Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Ryotaro Shiba

しば りょうたろう

Shiba Ryotaro

Aliases: 福田 定一
Pen Names: Ryotaro Shiba（Pen name (real name: Fukuda Teiichi). The pen name evokes the historian Sima Qian (Shiba Simaian).）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1923-08-07 （Nishikanda / Namba, Naniwa (former Minami), Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Died
1996-02-12 （Hōenzaka, Chūō-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan (National Osaka Hospital)） age 72
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Jodo Shinshu (Pure Land Buddhism; Honganji sect)
Residence History
Osaka City (Naniwa / Namba) → Nishi-Nagahori, Osaka (apartment residence) → Shimosaka, Higashi-Osaka (final residence; adjacent to Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Museum)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Non-fiction writer, Critic, Journalist
Active Years
1955-1996
Affiliations
Sankei Shimbun (former employer), Japan Art Academy (member), Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Foundation (founder)
Memberships
Japan Art Academy (member), Honorary citizen of Higashi-Osaka
Influenced By
Hagiwara (influential mentor figure), Ango Sakaguchi, Masuji Ibuse, Chogoro Kaionji, Eiji Yoshikawa
Influenced
Naoki Watanabe (and authors who produced pastiches and works influenced by Shiba), Yoshinori Shimizu (stylistic influence), Kenichi Sakemi, Masamitsu Miyagitani

Education

Osaka Foreign Language School (old system; now Osaka University, Faculty of Foreign Studies)
Mongolian Language Department / Mongolian Studies
Period: 1941-1944
Year of Graduation: 1944
Country: Japan
Temporarily discharged/graduated due to wartime student mobilization; formal graduation in 1944.

Awards

Kodansha Club Prize (8th Kodansha Club Prize)
1956
Work: Persian Magician
Organization: Kodan Club
Result: 受賞
Naoki Sanjugo Prize (Naoki Prize)
1960
Work: Fukurō no Shiro (The Owls' Castle)
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1966
Work: Ryōma ga Yuku / Kunitori Monogatari
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Art Award
1967
Work: Junsi
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award
1970
Work: Days Lived in This World
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Art Academy Award / Imperial Award (Arts)
1976
Work: Kukai the Universal
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1981
Work: Footsteps of the People
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Asahi Prize
1982
Organization: Asahi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Japan Literature Grand Prize (Arts & Letters)
1984
Work: Kaido wo Yuku (The Southern Seas Journey)
Organization: Japan Literature Grand Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Osaragi Jiro Prize
1988
Work: The Tatar Whirlwind
Organization: Osaragi Jiro Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
1991
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 選定
Order of Culture
1993
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Junior Third Rank (posthumous)
1996
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 追賜

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Fukurō no Shiro (The Owls' Castle)

1959 Historical fiction / Period mystery

A long historical novel set in the Sengoku period; notable for its ninja characters and entertaining, dramatic narrative.

samurailoyaltystrategy
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Owls' Castle (film) / 篠田正浩 (1999)
Translations
  • English: The Owls' Castle (selection translated/serialized)

Ryōma ga Yuku (Ryoma Goes His Way)

1962 Historical novel (Bakumatsu / end of Tokugawa era)

A long-running historical serial centered on Sakamoto Ryoma, depicting many figures of the Bakumatsu and shaping modern perceptions of that era.

Meiji Restorationindividual and nationreform
Adaptations
  • [TV drama (NHK taiga and others)] Ryōma ga Yuku (TV adaptations, incl. NHK Taiga) (1968)
Translations
  • Partial English translations exist

Moeyo Ken (Burn, O Sword)

1964 Historical novel (Shinsengumi)

A novel about the Shinsengumi and the human drama surrounding it; adapted multiple times for film and television.

