Japanese Literary Awards

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Shun Nakahara

なかはら しゅん

Nakahara Shun

Pen Names: Toshihiro Nakahara（Birth name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1951-05-25 （Kusamuta, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Film director, University professor
Active Years
1976-
Affiliations
Professor, Japan Institute of the Moving Image
Influenced By
Seijun Suzuki, Nobuhiko Obayashi, Kon Ichikawa, Kichitaro Negishi

Education

La Salle Junior and Senior High School
Country: Japan
Attended junior and senior high school
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters / Department of Religious Studies
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Department of Religious Studies (year unspecified)

Awards

Japan Academy Prize (Outstanding Director Award)
1991
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 優秀監督賞
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize (Outstanding Picture Award)
1991
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 優秀作品賞
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Kinema Junpo — Best Director (Japan)
1991
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 日本映画監督賞
Organization: Kinema Junpo Co.
Result: 受賞
Kinema Junpo Best Ten (No.1, Japan)
1991
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 日本映画ベスト・テン
Organization: Kinema Junpo Co.
Result: 第1位
Mainichi Film Concours (Outstanding Japanese Film Award)
1991
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 日本映画優秀賞
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Yokohama Film Festival (Best New Director)
1983
Work: Fukisare Shigan
Category: 新人監督賞
Organization: Yokohama Film Festival Committee
Result: 受賞
Yokohama Film Festival (Best Director)
1991
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 監督賞
Organization: Yokohama Film Festival Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology — Newcomer Award)
1990
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 文部科学大臣新人賞（映画）
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Takasaki Film Festival (Best Film)
1990
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 最優秀作品賞
Organization: Takasaki Film Festival Committee
Result: 受賞
Yamaji Fumiko Film Award
1990
Work: Sakura no Sono
Organization: Yamaji Fumiko Film Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Golden Arrow Award (Film)
1991
Work: Sakura no Sono
Category: 映画賞
Organization: Japan Magazine Publishers Association
Result: 受賞
Agency for Cultural Affairs — Excellent Film Award
1992
Work: 12 Gentle Japanese
Category: 優秀映画作品賞
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Japan Film Critics Award (Best Film)
2000
Work: Cochylis / Kokiyu (Kaigara)
Category: 作品賞
Organization: Japan Film Critics Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Sakura no Sono

1990 Feature film

A character-driven drama based on a manga by Akimi Yoshida, centered on a school's drama club; sensitively portrays the emotions and growth of young women.

YouthFemale psychologyTheater
Adaptations
  • [Film (adapted from manga)] Sakura no Sono / 中原 俊 (1990)

12 Gentle Japanese

1991 Feature film

A chamber piece scripted by Koki Mitani, based on courtroom drama; mixes social themes about justice with comedic elements.

JusticeEnsemble dramaSocial satire

Fukisare Shigan

1982 Nikkatsu Roman Porno (adult film)

Debut film in the Nikkatsu Roman Porno series; marks his start in commercial adult cinema.

SexualityInterpersonal relationships

Kokiyu (Kaigara)

1999 Feature film

A 1999 feature centered on human drama; won the Japan Film Critics Award for Best Film.

FamilyRebirth

Bibliography

  • Fukisare Shigan (1982)
  • Dorei Keiyakusho: Mutsu to High Heel (1982)
  • Uno Koichiro's Sister Barber Shop (1983)
  • Sakura no Sono (1990)
  • 12 Gentle Japanese (1991)
  • Kokiyu (Kaigara) (1999)
  • Dentist (2000)
  • Things That Are Important for a Magician (2008)

Adaptations

  • Sakura no Sono (film adaptation of Akimi Yoshida's manga)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Cross-genre directionRealistic and delicate character depiction
Recurring Motifs
Female psychologyYouth and lossStories about theater/drama

Legacy

He began his career in Nikkatsu Roman Porno and broadened his scope to mainstream cinema and television. His success with Sakura no Sono established him as an important figure in 1990s Japanese film. He has also contributed to film education as a professor at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Institute of the Moving Image

Archives

  • allcinema (person data)
  • KINENOTE (person data)
  • Japanese Movie Database (JMDb)

In Popular Culture

  • Sakura no Sono is sometimes cited as a representative school film of the 1990s.

Trivia

  • He began his career in Nikkatsu Roman Porno.
  • He has served as a professor at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image.