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Edition 4 (1949) grade B second class
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Edition 4 (1949) grade C third class
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Edition 5 (1951) unranked honorable mention
Jojiro Okami
おかみ じょうじろう
Okami Jojiro
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1918-10-31 (Osaka Prefecture)
- Died
- 2003-12-11 age 85
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Kagoshima (childhood) → Osaka (after childhood) → Sendai (JSDF posting) → Hamamatsu (later life)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Film original author, Air Self-Defense Force officer, Test pilot
- Active Years
- 1949-2003
- Influenced By
- Unno Juuzou, Classical detective fiction authors
- Influenced
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka High School (prewar) | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo) | Faculty of Engineering | Department of Aeronautics | 学士(工学) | — | Japan |
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Houseki (Jewelry) C-class short story contest, 3rd place | Hisuiso Kidan | — | Houseki (magazine) | 入選 |
| 1954 | 7th Detective Writers' Club Award — Newcomer Encouragement Prize | The Lead Little Box | 新人奨励賞 | Detective Writers' Club (later Japan Mystery Writers Association) | Winner |
Awards & Nominations
-
Edition 7 (1954) encouragement award
Works
Major Works
Hisuiso Kidan
1949 Detective fictionA short story; his debut piece which won prize placement in a magazine contest.
The Lead Little Box
1954 Detective fictionA mid-length mystery with elements of social resentment; won the Detective Writers' Club newcomer prize.
The Earth Defense Force
1957 Science fictionOriginal story credited as the basis for Toho's tokusatsu film; notable for military perspective and emphasis on scientific plausibility.
- [Film] The Earth Defense Force / 本多猪四郎 (1957)
The Great Space War
1959 Science fictionOriginal source for Toho's film 'The Great Space War', an SF tale about large-scale space combat.
- [Film] The Great Space War / 本多猪四郎 (1959)
The Demon Star Goras
1962 Science fictionAn SF story about an approaching comet; monsters were added for the film adaptation.
- [Film] Gorath / 本多猪四郎 (1962)
The Space Monster Dogora
1964 Science fictionAssociated with Toho's 'Dogora' as original author credit for the special-effects film.
- [Film] Dogora The Space Monster / 本多猪四郎 (1964)
Bibliography
- Hisuiso Kidan
- Notes of Ryohei Katsube
- Tales of the Twentieth Century
- Samontani
- The Girl Who Called the Train
- The Lead Little Box
- The Curse of Waldstein
- The Wave
- The Earth Defense Force
- The Great Space War
- Gorath
- Dogora The Space Monster
Adaptations
- The Earth Defense Force (film)
- The Great Space War (film)
- Gorath (film)
- Dogora The Space Monster (film)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Scientific, plot-driven style emphasizing plausible explanationA steady prose blending detective fiction and hard SF elements
- Recurring Motifs
- technology and militaryspace and astronomical phenomenalogical deduction
Legacy
An author active in both mystery and science fiction who is also known as an original author for several Toho tokusatsu films. Noted for maintaining a career in aviation while continuing literary activities.
In Popular Culture
- Frequently cited as an originator of several Toho tokusatsu films
Quotes
-
'Hobby' varies for each person, but for every life it is a meaningful and important thing. A hobby is not a means but a kind of purpose.
Source: Tantei Shumi No.11, 1953 (contribution) (1953)
Trivia
- Real name Masaatu Kanehiro (兼弘 正厚).
- Some sources give an older orthography '丘見丈二郎', which he claimed was a typographical error.
- Pen name derived from play on actor Okajōji's name and admiration for Unno Juuzou.
- Never became a full-time professional writer; maintained a career in aviation and as a test pilot.