Japanese Literary Awards

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Kôhei Oguri

おぐり こうへい

Oguri Kohei

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1945-10-29 （Maebashi, Gunma, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
film director, screenwriter
Active Years
1981-
Influenced By
Kirio Urayama, Michio Yamamoto, Nobuhiko Obayashi, Masahiro Shinoda

Education

Gunma Prefectural Maebashi High School
Country: Japan
High school graduate; graduation year unknown so set to 0.
Waseda University, Second Faculty of Letters
Second Faculty of Letters
Country: Japan
Graduated from university and then entered film industry. Graduation year unknown so set to 0.

Awards

Jury Prize (Grand Prix du Jury)
1990
Work: The Sting of Death
Organization: Cannes Film Festival
Result: 受賞
FIPRESCI Prize
1990
Work: The Sting of Death
Organization: Cannes Film Festival
Result: 受賞
Best Director (Japan Academy Prize)
1982
Work: The Muddy River
Organization: Japan Academy Prize
Result: 受賞
Outstanding Director Award (Japan Academy Prize)
1997
Work: Sleeping Man
Organization: Japan Academy Prize
Result: 受賞（優秀監督賞）
Best Film (Blue Ribbon Award)
1981
Work: The Muddy River
Organization: Blue Ribbon Awards
Result: 受賞（作品賞）
Newcomer Award (Japan Directors Guild / Mainichi Film Concours)
1981
Work: The Muddy River
Organization: Japan Directors Guild / Mainichi Film Concours
Result: 受賞
Georges Sadoul Prize
1984
Work: For Kayako
Organization: French film circles (Georges Sadoul Prize)
Result: 受賞（日本人初受賞）
Art Encouragement Prize / Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award
1990
Work: The Sting of Death
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / MEXT
Result: 受賞
Jury Special Grand Prize (Montreal World Film Festival)
1996
Work: Sleeping Man
Organization: Montreal World Film Festival
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2006
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 叙勲
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
2006
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 叙勲

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Muddy River

1981 Film

Oguri's debut feature adapted from Teru Miyamoto depicting life in 1950s provincial Japan.

postwarfamilycoming-of-age

For Kayako

1984 Film

Film adaptation of an original work by Lee Hwa-sung that received international recognition.

memoryhistory

The Sting of Death

1990 Film

Adaptation of Toshio Shimao's novel; awarded the Jury Prize at Cannes and received international acclaim.

family collapsemadnesspostwar

Sleeping Man

1996 Film

An original screenplay by Oguri; won awards at Berlin and Montreal film festivals.

lonelinesshuman observation

Buried Tree

2005 Film

Released in 2005 and screened in the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes.

memorytime

FOUJITA

2015 Film

A biopic about the painter Tsuguharu Foujita; released after a decade-long hiatus.

artidentity

Bibliography

  • Aisetsu to Tsūsetsu (Kei Shobo, 1987)
  • Messages from Africa to Japan (co-authored, Iwanami Booklet, 1989)
  • To See, To Be (Heibonsha, 1996)
  • Eyes to Watch Films (NHK Publishing, 2005)
  • Unraveling Time (Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2006)
  • A Song of Stillness (Hakusuisha, 2015)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical, poetic visual stylequiet observational depictionrestrained direction
Recurring Motifs
postwar Japanmemory and lossfamily conflict

Legacy

Kôhei Oguri is regarded as one of Japan's notable film directors since the 1980s. His lyrical visuals and sustained engagement with postwar themes earned him domestic and international acclaim; his debut The Muddy River and subsequent films enhanced the global presence of Japanese cinema.

Trivia

  • Born in Maebashi, Gunma, in 1945.
  • Studied at Waseda University's Second Faculty of Letters.
  • Worked in pink films and as an assistant director before debuting with The Muddy River in 1981.
  • The Sting of Death won the Jury Prize at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.