Japanese Literary Awards

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Norio Taoka

たおか のりお

Taoka Norio

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1908-09-01 （Kochi Prefecture, Japan）
Died
1982-04-07 age 73
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kochi Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Paris, France → Atami (Momoyama), Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
1938-1981
Affiliations
Shintaka-kai (literary group)
Influenced By
Kan Kikuchi, Kōtarō Tanaka, Shin Hasegawa, Shūgorō Yamamoto, Seiji Haji, Reiun Taoka (uncle)

Education

Tosa Middle School
Country: Japan
Kochi First Middle School (now Kochi Prefectural Kochi Otemae High School)
Country: Japan
Tokyo Prefectural First Middle School (dropped out; now Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School)
Country: Japan
Dropped out
Waseda First High School (enrolled 1926; withdrew)
Period: 1926 - 0
Country: Japan
Enrolled 1926; withdrew
Studied in Paris
Country: France
Studied abroad in Paris
Studied at Onoe Kikugoro's acting school
Country: Japan
Studied at an actor training school

Awards

Naoki Prize
1943
Work: Kyojo Ichigo
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: Winner
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1979
Work: Novel: Nonaka Kenzan
Organization: Mainichi Shimbun
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kyojo Ichigo

1943 Short story

A short story that won the Naoki Prize. Detailed plot summaries are not consistently available in source materials.

Human dramaHumor

Novel: Nonaka Kenzan

1978 Historical novel

A three-volume historical novel centered on a real historical figure associated with Kochi. Written with attention to regional history; it won the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award.

Regional historyReform and power

Shibaten

1938 Novel

One of his early works, privately published.

Local colour

Buben Tosa Monogatari

1942 Historical fiction

A work collecting tales and historical-themed stories set in Tosa (Kochi), often focusing on martial tales.

TosaSamurai

Bibliography

  • Shibaten
  • Buben Tosa Monogatari
  • Kyutan Hankoron
  • Tosa Kinno-to Gaishi Vol.1–2
  • Gonkuro Travel Diary: From Tosa to Edo
  • Gonkuro Edo Diary
  • Nankai Suikoden
  • Gonkuro Pilgrimage Diary
  • Storm in Siam
  • The Golden Calendar
  • Gonkuro Homecoming Diary
  • Nabemasu Nagaya
  • The Rainbow Sword
  • Windsnapped Reed: Extra Stories of the Tosa Kinno-to
  • The Catfish Wife
  • Furisode Tengu
  • Shibaten Enoki
  • Henohenomoheji (Mohei)
  • Nanshu: Saigō Takamori
  • Princess: Itbun Tosa Diary
  • Hands in the Pocket
  • Shibaten Portraits
  • Shikoku Road (ed.)
  • Nankoku Fudoki
  • Slow Samurai
  • The Angry Samurai
  • Han and Chu Military Tales
  • House of the Haze
  • Tokaidochu Hizakurige: A Journey through History and Literature
  • Novel: Nonaka Kenzan (3 vols)
  • Toto-majiri: Forty Years at the Margins of the Literary World
  • Collected Works of Norio Taoka

Translations by Author

  • Mrs. Miniver (translated from Jean Strasser)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Narrative emphasizing historical descriptionRealistic style with strong local colour
Recurring Motifs
Tosa (Kochi) regional settingSamurai and loyalist movementsJourneys and peregrinations

Legacy

Recognized as a historical novelist from Kochi; winner of the Naoki Prize (1943) and the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (1979). Known for works rich in local color and stories based on historical facts.

Archives

  • Holdings at the National Diet Library (Japan)
  • Kochi Shimbun archives (regional materials)

Trivia

  • Studied under Kan Kikuchi and Kōtarō Tanaka.
  • Won the Naoki Prize in 1943 for the short story 'Kyojo Ichigo'.
  • Won the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award in 1979 for 'Novel: Nonaka Kenzan'.
  • His father served as an executive at Toa Cement; his mother was a local leader in the Japanese Christian Women's Temperance Union.
  • Studied in Paris and attended Onoe Kikugoro's actor school.