Naoki Sanjugo Award
1 appearances
Jirō Nitta
にった じろう
Nitta Jirō
Aliases:
藤原 寛人
Pen Names:
Jirō Nitta（Pen name derived from 'the second son of Shinden'）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1912-06-06 （Kakuma Shinden, Kamisuwa (Kamisuwa, Suwa District), Nagano Prefecture, Japan (now Suwa City)）
- Died
- 1980-02-15 （Musashino, Tokyo, Japan (home)） age 67
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Kakuma Shinden, Kamisuwa (now Suwa City), Nagano, Japan → Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Meteorologist
- Active Years
- 1932-1980
- Affiliations
- Central Meteorological Observatory (now Japan Meteorological Agency), Shintaka-kai (formerly participated), Member of 'Bungakusha' literary circle
- Influenced By
- Fumio Niwa, Sakpei Fujiwara (uncle, meteorologist)
- Influenced
- Writers of mountain novels, Authors who write about mountaineers
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suwa Middle School (old system; now Nagano Prefectural Suwa Seiryo High School) | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Wireless Telegraphy Training Institute (predecessor of the University of Electro-Communications) | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Kanda Denki School (predecessor of Tokyo Denki University) | — | — | — | 〜1935 | Japan |
Suwa Middle School (old system; now Nagano Prefectural Suwa Seiryo High School)
Country:
Japan
Completed the old-system middle school
Wireless Telegraphy Training Institute (predecessor of the University of Electro-Communications)
Country:
Japan
Completed a course at the training institute that later formed part of the University of Electro-Communications
Kanda Denki School (predecessor of Tokyo Denki University)
Period:
〜1935
Year of Graduation:
1935
Country:
Japan
Graduated in 1935
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Sunday Mainichi Popular Literature Prize (41st) First Prize | Kyōryokuden (submitted piece) | — | Sunday Mainichi | 一等（現代の部） |
| 1955 | Sunday Mainichi Popular Literature Prize (47th) | Yama-inu den | — | Sunday Mainichi | 入選／受賞 |
| 1956 | Naoki Prize (34th) | Kyōryokuden | — | Naoki Prize Selection Committee | 受賞 |
| 1974 | Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award (8th) | Takeda Shingen (and other works) | — | Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 1979 | Medal with Purple Ribbon | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 1980 | Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (4th class) | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 1955 | Minister of Transport Prize | Invention of a wireless robot rain gauge | — | Ministry of Transport (at the time) | 受賞 |
Sunday Mainichi Popular Literature Prize (41st) First Prize
1951
Work:
Kyōryokuden (submitted piece)
Organization:
Sunday Mainichi
Result:
一等（現代の部）
Sunday Mainichi Popular Literature Prize (47th)
1955
Work:
Yama-inu den
Organization:
Sunday Mainichi
Result:
入選／受賞
Naoki Prize (34th)
1956
Work:
Kyōryokuden
Organization:
Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result:
受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award (8th)
1974
Work:
Takeda Shingen (and other works)
Organization:
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1979
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (4th class)
1980
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Minister of Transport Prize
1955
Work:
Invention of a wireless robot rain gauge
Organization:
Ministry of Transport (at the time)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (1974) award
Works
Major Works
Kyōryokuden
1955 Short story collection / mountain fictionA collection of short stories set in and around mountains. One of his representative works; won the Naoki Prize.
man vs naturemountaineering accidentsweather and its effects
Kokō no Hito
1969 Long-form mountain novelA long novel portraying the life of a mountaineer and his solitary dedication; notable for meticulous field-research-based detail.
solitudechallengeconfrontation with nature
Hakkōda-san: Death's Wandering
1971 Historical / mountain narrative (based on true disaster)A depiction of the Meiji-era Hakkoda snow march disaster; known for its meticulous factual detail and adapted into a 1977 film.
historical disasterextreme conditionsorganizations and people
Adaptations
- [Film] Hakkoda / 森谷司郎 (1977)
Tsurugi-dake: Point Record
1977 Mountain documentary-style novelA narrative based on reporting and records about Mount Tsurugi, weaving in episodes of mountaineering history and surveying.
mountaineering historysurveying and recordscraftsmanship and technical work
Adaptations
- [Film] The Summit: Tsurugi - Record of the Point / 木村大作 (2009)
Takeda Shingen
1969 Historical novelAn extensive historical novel about the Sengoku warlord Takeda Shingen; written across multiple volumes and a major work in his historical fiction output.