Bushidohonorfate
Adaptations
  • [Film] Moeyo Ken (film) / 原田眞人 (2021)
Translations
  • Partial English translations exist

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Clouds Above the Hill)

1968 Historical novel (Meiji era / Russo-Japanese War period)

An epic historical novel tracing the modernization of Japan through Meiji-era figures; adapted as major television specials and series.

modernizationwar and the nationtechnology and state
Adaptations
  • [Television (NHK specials / drama)] Clouds Above the Hill (NHK TV adaptation) (2009)
Translations
  • Partial English translations and scholarly excerpts

Kaidō wo Yuku (Travelling the Highways)

1971 Travel essays / Essays

A long-running series of travel essays in which the author visits places and reflects on history and local character.

localityregional historytravel and memory
Adaptations
  • [Documentary (NHK)] Kaidō wo Yuku (NHK documentary) (1986)
Translations
  • Summaries and partial translations in English

Kunitori Monogatari (The Country-Capturing Tale)

1965 Historical novel (Sengoku period)

A long historical narrative about the Sengoku era depicting the struggles for supremacy among warlords.

Sengoku periodpower strugglesbiographical vignettes
Translations
  • Partial English translations and summaries exist

Bibliography

  • Fukurō no Shiro (1959)
  • Ryōma ga Yuku (1962-1966)
  • Moeyo Ken (1964)
  • Kunitori Monogatari (1965)
  • Saka no Ue no Kumo (1968)
  • Kaidō wo Yuku (1971-1996)
  • Tobu ga Gotoku (1975-1976)
  • The Tatar Whirlwind (1987)
  • Kukai the Universal (1975)
  • Days Lived in This World (1971)

Adaptations

  • Adaptations for NHK taiga dramas (Ryōma ga Yuku, Kunitori Monogatari, Kakin, Tobu ga Gotoku, etc.)
  • Film adaptations (The Owls' Castle, Moeyo Ken, Sekigahara, etc.)
  • Numerous manga, stage, and documentary adaptations

Translations of Works

  • The Last Shogun (English translation)
  • KUKAI THE UNIVERSAL (English translation)
  • The Tatar Whirlwind (English translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
character-centered historical narrationessayistic digressions interwoven into fictiondry humor and accessible narrative voice
Recurring Motifs
Japanese history and modernizationsamurai and martial valortravel and local landscapesmilitary experience and ethics of war

Health

  • Sciatica (suspected)
    晩年（1990年代）
    Chronic lower back pain reported; may have affected travel and work in later years.
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm (rupture)
    1996年（破裂・死因）
    Ruptured in February 1996 and was cause of death.

Legacy

A nationally popular historical novelist whose so-called 'Shiba view of history' strongly influenced public perceptions of modern Japanese history. His works have been widely adapted and translated; memorials and a literary prize in his name preserve his legacy.

Museums

  • Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Museum Higashi-Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture (adjacent to his former home) Opened in 2001
  • Himeji Literature Museum (Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Room) Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy

Archives

  • Collections at the Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Museum
  • Shiba-related holdings at Himeji Literature Museum
  • Publishers' and newspapers' archives (e.g., Sankei Shimbun archives)

In Popular Culture

  • Numerous adaptations in NHK taiga dramas, films, manga and stage productions
  • 'Clouds Above the Hill' gained widespread recognition through television specials

Quotes

  • It was the Nomonhan Incident that first made me ask: what is Japan?
    Source: Essay / interview (remarks on the Nomonhan incident)
  • The phrase quoted as the officer's reply: 'Run them down.'
    Source: Autobiographical essays / recollections (appears in essays such as 'Hundred-Year Units' and related pieces)

Trivia

  • His death anniversary (Feb 12) is called 'Nanohana-ki' (rape-flower memorial).
  • He collected bandanas and often wore them when going out.
  • A lifelong smoker; his preferred brand was reported as 'Highlight'.
  • Anecdotes describe his fast reading: finishing a paperback during a conversation.
  • 'Kaidō wo Yuku' was a long-running column/series; his final installment remained unfinished at his death.