Japanese Literary Awards

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Shigeru Nishimura

にしむら しげる

Nishimura Shigeru

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1925-04-07 （Nagoya, Aichi, Japan）
Died
2016-05-21 age 91
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nagoya, Aichi (birth) → Shizuoka Prefecture (residence while working as househusband)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Scriptwriter
Active Years
1952-2016

Awards

Japan Non-Fiction Prize
1975
Work: Neither Rain Nor Wind (literal: 'Not Defeated by Rain or Wind')
Result: 受賞
Robo no Ishi Literary Prize
1985
Work: Mother-Longing Wandering Diary (Shakunage no Uta)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Youth Discarded

1952 Novel

Debut work. A semi-autobiographical novel portraying postwar youth.

postwaryouthorphanhood

Yakuza Teacher

1957 Novel

A story about a teacher and delinquent youth. Adapted into a 1960 film starring Yujiro Ishihara, produced by Nikkatsu.

educationdelinquent youthrehabilitation
Adaptations
  • [Film] Yakuza Teacher (1960)

Neither Rain Nor Wind: The Distorted Tracks of 130,000 War Orphans

1975 Non-fiction

A reportage on war orphans, examining the social realities of tens of thousands of children affected by war.

war orphanssocial issuesreportage

Confections Wanderer's Notes

1976 Children's literature / Essay-like travelogue

Selected as a school reading for nationwide youth book report contest. Through sweets, the book recounts people's lives and memories.

local culturefood culturememory
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Okashi Hourouki (TV adaptation) (1976)
  • [Film] Eclair: Okashi Hourouki (2011)

Mother-Longing Wandering Diary (Shakunage no Uta)

1976 Essays / Reportage

A collection centered on longing for one's mother. The work and related activity earned the Robo no Ishi Literary Prize in 1985.

familymaternal longingmemoir

Bibliography

  • Youth Discarded
  • Records of a Youth That Does Not Laugh
  • Yakuza Teacher
  • Lovers Without Sunshine
  • Delinquent Boys
  • Neither Rain Nor Wind: The Distorted Tracks of 130,000 War Orphans
  • Shakunage Poems (Mother-Longing Wandering Diary)
  • Confections Wanderer's Notes
  • The Bomb Did Not Fall: Hiroshima...My Love
  • A Father's One Song
  • Confections Wanderer's Notes Continued
  • Confections Wanderer's Notes: Conclusion
  • Songs That Survived the Flames of War: Mikazuki-sensei and Three Children

Adaptations

  • Yakuza Teacher (1960 film)
  • Okashi Hourouki (1976 TV drama)
  • Eclair: Okashi Hourouki (2011 film)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic, unadorned proseReportage-like depictions sympathetic to everyday people
Recurring Motifs
orphanhood and youthfamily and maternal longingpoverty and rehabilitation

Health

  • Multiple organ failure
    2016
    Died of multiple organ failure in May 2016

Legacy

Known for works depicting postwar common people and youth. His children's literature and reportage reached wide readership and received popular recognition through film and TV adaptations.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (authority/archival records)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of 'Yakuza Teacher' (1960)
  • TV (1976) and film (2011) adaptations of 'Okashi Hourouki'

Trivia

  • Became an orphan after losing his mother at age 6 and his father at age 9
  • His eldest daughter is screenwriter Maki Matsumoto (pen name Nishimoto Maki)
  • 'Okashi Hourouki' was selected as a required reading for the nationwide youth book report contest