Sengoku periodportrait of a warlordpower and fate
Adaptations
- [Television (Taiga drama)] Takeda Shingen (NHK Taiga drama) (1988)
Fujisan-chō (Summit of Mt. Fuji)
1967 Mountain novel / documentary elementsA novel drawing on his experiences with meteorological observation and construction (such as the Mt. Fuji radar), incorporating technical and human aspects.
meteorological observationtechnology and peoplemountain fieldwork
Adaptations
- [Film] Fujisan-chō / 村野鐵太郎 (1970)
Bibliography
- Kyōryokuden
- Kotō and Four Other Stories
- Hyōgen / Tori-bito den
- Kazan-gun
- Sōhyō
- Jūsōro
- Kokō no Hito
- Hakkōda-san: Death's Wandering
- Takeda Shingen (4 vols.)
- Tsurugi-dake: Point Record
- Fujisan-chō
- Seishoku no Hi
- Aru Machi no Takai Entotsu
- Kairyū
- Sabita Picquel
- Eikō no Iwabe
- Alaska Monogatari
- Shiroi Yachō
- Fuyuyama no Okite
- Sōhyō / Kamigami no Ishikabe
- Inu-zori Tsukai no Kamisama
- Ginrei no Hito
- Fuyō no Hito
- Autobiography I Couldn't Write as Fiction
- Koshū (unfinished)
- Ōkubo Nagayasu (unfinished)
- Tsubuyaki Iwa no Himitsu
- I Like White Flowers
Adaptations
- Hakkoda (film, 1977)
- Fujisan-chō (film, 1970)
- Tsurugi-dake: Point Record (film, 2009)
- Seishoku no Hi (film, 1978)
- A Town's Tall Chimney (film, 2019)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realistic descriptions based on field researchTechnically informed depictions (meteorology, surveying)Straightforward, readable prose
- Recurring Motifs
- man versus naturemountains and weatherchallenge and solitudework of technicians/craftsmen
Health
-
Myocardial infarction1980年2月（急性）Died suddenly of a myocardial infarction in February 1980; some works remained unfinished.
Legacy
Widely read for mountain and historical novels characterized by meticulous, field-research-based detail. He drew on his experience as a meteorological engineer and contributed to the development of Japanese mountain literature.
Museums
- Jirō Nitta Memorial Room (Suwa City Library) Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture (inside Suwa City Library)
- Jirō Nitta Memorial Monument (Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland) Near Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland
Academic Societies
- Jirō Nitta Memorial Society
- Shintaka-kai (literary group; formerly participated)
Archives
- Suwa City Library - Jirō Nitta Memorial Room (personal effects and library)
- Sakpei Fujiwara Memorial Room (adjacent exhibit at the same library)
In Popular Culture
- Film 'Hakkoda' (1977)
- Film 'Tsurugi-dake: Point Record' (2009)
- NHK Taiga drama 'Takeda Shingen' (1988)
- Film 'Fujisan-chō' (1970)
- Film 'A Town's Tall Chimney' (2019)
Trivia
- His pen name reportedly comes from 'the second son of Shinden.'
- Worked at the Central Meteorological Observatory and was involved in building the Mt. Fuji meteorological radar.
- Received the Minister of Transport Prize for inventing a wireless robotic rain gauge.
- Was interned at the end of World War II and, after repatriation, intensified his career as a writer.
- His wife Tei Fujiwara's bestselling book 'Nagareru Hoshi wa Ikiteiru' helped the family financially and enabled his writing career.
- Although regarded as a leading writer of mountain novels, he disliked being labeled simply as a 'mountain novelist.'