Japanese Literary Awards

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Setsu Oshio

おしお たかし

Oshio Takashi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-01-10 （Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2022-05-12 （Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan） age 91
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, German
Religion
Christianity
Residence History
Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture (birthplace) → Mitaka, Tokyo (later life) → Cologne, Germany (residence while posted)

Career

Occupations
Germanist, University professor, Translator, Essayist
Active Years
1958-2022
Affiliations
International Christian University (lecturer → associate professor), Chuo University (Professor, later Professor Emeritus), Japan Cultural Institute in Cologne (Director), Ferris University (President/Chairperson)
Memberships
The Japan Foundation (board member), Hikobae Gakuen (director / president)
Influenced By
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke

Education

Matsumoto Higher School (old system)
Humanities (old curriculum)
Country: Japan
Attended under the old higher-school system before entering the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo (Department of German; graduate school completed)
Department of German
Degree: 修士（推定）
Country: Japan
Undergraduate in German literature at the University of Tokyo; completed graduate studies (year unknown)
University of Cologne (Honorary D.Litt.)
Degree: 名誉文学博士
Country: Germany
Awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cologne (year unknown)

Awards

Christian Merit (honor)
2015
Organization: Japan Christian Culture Association, etc.
Result: 受賞
Japan Essayist Club Award (47th)
1999
Work: Wind Passing Through the Trees
Organization: Japan Essayist Club
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Wind Passing Through the Trees

1998 Essays / Miscellany

A collection of essays interweaving Europe, music, faith and everyday life; reflections on travel and thought.

German cultureMusicFaithTravel

Faust: The Archetype of the European Human

1972 Criticism / Scholarship

A study considering the European human archetype through Goethe's 'Faust'.

GoetheEuropean literatureConceptions of humanity

Traveler's Night Song: Goethe and Weimar

2012 Criticism / Travelogue

Essays and literary-historical reflections around Goethe and Weimar.

GoetheWeimarLiterary historyTravel

Bibliography

  • Youth and Literature: The Joy of Literature (1968)
  • Faust: The Archetype of the European Human (1972)
  • Journey to the German Heart (2002)
  • Wind Passing Through the Trees (1998)
  • Traveler's Night Song: Goethe and Weimar (2012)
  • Mori Ogai: Essays (2020)

Translations by Author

  • Mozart by Karl Barth (co-translator)
  • Thomas Mann: Joseph and His Brothers (co-translator, complete 3 volumes)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Accessible essayistic proseExplanatory passages grounded in academic backgroundA delicate sensitivity toward faith and music
Recurring Motifs
Goethe and German classical literatureMusic (especially classical)Travel and landscapesChristian faith and prayer

Health

  • Sepsis
    2022年（最晩年）
    Hospitalized and died due to sepsis

Legacy

Setsu Oshio was known for his scholarship in German literature and accessible essays and commentaries. As a communicator of German culture, an NHK language instructor, and an educator, he contributed to cross-cultural understanding in Japan.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Essayist Club
  • Japan Christian Culture Association

Archives

  • Archival materials and lecture records likely held by Chuo University

In Popular Culture

  • Appeared in NHK documentary 'Kokoro no Jidai' (2004)

Trivia

  • His father was the pastor Tsutomu Oshio.
  • Presented NHK's 'German Language Course' from 1967 to 1985.
  • Served as a professor (later Professor Emeritus) at Chuo University; served in Cologne as director of the Japan Cultural Institute and as a diplomat.
  • Served as president/chair of Ferris University.
  • Authored scholarly works and popular introductions on Goethe, Thomas Mann, and other German writers, and produced many translations.