Japanese Literary Awards

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Takeo Oda

おだ たけお

Oda Takeo

Aliases: 小田武夫
Pen Names: Takeo Oda（Pen name (birth name: Oda Takeo)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1900-07-05 （Tatekasuga, Takada, Niigata, Japan (now Jōetsu)）
Died
1979-06-02 age 78
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, Chinese
Residence History
Takada (now Jōetsu), Niigata, Japan → Tokyo (Tokyo School of Foreign Languages; Ministry of Foreign Affairs) → Hangzhou, China (consular service) → Burma (military service; now Myanmar)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Translator, Diplomat
Active Years
1926-1979
Affiliations
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Asia Bureau), Shunyodo Publishing (worked on translations and editorial tasks), Literary circles 'Budouen' and 'Ondori (later Kirin)'
Memberships
'Budouen' literary circle member, 'Ondori' (later 'Kirin') literary circle member
Influenced By
Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Lin Yutang, Yu Dafu
Influenced
Osamu Dazai (friend; assisted with access to Chinese works)

Education

Tokyo School of Foreign Languages (former system; now Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
Chinese Studies / Chinese language
Country: Japan

Awards

Akutagawa Prize
1936
Work: Jōgai
Organization: Bungeishunju
Result: 受賞
Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize
1975
Work: Biography of Yu Dafu
Organization: Hirabayashi Taiko Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Jōgai

1936 Short story

A short story set against experiences in China (including Hangzhou). Winner of the 1936 Akutagawa Prize and one of his representative works addressing Chinese settings.

ChinaExoticism/foreign localesCultural exchange

Lu Xun: A Biography

1941 Biography

A biographical study of Lu Xun that introduces and analyzes his life and works, contributing to the introduction of Lu Xun in Japan.

Lu XunModern Chinese literatureTranslation and literary introduction

Yu Dafu: A Biography — His Poetry, Love and Japan

1975 Biography

A biography of Chinese writer Yu Dafu covering his poetry, life, and relations with Japan. Awarded the Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize.

Yu DafuSino-Japanese literary exchangeBiography

Whereabouts of Truth

1957 Novel / Reportage

A two-volume work based on reporting about the Matsukawa incident, dealing with social issues grounded in factual investigation.

Investigative reportingSocial issuesQuest for truth

Bibliography

  • Jōgai (Takemura Shobo, 1936)
  • China People, Culture, Scenery (Takemura Shobo, 1937)
  • Sketches of Hangzhou Castle (Hanga-sō, 1938)
  • Dirt River (Sunakoya Shobo, 1940)
  • Warm Nights (Jinbun Shoin, 1940)
  • Lu Xun: A Biography (Chikuma Shobo, 1941)
  • Yangtze River Literary Topography (Ryuginsha, 1941) — coauthored with Taijun Takeda
  • People of the Forbidden City (Bokusui Shobo, 1941)
  • Mainland Notebook (Takemura Shobo, 1942)
  • Burma War Poems (Bunrindo Sogyobo, 1943)
  • The Town Behind the River (Tōhōsha, 1949)
  • The Life of Lu Xun (Kamakura Bunko, 1949)
  • Lu Xun: A Biography (Kengen-sha 1953; Yamato Shobo 1966)
  • Widow Shigeo (Tōhōsha, 1956)
  • Whereabouts of Truth (Geibun Shoin, 1957) — 2 volumes
  • The Woman Who Crossed the River (Kō Shobo, 1958)
  • The Rose Room (Tōhōsha, 1960)
  • Homesickness (Gakushū Kenkyūsha, 1964)
  • Portraits of Literary Youth (Nanbokusha, 1964)
  • Wandering Chinese Writers (Gendai Shobo, 1965)
  • Biographies of Chinese Military Commanders (Jinbutsu Ōraisha, 1965)
  • Takuboku Ishikawa (Tsuru Shobo, 1967)
  • The Boxer Rebellion Incident (Shinchōsha, 1969)
  • Novel: Tsubota Jōji (Tōto Shobo, 1970)
  • The Peach Blossom Fan / Zhu Shunshui (Shinchōsha, 1971)
  • Winds of the Shimokita Peninsula (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha, 1972)
  • People Destroyed by Love: From Chikamatsu's Masterpieces (Yomiuri Shimbun, 1973)
  • Kōyō Sōshi (Sa-sa-ra Shobo, 1973)
  • Yu Dafu: A Biography — His Poetry, Love and Japan (Chūōkōronsha, 1975)
  • The Beauty of the Broken Bridge: Chinese Ghost Stories of Men and Women (Chūōkōronsha, 1978)
  • Recollections of Men of Letters (Fuyuki-sha, 1978)
  • Jōgai: Night Cherry Blossoms and Snow (Seieisha, 1979)
  • Moon over Mount Mikasa: Collected Works of Takeo Oda (Ozawa Shoten, 2000)

Translations by Author

  • Mao Dun — 'Dàguòdùqí' (translated, Daiichi Shobo, 1936)
  • Xiao Jun — 'The Third Generation' (translated, Kaizosha, 1938)
  • Xiao Jun, Yu Dafu, Mao Dun — 'Comrades' (translated, Takemura Shobo, 1938)
  • Lin Yutang — 'Good Days in Peking' (co-translated with Shōno Mitsuo, Shiki Shobo, 1940)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realist descriptions based on fieldwork in ChinaExplanatory style combining biography and translation
Recurring Motifs
ChinaNostalgia for his native TakadaWar and military serviceCross-cultural exchange and literary introduction

Legacy

Takeo Oda was a 20th-century Japanese writer known both as a novelist and as an introducer/translator of Chinese literature. Winning the Akutagawa Prize in 1936 established his literary standing; his career drew on experiences as a diplomat and soldier. He is also recognized for his important role in introducing Lu Xun to Japanese readers. He is buried at Tama Cemetery.

Trivia

  • Graduated from the former Tokyo School of Foreign Languages (Chinese studies) and served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Won the 3rd Akutagawa Prize in 1936 for 'Jōgai'.
  • Won the 3rd Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize in 1975 for his Yu Dafu biography.
  • Considered an important introducer of Lu Xun in Japan.
  • Buried at Tama Cemetery.