Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1970) award
Okawa Masatsugu
おかわ まさつぐ
Okawa Masatsugu
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1917-04-28 （Korea (then under Japanese rule)）
- Died
- 2009-03-05 age 91
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Hiroshima → Ashiya
Career
- Occupations
- Japanese literature scholar, Teacher, University professor, Author
- Active Years
- 1946-2003
- Affiliations
- Sanyo High School (language teacher), Kwansei Gakuin High School / Kwansei Gakuin University (language instructor), Momoyama Gakuin University (professor), Baika Junior College (professor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keijo Imperial University | — | Department of Japanese Literature | — | — | Japan (then-colonized Korea) |
| Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Japanese Literature | — | Japanese Literature | — | — | Japan |
Keijo Imperial University
Department of Japanese Literature
Country:
Japan (then-colonized Korea)
Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Japanese Literature
Japanese Literature
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Ōya Soichi Nonfiction Prize | Humanity in Extremes | — | Ōya Soichi Nonfiction Prize Selection Committee | winner |
Ōya Soichi Nonfiction Prize
1970
Work:
Humanity in Extremes
Organization:
Ōya Soichi Nonfiction Prize Selection Committee
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Humanity in Extremes — The Birds-of-Paradise Island
1969 Non-fictionBased on wartime experiences in New Guinea, this nonfiction work examines human behavior under extreme conditions and the dynamics of groups. It has been reissued in several editions and under variant subtitles.
warextreme conditionshuman nature
Wild Lament — New Guinea War Chronicle
1972 War chronicle / Non-fictionA war chronicle recording experiences and battles on the eastern New Guinea front, depicting the harsh conditions faced by units.
wartime experiencedocumentationmemory
Introduction to Written Expression
1974 Writing / EducationAn introductory guide to writing and expression, written from the perspective of someone experienced in language education.
writing techniqueeducation
Bibliography
- Humanity in Extremes — The Birds-of-Paradise Island (1969)
- Humanity in Extremes — "Island of Death" New Guinea (1983)
- "Island of Death" New Guinea — Humanity in Extremes (1998, 2004, revised ed. 2024)
- Wild Lament — New Guinea War Chronicle (1972)
- Eastern New Guinea Front — Abandoned Units (1992)
- War: Fiction and Reality (2000)
- Education and Organization of the Imperial Japanese Army (2003)
- Introduction to Written Expression (1974)
- How to Write a Manuscript (1976)
- How to Write (1982)
- Forms and Heart of Writing: The Act of Writing (1989)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- concise, fact-based documentary styledidactic and practical prose
- Recurring Motifs
- battlefieldsextreme conditionsmemory and testimonywriting and expression
Legacy
Okawa Masatsugu is an important postwar war chronicler and nonfiction writer based on his experiences on the New Guinea front, and he worked extensively as a scholar of Japanese literature and educator. He is recognized for documenting wartime experiences and contributions to language education.
Trivia
- He won the Ōya Soichi Nonfiction Prize for works based on his wartime experiences on the eastern New Guinea front.
- After the war he recuperated in Hiroshima and later taught at Sanyo High School, Kwansei Gakuin, Momoyama Gakuin University, and Baika Junior College.