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Takashi Iwakawa

いわかわ たかし

Iwakawa Takashi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1933-01-25 （Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2001-07-15 （Akishima, Tokyo, Japan） age 68
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture (birthplace) → Akishima, Tokyo (late life/death)

Career

Occupations
Non-fiction writer
Active Years
1974-2001
Influenced By
Toshiyuki Kajiyama

Education

Hiroshima University
Faculty of Letters, German Department / German literature
Country: Japan

Awards

JRA Award — Equine Culture Prize
1994
Organization: Japan Racing Association (JRA)
Result: 受賞
Kodansha Nonfiction Award
1995
Work: Koto: Even If I Become the Soil of an Isolated Island
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Adventures of Donburist

1974 Non-fiction

Debut work featuring early essays and reportage-style pieces by the author.

reportagesocial observation

Refusing to Believe in God: Epitaphs of BC-class War Criminals

1976 Non-fiction (war / trial documentation)

A nonfiction study of BC-class war criminals, investigating postwar trials and individual biographies.

war responsibilitypostwar history

The Strait

1982 Novel / Source for film

A work depicting human drama around the sea and local communities; known as the basis for a later film adaptation.

human dramalocal communities
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Strait

Even If I Become the Soil of an Isolated Island: BC-class War Criminal Trials

1995 Non-fiction

A continuation of 'Refusing to Believe in God', a detailed reportage on BC-class war criminal trials.

war trialshistorical investigation

Bibliography

  • The Adventures of Donburist (1974)
  • I Will Buy Resentment (1974)
  • Refusing to Believe in God: Epitaphs of BC-class War Criminals (1976)
  • Giant: A Study of Nobusuke Kishi (1977)
  • The Strait (1982)
  • The Human Study of Horse Racing (1979)
  • Even If I Become the Soil of an Isolated Island: BC-class War Criminal Trials (1995)
  • Why I Cannot Trust Newspapers (1996)

Adaptations

  • The Strait (film adaptation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
research-driven nonfictionfact-focused investigative style
Recurring Motifs
war and postwar historyhorse racing and sportspolitical insider stories

Health

  • brainstem hemorrhage
    2001-07
    Hospitalized for a brainstem hemorrhage in 2001 and died the same year

Legacy

Left a diverse body of nonfiction works on war, politics, and sports; recipient of awards including the Kodansha Nonfiction Award. Contributed to investigations of regional and postwar history.

Trivia

  • Wrote many books in the 1970s–80s on professional baseball and horse racing.
  • Publicly revealed that he won a bet on the 7th Japan Cup (1987).
  • Contributed to weeklies as a member of Toshiyuki Kajiyama's circle.