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Takehiko Noguchi

のぐち たけひこ

Noguchi Takehiko

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1937-06-28 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2024-06-09 （Japan） age 86
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
literary critic, Japanese literature scholar, intellectual historian, writer, university professor
Active Years
1962-2024
Affiliations
Kobe University (Associate Professor, Professor; Professor Emeritus), Harvard University (Visiting Researcher), Princeton University (Visiting Professor)
Influenced By
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Yukio Mishima, Kenzaburō Ōe, Ranshu Goi (as referenced in source materials)
Influenced
Kōji Tanaka

Education

Tokyo Metropolitan Toyama High School
Period: 〜1956年
Year of Graduation: 1956
Country: Japan
Graduated from high school
Waseda University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of Literature
Degree: 学士（文学）
Period: 1958-1962
Year of Graduation: 1962
Country: Japan
Graduated in 1962
University of Tokyo, Graduate School (Literature)
Faculty of Letters / Graduate School / Doctoral program (withdrew)
Period: 博士課程中退
Country: Japan
Withdrew from doctoral program at the University of Tokyo

Awards

Kamei Katsuichirō Award
1973
Work: On Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
Organization: Kamei Katsuichiro Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Suntory Academic Prize
1980
Work: The Historian of Edo
Organization: Suntory Foundation
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1986
Work: Reading The Tale of Genji from the Edo Period
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Selection Committee)
Result: 受賞
Watsuji Tetsurō Cultural Award
1992
Work: Edo Military Thought
Organization: Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize
2003
Work: Bakumatsu Mood
Organization: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The World of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

1968 literary criticism

A critical study of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's works and aesthetics, situating him within modern Japanese literature.

modern literatureaestheticsauthor study

On Jun Ishikawa

1969 literary criticism

An analysis of Jun Ishikawa's literary world, examining his themes and style.

author studystylistic analysis

After the Flood

1969 fiction (short story collection)

A collection of short stories depicting aspects of human psychology and society.

human psychologysocial depiction

The Historian of Edo — The Poison Called History

1979 history / essays

Using Edo-period sources and thought as a starting point, this accessible work discusses the meaning and pitfalls of historical narrative.

Edo culturehistorical interpretation

Reading The Tale of Genji from the Edo Period

1985 literary study / criticism

A re-reading of The Tale of Genji from Edo-period commentarial perspectives, clarifying its reception and interpretation in the Edo era.

The Tale of Genjireception historycommentary studies

Edo Military Thought

1991 intellectual history / history

A study based on sources that examines military thought in the Edo period and its links to politics and society.

military thoughtintellectual historybakuhan system

Bakumatsu Mood

2002 popular history

A popular-history treatment of figures, events, and social moods of the Bakumatsu period aimed at general readers.

Bakumatsuhistorical narrativebiographical studies

Bibliography

  • The World of Yukio Mishima (Kōdansha, 1968)
  • On Jun Ishikawa (Chikuma Shobō, 1969)
  • After the Flood (Kawade Shobō Shinsha, 1969)
  • Barks, Shouts, Silence (Shinchōsha, 1971)
  • Poetry and Truth in Edo Literature (Chūōkōronsha, 1971)
  • On Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (Chūōkōronsha, 1973)
  • Year of Harvest (Kawade Shobō Shinsha, 1973)
  • Travelers of Japan (Tankōsha, 1974)
  • Tokugawa Mitsukuni (Asahi Shimbun, 1976)
  • The Flag Burns Red (Shinchōsha, 1977)
  • The Poetics of Flowers (Asahi Shimbun, 1978)
  • The Historian of Edo (Chikuma Shobō, 1979)
  • "Evil" and Edo Literature (Asahi Sensho, 1980)
  • The World of the Japanese Language (Chūōkōronsha, 1980)
  • The Methods of Writers (Chikuma Shobō, 1981)
  • Days and Nights of Edo People (Chikuma Shobō, 1984)
  • A Hundred Night Processions of Edo (Pelicansha, 1985)
  • Reading The Tale of Genji from the Edo Period (Kōdansha, 1985)
  • Edo Military Thought (Chūōkōronsha, 1991)
  • Crystals of Modern Literature (Shinten-sha, 1991)
  • Chūshingura: The Akō Incident and the Voices of History (Chikuma Shinsho, 1994)
  • Bakumatsu Mood (Kōdansha, 2002)
  • Bakumatsu Legends (Kōdansha, 2003)
  • Hana no Chūshingura (Kōdansha, 2016)

Translations by Author

  • Masayoshi Andō's 'Shizen Shin'eidō' (editor/annotator, Kōdansha Academic Bunko, 2021)
  • John Naisbitt (?) 'A Biography of Yukio Mishima' (Japanese edition, editor/translator/annotator, Shinchōsha, 1976; new edition 2000)

Translations of Works

  • Hana no Chūshingura — Chinese edition available

Style & Themes

Literary Style
meticulous source-based critique and scholarly toneaccessible exposition of academic analysis for general readersessayistic style crossing criticism and historical narrative
Recurring Motifs
Edo periodBakumatsu (end of Tokugawa)Chūshingura / forty-seven roninearly-modern thought and Confucianism

Health

  • cerebral infarction (stroke)
    2010年以降
    Suffered a stroke around 2010; health affected but continued writing

Legacy

A literary critic and scholar of Japanese literature whose work ranged from early-modern intellectual history to modern literary studies. Balanced rigorous source-based scholarship with accessible works for general readers, received multiple awards, and mentored younger scholars.

In Popular Culture

  • The Chinese edition of 'Hana no Chūshingura' was published and gained attention in contemporary China

Trivia

  • Served as a leader in the All-Japan Student Council Federation (Zenjiren) during his Waseda University days
  • Suffered a stroke in 2010 but continued to write thereafter
  • 'Hana no Chūshingura' attracted attention abroad, including a Chinese-language edition