Japanese Literary Awards

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Minoru Nakamura

なかむら みのる

Nakamura Minoru

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1927-01-17 （Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Lawyer, Patent attorney, Poet, Critic
Active Years
1946-
Affiliations
Nakamura & Partners (patent law firm), Japan Trademark Association (former president / advisor), The Museum of Modern Japanese Literature (former director, honorary director), Japan Art Academy (member, served as division head), The Second Tokyo Bar Association
Memberships
Japan Art Academy
Influenced By
Osamu Dazai

Education

University of Tokyo
Faculty of Law / Department of Law
Degree: 法学士
Year of Graduation: 1950
Country: Japan

Awards

Takamura Kōtarō Prize
1967
Work: Ubara-sho
Organization: Shichosha / Takamura Kōtarō Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize (Poetry/Haiku)
1977
Work: Scenes of Flying Gnats
Category: 詩歌俳句部門
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Agency for Cultural Affairs Art Award (Minister of Education Award)
1988
Work: Collected Poems of Minoru Nakamura 1944–1986
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize (Criticism/Biography)
1992
Work: Ephemeral Phantoms
Category: 評論・伝記
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
1996
Work: Fuhan Hyotō
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Member of the Japan Art Academy
1998
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: 選出
Asahi Prize
2004
Work: My Showa History
Organization: Asahi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Art Award
2005
Work: My Showa History
Organization: Mainichi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Contemporary Poets Prize
2017
Work: On Words
Organization: Contemporary Poets Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
2010
Organization: Government of Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
Result: 顕彰

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ubara-sho

1967 Poetry collection

A collection of poems centered on lyricism and memory. Winner of the Takamura Kōtarō Prize.

memorynaturelyricism

Scenes of Flying Gnats

1977 Poetry collection

A series of short poems that keenly observe quotidian details. Winner of the Yomiuri Literary Prize.

everyday lifemomentsexistence

Collected Poems of Minoru Nakamura 1944–1986

1988 Poetry (collected works)

A selected collection surveying decades of his poetic work. Recipient of an Agency for Cultural Affairs art award.

postwarrecollectionlanguage

My Showa History

2004 Essays / Memoir

A memoir-essay recounting his postwar experiences and intersections with literature and culture. Awarded the Asahi Prize and Mainichi Art Award.

postwar historycultural commentaryautobiography

Bibliography

  • Collected Works of Minoru Nakamura (6 vols., ongoing)
  • My Showa History
  • Ubara-sho
  • Scenes of Flying Gnats
  • Collected Poems of Minoru Nakamura 1944–1986
  • Ephemeral Phantoms
  • Fuhan Hyotō
  • On Words

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical style emphasizing memorycriticism marked by juridical precision
Recurring Motifs
postwarmemory and timeexploration of languagedetails of everyday life

Legacy

Renowned for long-standing work as a poet and critic and for documenting postwar culture through essays and memoirs. Also recognized as an intellectual property expert, nicknamed "the Nakamura of IP."

Museums

  • The Museum of Modern Japanese Literature (associated)

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy
  • Japan Trademark Association

Archives

  • Minoru Nakamura Collection (Museum of Modern Japanese Literature)

Quotes

  • Words make our place to belong.
    Source: On Words (2016)

Trivia

  • Also known as an authority on intellectual property, nicknamed "the Nakamura of IP."
  • Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law (1950).
  • Served as director and later honorary director of the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature.