Noma Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 18 (1965) award
Tatsuo Nagai
ながい たつお
Nagai Tatsuo
Pen Names:
Tōmonkyo（Haiku pen name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1904-05-20 （Sarugaku-chō, Kanda Ward, Tokyo City (now Sarugaku-chō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)）
- Died
- 1990-10-12 （Katsura-machi, Sakae Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan） age 86
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Sarugaku-chō, Kanda, Tokyo (then Tokyo City) → Kamakura City (resident from 1934 until death) → Katsura-machi, Sakae Ward, Yokohama (place of death)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Essayist, Editor
- Active Years
- 1920-1990
- Affiliations
- Bungeishunju Ltd., Hibiya Publishing, Kamakura Museum of Literature (first director)
- Memberships
- Japan Art Academy, Akutagawa Prize Selection Committee (member), Naoki Prize Selection Committee (member)
- Influenced By
- Kikuchi Kan, Yokomitsu Riichi, Kobayashi Hideo
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinka Elementary School (Ochanomizu Elementary School, Chiyoda Ward) | — | — | — | 1911-1919 | Japan |
| Hitotsubashi Higher Elementary School | — | — | — | 1919 | Japan |
Kinka Elementary School (Ochanomizu Elementary School, Chiyoda Ward)
Period:
1911-1919
Country:
Japan
Hitotsubashi Higher Elementary School
Period:
1919
Year of Graduation:
1919
Country:
Japan
Graduated from higher elementary school; did not continue to higher education due to family circumstances and entered the workforce.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Yokomitsu Riichi Prize | Asagiri (Morning Mist) | — | Yokomitsu Riichi Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1965 | Noma Literary Prize | Ikko, etc. | — | Noma Cultural Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1966 | Japan Art Academy Prize | Selected works including 'Ikko' etc. | — | Japan Art Academy | 受賞 |
| 1969 | Yomiuri Literary Prize | From My Scrapbook | — | Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
| 1972 | Yomiuri Literary Prize | To Cochabamba | 小説賞 | Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
| 1972 | Kikuchi Kan Prize | — | — | Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1974 | Order of the Sacred Treasure, Second Class | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 1973 | Person of Cultural Merit | — | — | Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan | 顕彰 |
| 1975 | Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize | Aki (Autumn) | — | Kawabata Yasunari Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1981 | Order of Culture | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
Yokomitsu Riichi Prize
1949
Work:
Asagiri (Morning Mist)
Organization:
Yokomitsu Riichi Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Noma Literary Prize
1965
Work:
Ikko, etc.
Organization:
Noma Cultural Foundation
Result:
受賞
Japan Art Academy Prize
1966
Work:
Selected works including 'Ikko' etc.
Organization:
Japan Art Academy
Result:
受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize
1969
Work:
From My Scrapbook
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize
1972
Work:
To Cochabamba
Category:
小説賞
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1972
Organization:
Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Second Class
1974
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Person of Cultural Merit
1973
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Result:
顕彰
Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize
1975
Work:
Aki (Autumn)
Organization:
Kawabata Yasunari Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Order of Culture
1981
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Awards & Nominations
Japan Art Academy Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 22 (1966) award
Yomiuri Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 24 (1972) award
Kikuchi Kan Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 26 (1972) award
Kawabata Yasunari Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1975) award
Works
Major Works
Asagiri (Morning Mist)
1949 Short storiesA collection of short stories portraying subtle human emotions. Through small postwar everyday episodes, it depicts characters' inner lives with fine detail.
human feelingseveryday lifefamily
Ikko, etc.
1965 Short story collectionA volume of short stories noted for character observation and depictions of daily life; contains pieces that won the Noma Literary Prize.
character studypetty-bourgeois life
Sekihan Tokyo Zue (Lithographic Tokyo Pictures)
1967 Essays / SketchesAn essay collection sketching Tokyo scenes and people as if lithographs; focuses on urban life and its small details.
urban landscapesmemory
From My Scrapbook
1968 Essays / TravelogueA collection of essays and travel pieces, including columns originally serialized in newspapers; written in a reflective, personal tone.
personal essaystraveleveryday life
To Cochabamba
1972 Novel / Short novelA novel with travelogue elements; through foreign landscapes it explores human relationships and behavior.
