Nihon Essayist Club Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 17 (1969) award
Matao Sanuki
さぬき またお
Sanuki Matao
Pen Names:
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1908-01-01 （Yokote (then Yokote Town), Hiraka District, Akita Prefecture, Japan (now Yokote City)）
- Died
- 1997-06-28 age 89
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- aeronautical engineer, aerospace commentator, writer, essayist, university professor
- Active Years
- 1931-1997
- Affiliations
- University of Tokyo (faculty), Nihon University (professor), Japan Meteorological Agency (research/development)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo) | Faculty of Engineering | Department of Aeronautics | 工学士 | 1927–1931 | Japan |
Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo)
Faculty of Engineering
/ Department of Aeronautics
Degree:
工学士
Period:
1927–1931
Year of Graduation:
1931
Country:
Japan
Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics, Tokyo Imperial University
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Japan Essayists Club Prize | Fighting Gravity — To Fly | — | Japan Essayists Club | 受賞 |
Japan Essayists Club Prize
Work:
Fighting Gravity — To Fly
Organization:
Japan Essayists Club
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Stories of Exploring the Sky
1957 Children's exploration / aviationA children's exploration book conveying the fascination of aviation.
explorationaviation
The Book of Airplanes: The Adventure of Humanity Conquering the Sky
1969 aviation history / non‑fictionA general-audience work explaining the history and technology that led humanity to fly.
history of aviationhistory of technology
The Heart of the Airplane
1974 essayAn essay collection combining love for aircraft with technical knowledge; highly regarded both for expertise and readability.
love of aviationtechnology and humanity
Fighting Gravity — To Fly
essays / technical essaysEssays discussing flight from technical and cultural perspectives. Awarded the Japan Essayists Club Prize (year unknown).
flighttechnology and culture
Bibliography
- Stories of Exploring the Sky
- The Book of Airplanes: The Adventure of Humanity Conquering the Sky
- Fighting Gravity — To Fly
- Collapsing Summer
- Dark Thursday – The Bombing of Schweinfurt
- Sanuki Matao's Alpine Diary
- The Heart of the Airplane
- A Human History of Aviation
- Continued: The Heart of the Airplane
- Rediscovering Tools: Dialogue with Form, Shape and Function
- Fly, Airplane
- Museums of the World (editor: National Air and Space Museum, Washington)
- Ideas from Design: On Comparative Design Studies
- How the Jumbo Jet Flies
- Design of Evolution
- Sanuki Matao's Tyrol Diary
- Romanesque: Flying Vessels
- A Journey Through German Tools
- Recollections of Germany: Nazis, Air Raids, and a Japanese Engineer
- The Streamlined Era
- Travel and Tools
- An Aviation History of Ideas
- Airplane Styling
- Styling of German Cameras
- The Book of German Cameras
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- a blend of technical explanation and personal essaysobservational, objective description
- Recurring Motifs
- aircrafttoolscomparative culture
Legacy
Combining expertise as an aeronautical engineer with expressiveness as an essayist, he left a distinctive perspective on aviation commentary and the study of tools. He is well regarded by both scholars and enthusiasts and continues to be read in related fields.
Trivia
- Stayed in Germany during World War II and wrote valuable observational records from the period.
- Involved in propeller design for the Type 97 fighter.
- Known as an enthusiast of German cameras.
- Reportedly disliked being labeled an 'aerospace commentator' despite frequent media appearances after major aviation accidents.