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Jojiro Okami

おかみ じょうじろう

Okami Jojiro

Pen Names: Jojiro OkamiPen name formed by play on the actor Okajōji and inspired by Unno Juuzou's pen names.

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

Osaka High School (prewar)
Country: Japan
Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo)
Faculty of Engineering / Department of Aeronautics
Degree: 学士(工学)
Country: Japan
Studied aeronautics; later worked on aircraft design and flight training

Awards

Houseki (Jewelry) C-class short story contest, 3rd place
1949
Work: Hisuiso Kidan
Organization: Houseki (magazine)
Result: 入選
7th Detective Writers' Club Award — Newcomer Encouragement Prize
1954
Work: The Lead Little Box
Category: 新人奨励賞
Organization: Detective Writers' Club (later Japan Mystery Writers Association)
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hisuiso Kidan

1949 Detective fiction

A short story; his debut piece which won prize placement in a magazine contest.

mysterydomestic disquiet

The Lead Little Box

1954 Detective fiction

A mid-length mystery with elements of social resentment; won the Detective Writers' Club newcomer prize.

social critiquecrime and justice

The Earth Defense Force

1957 Science fiction

Original story credited as the basis for Toho's tokusatsu film; notable for military perspective and emphasis on scientific plausibility.

militarytechnologyplanetary defense
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Earth Defense Force / 本多猪四郎 (1957)

The Great Space War

1959 Science fiction

Original source for Toho's film 'The Great Space War', an SF tale about large-scale space combat.

space warfaremilitary technology
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Great Space War / 本多猪四郎 (1959)

The Demon Star Goras

1962 Science fiction

An SF story about an approaching comet; monsters were added for the film adaptation.

astronomical disasterhuman survival
Adaptations
  • [Film] Gorath / 本多猪四郎 (1962)

The Space Monster Dogora

1964 Science fiction

Associated with Toho's 'Dogora' as original author credit for the special-effects film.

kaijuextraterrestrial origin
Adaptations
  • [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.