travelforeign landshuman relations
Bibliography
- Ehon (Picture Book) (Shikisha, 1934)
- Ah, This One Ball (Kobunsha, 1949)
- Tebukuro no Katappo (One Glove) (1949)
- Asagiri (Morning Mist) (Kaizosha)
- Hatoya (Pigeon House) (Shikisha)
- White Dog (Sogensha)
- Rapeseed Flowers (Ikeda Shoten)
- The Wind Again (Asahi Shimbun Publishing)
- Which Way Tomorrow? (Mainichi Shimbun Publishing)
- One Seat Is Open (Yomiuri Shimbun Publishing)
- Street Lamp (Bungeishunju)
- Cherry (Shinchosha)
- Nutcracker (Shikisha)
- Tea Time (Shikisha)
- A Distant Profile (Shinchosha)
- Square Egg (Bungeishunju)
- Song of Leaving the Nest (Shinchosha)
- Addition and Subtraction (Toho-sha)
- Women's Shoes (Masu Shobo)
- Sake Drunkard Tales (Shikisha)
- Morning and Afternoon (Shinchosha)
- All of That Fire (Kodansha)
- Fountain (Mainichi Shimbun Publishing)
- Kikuchi Kan (Jiji Press)
- Kōkichi Happō Korogashi (Chikuma Shobo)
- Dishes and Dishes (Kawade Shobo Shinsha)
- Big Bugs and Small Bugs (Chikuma Shobo)
- Smoke, Oh Smoke (Chikuma Shobo)
- Margins of the Calendar (Kodansha)
- Early Summer Rain (Kodansha)
- Someone Else's Hat (Kodansha)
- From My Scrapbook (Kodansha)
- Ashtray Selections (Kodansha)
- This Man: Yoshida Hideo (Dentsu)
- The Past and Present of the Literary Haiku Meetings (Bungeishunju)
- To Cochabamba (Kodansha)
- Sparrow's Egg and Others (Kodansha)
- Chatter: Clothing, Food, Shelter (Kodansha)
- Eleven Self-selected Works (Shinchosha)
- Tie Width (Kodansha)
- Black Rice (Naruse Shobo)
- Tatsuo Nagai Haiku Collection (Gogatsu Shobo)
- Sugoroku of One's Surroundings (Shinchosha)
- Ten Days of Flowers (Kodansha)
- Birds in the Clouds (Gogatsu Shobo)
- Recollections of the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes (Bungeishunju)
- Evening Mood (Kodansha)
- Autumn and Others (Kodansha)
- Wind at the Edge: Essay Collection (Kodansha)
- My Wife Education (Kodansha)
- On the Fallen Leaves (Asahi Shimbun Publishing)
- Hepoko Teacher and Others (Kodansha Bunko)
- Tokyo Alleyways (Kodansha)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Subtle portrayal of human emotionsCalm, restrained proseEssayistic, lyrical narration
- Recurring Motifs
- everyday detailsfamily and human kindnessdowntown Tokyo settingsKamakura landscapes
Health
-
Chest illness (early years)1919-1920頃Caused him to leave his job at a rice wholesaler after three months and contributed to his shift toward literary pursuits.
-
Myocardial infarction1990年Direct cause of death on October 12, 1990 at Yokohama Sakae Rosai Hospital.
Legacy
Tatsuo Nagai was a masterful writer of short stories and essays known for his delicate depictions of human feeling. As an editor he significantly influenced postwar Japanese literature, participated in administration of the Akutagawa and Naoki prizes, and was recognized as a member of the Japan Art Academy and a recipient of the Order of Culture.
Museums
- Kamakura Museum of Literature Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan Opened in 1985
Academic Societies
- Japan Art Academy
Archives
- Kodansha (Holds the complete works of Tatsuo Nagai)
- Kamakura Museum of Literature (archives)
In Popular Culture
- Featured in exhibits at the Kamakura Museum of Literature and used as material in literary history education.
Trivia
- Haiku pen-name: 'Tōmonkyo'.
- At age 16 his story 'Kappanya no hanashi' won a prize, launching his literary career.
- Long-time editor at Bungeishunju and involved in administration of the Akutagawa and Naoki prizes.
- Purged from public office by GHQ in 1947; the purge was lifted in 1948.
- First director of the Kamakura Museum of Literature (1985).
- Posthumous Buddhist name: 'Tōmon-koji'.
- Buried at Saikai-ji Temple in Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo.