Japanese Literary Awards

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Kinji Obata

おばた きんじ

Obata Kinji

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1928-06-12 （Asakusa, Tokyo City (now Taito, Tokyo), Japan）
Died
2011-02-17 （Kobe Kita Hotel, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan） age 82
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Asakusa (now Taito Ward, Tokyo) → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
playwright, scriptwriter, author
Active Years
1950-2011
Memberships
Tragedy & Comedy Playwright Research Group

Education

Tokyo Metropolitan Kyobashi Chemical Industrial School (later Tokyo Metropolitan Haneda Technical High School)
Country: Japan
Graduated from a technical/industrial school. Later became active in theatre after school.

Awards

2nd New Drama Playwright Award (later Kishida Kunio Drama Award)
1956
Work: Kiseiji (title transliteration)
Organization: Tragedy & Comedy Playwright Research Group / New Drama Playwright Award committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists
1975
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan) / related body
Result: 受賞
Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award (Grand Prize)
1994
Work: The House of Kumagusu
Category: 大賞
Organization: Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award committee
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1995
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (4th class)
2001
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
13th Tsuruya Nanboku Playwright Award
2010
Work: Kobe Kita Hotel
Organization: Tsuruya Nanboku Playwright Award committee
Result: 受賞
Yamamoto Yasuhide Memorial Fund (recipient)
1999
Organization: Yamamoto Yasuhide Association
Result: 贈呈

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kiseiji

1956 play

An early representative play dealing with interpersonal conflict in modern society.

human relationshipssocial conflict

Kaachan

1976 play

A work focused on family with comedic elements; staged at Meitetsu Hall in 1976.

familyhumor

Akasatana

play

One of his plays; the title evokes the sequence of Japanese syllables.

everyday lifelinguistic play

Three Old Women (Sanba)

play (stage adaptation of Sawako Ariyoshi's novel)

Stage adaptation of Sawako Ariyoshi's novel depicting interactions and psychology of elderly women.

old agewomenfamily

The House of Kumagusu

1994 historical/biographical play

A biographical play centered on Minakata Kumagusu, portraying his family and episodes from his life.

biographyfamilyscholarship and humanity

Negishian Ritsume (Negishi-an Ritsujo)

play

A play about Masaoka Shiki and his sister Ritsu, exploring family and literary connections.

literary historyfamily

Kobe Kita Hotel

2010 play

Award-winning 2010 play that depicts human relationships set in a hotel.

human dramacontained setting

Bibliography

  • Kinji Obata Plays Collection 1
  • Igossou Danroku
  • A Woman's Legacy
  • The House of Kumagusu / Negishian Ritsujo (Plays Collection)
  • Comedy: Neighbor War (Plays Collection)
  • Asakusa Story (Plays Collection)
  • Biography: Kikuta Kazuo

Adaptations

  • Genroku Taiheiki (NHK Taiga drama - contributed as writer)
  • Saigetsu (TV drama)
  • The Funeral (TV/Stage production)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A style that weaves biographical elements about historical figuresRealist approach probing everyday life and family subtletiesBlend of humor and pathos
Recurring Motifs
familyhistorical figuresnostalgia/regional characterslices of everyday life

Health

  • lung cancer
    2010-2011
    Contracted lung cancer in late years; died of the disease in 2011. It affected his late-period activities.

Legacy

Kinji Obata left significant achievements in postwar Japanese theatre, earning acclaim for historical and family dramas. He received awards in the Kishida Kunio lineage, the Kikuta Kazuo Grand Prize, and national honors, securing a respected place in modern Japanese drama.

Trivia

  • Won the 2nd New Drama Playwright Award in 1956 for 'Kiseiji' (an award later associated with the Kishida Kunio Drama Award).
  • Received the Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award (Grand Prize) for 'The House of Kumagusu.'
  • Awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1995 and the Order of the Rising Sun (4th class) in 2001.
  • Has at times been described as a successor to Kikuta Kazuo.