special (2023)

Trivia

  • Birth name is Hisako Takahashi.
  • Won the Tsubota Joji Literature Award in 2019.
  • Appeared in an NHK ETV special "The Mirror I Held Inside the Wall" (2023).
  • Authority identifiers (ISNI, VIAF, NDL, etc.) are registered.