Japanese Literary Awards

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Ryusuke Saito

さいとう りゅうすけ

Saito Ryusuke

Pen Names: Takakatsu（Real name (his birth name was Takakatsu)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1917-01-25 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
1985-10-30 （Tokyo, Japan） age 68
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan → Hokkaido, Japan (worked) → Akita Prefecture, Japan (worked)

Career

Occupations
Children's author, Journalist
Active Years
1950-1985
Affiliations
Hokkaido Shimbun, Akita Sakigake Shinpo
Influenced By
Yuzo Yamamoto, Maxim Gorky
Influenced
Ashibi Furuta, Teruo Jingu, Yoshitomo Imae, Noboru Fujita

Education

Meiji University, Division of Literature (Specialized Course)
Faculty of Letters / Department of Literary Arts
Country: Japan
Influenced by Maxim Gorky while a student; entered inspired by Yuzo Yamamoto.

Awards

Shogakukan Literary Prize (17th)
1968
Work: Bero-dashi Chonma
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: winner
Japan Children's Literature Association Award (18th)
1978
Work: Ten no Akuma (Sky's Red Horse)
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: winner
Ehon Nippon Award (10th)
1987
Work: Someko and the Ogre
Organization: Ehon Nippon
Result: winner
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1971
Work: The Lantern-Seller's Mama-kko
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hachiro

1967 Children's short stories / Folktale-style

A short story set around Hachirogata in Akita; uses folktale form while being original fiction by Saito.

folktalelocal lifelife and death

Bero-dashi Chonma

1967 Short children's tale

A creative tale inspired by the anecdote of Sakura Sogoro; notable for heavy use of dialect and onomatopoeia.

dialectcouragelegend

Mochi Mochi no Ki

1971 Picture book

A picture book about a child's growth and courage; widely known with Jiro Takihira's illustrations.

coming of agecourageparent-child
Adaptations
  • [Film (Theatrical animation)] Mochi Mochi no Ki / 岡本 忠成 (1972)

Yuki

1969 Long children's tale

A novel-length children's tale about human relationships revolving around snow; adapted into a theatrical animation.

naturehuman dramaseasons
Adaptations
  • [Film (Theatrical animation)] Yuki / 今井 正 (1981)

Ten no Akuma (Sky's Red Horse)

1977 Long children's tale

A long children's tale with folktale elements. Received the Japan Children's Literature Association Award in 1978.

folktaleself-sacrificeadventure

Bibliography

  • Hachiro
  • Bero-dashi Chonma
  • Shokunin-shu Mukashi Banashi
  • Hanasaki-yama
  • Miko
  • Yuki
  • The Lantern-Seller's Mama-kko
  • Makeusagi
  • Mochi Mochi no Ki
  • Ten no Akuma
  • Collected Works of Ryusuke Saito (12 vols.)
  • Someko and the Ogre

Adaptations

  • Mochi Mochi no Ki (film, 1972)
  • Yuki (theatrical animation, 1981)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Robust prose incorporating folktale-like narrationFrequent use of dialect and onomatopoeia
Recurring Motifs
life and deathdevotion/self-sacrificelocal folktalesnature

Legacy

A pioneering author in postwar children's literature who helped establish a new folktale-picture-book genre. Widely known for collaborations with illustrator Jiro Takihira, with works adopted in school curricula and an important place in children's literature history.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Children's Literature Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings)
  • Iwasaki Shoten (publisher holdings)

Trivia

  • His birth name was Takakatsu; he wrote under the name Ryusuke Saito.
  • Known for long-term collaboration with illustrator Jiro Takihira.
  • He stated that 'Bero-dashi Chonma' was inspired by the anecdote of Sakura Sogoro.