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Masahiko Shimada

しまだ まさひこ

Shimada Masahiko

Pen Names: （Pen name used before debut (derived from a character in a work by Yutaka Haniya)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1961-03-13 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo (birthplace) → Kawasaki, Kanagawa (raised)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Playwright, Essayist, Translator, University professor
Active Years
1983-
Affiliations
Kinki University, Faculty of Letters (Associate Professor; appointed 1998), Hosei University, Faculty of Global and Intercultural Studies (Professor; 2003– ), Mishima Yukio Prize Selection Committee (2000–2007)
Memberships
Mishima Yukio Prize Selection Committee (2000–2007), Akutagawa Prize Selection Committee (from late 2010)
Influenced By
Yutaka Haniya, Western classical music and opera
Nominations
Akutagawa Prize nominee (multiple nominations, 1980s)

Education

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Faculty of Foreign Studies / Department of Russian
Degree: 学士
Year of Graduation: 1984
Country: Japan
Debuted as a writer while at university. Majored in Russian.

Awards

Noma Literary New Face Award
1984
Work: Music for the Sleepwalking Kingdom
Organization: Noma Literary New Face Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize
1992
Work: Higan Sensei
Organization: Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Ito Sei Literary Prize
2006
Work: The Decadent Sisters
Organization: Ito Sei Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of MEXT)
2008
Work: Daughter of Chaos
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
2016
Work: The Star of the Hollow Man
Organization: Mainichi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize
2020
Work: When You Were Heretical
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2022
Organization: Cabinet Office
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Merrymaking for Gentle Leftists

1983 Short story collection

A short story collection that marked Shimada's debut while at university; notable for the use of the term 'Sayoku' to denote the left.

politicsyouthpostmodernism

Music for the Sleepwalking Kingdom

1984 Collection of short and mid-length stories

A collection portraying the lives of young people in suburban developments; won the Noma Literary New Face Award in 1984.

suburbsyouthmusicpostmodernism

Higan Sensei

1992 Novel

A novel awarded the Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize in 1992; explores relationships, loss, and identity.

lossidentitysociety

The Forgotten Empire

1995 Novel

A mid-1990s novel dealing with memory and historical perception.

memoryhistorypower

Inhabitants of the Comet

2000 Novel (part of the Infinite Canon trilogy)

The first volume of the Infinite Canon trilogy; part of a major work the author intended as a signature project.

symbolslayered narrativesmusic
Adaptations
  • [Opera] Jr. Butterfly / 島田雅彦（台本・演出） (2004)
  • [Opera (revival)] Jr. Butterfly (Torre del Lago performance) / 島田雅彦（演出） (2006)

Beautiful Soul

2003 Novel (part of the Infinite Canon trilogy)

The second core volume of the Infinite Canon trilogy, continuing formal and thematic experimentation.

identitynarrativityfantasy

Love of Etorofu

2003 Novel (part of the Infinite Canon trilogy)

The third part of the Infinite Canon trilogy; intertwines war, memory, and personal histories.

warmemorypersonal history

The Star of the Hollow Man

2015 Novel

Published in 2015; one of his representative works that won the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award in 2016.

contemporary societyemptinessidentity

When You Were Heretical

2019 Collection / Novel (published work)

Published in 2019; awarded the Yomiuri Literary Prize in 2020.

deviationsocial critiquecharacter study

Free Death Penalty

1999 Novel

Published in 1999. Served as a basis/original concept for a television drama.

punishmentsocietyethics
Adaptations
  • [TV drama (original concept)] Ashita no, Kita Yoshio (original concept)

Bad Currency

2010 Novel

Published in 2010; later adapted into a TV drama series by WOWOW.

crimesocietymorality
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] TV series 'Akka' (Bad Currency) (2014)

Bibliography

  • A Merrymaking for Gentle Leftists (short stories, 1983)
  • Music for the Sleepwalking Kingdom (1984)
  • I Am a Manufactured Human (1986)
  • Donna Anna (1986)
  • Unidentified Tailgating Object (1987)
  • Dream User: The New Two-City Tale of Rental Children (1989)
  • Rococo Town (1990)
  • The Prophet's Name (1992)
  • Higan Sensei (1992)
  • The Forgotten Empire (1995)
  • Infinite Canon trilogy (Inhabitants of the Comet / Beautiful Soul / Love of Etorofu, 2000–2003)
  • The Decadent Sisters (2005)
  • Daughter of Chaos (2007)
  • The Star of the Hollow Man (2015)
  • When You Were Heretical (2019)

Adaptations

  • Opera 'Jr. Butterfly' (libretto/director: Masahiko Shimada; music: Akira Saegusa; premiered 2004; revived at Torre del Lago 2006)
  • TV drama series 'Akka' (WOWOW, 2014)
  • Drama derived from 'Free Death Penalty' (Kansai TV original concept)

Translations by Author

  • Rubicon Beach (by Steve Erickson; translated into Japanese, Chikuma Shobo, 1992)
  • Modern-language translation of 'Otsugomori' by Higuchi Ichiyo (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1997)
  • Modern translations/editions of Ihara Saikaku's works (various editions, listed 2015/2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
postmodern techniquesexperimental and fragmentary narrationmusical metaphors and structure
Recurring Motifs
music and operasuburbia and youth lifetravel and wanderingmemory and loss

Legacy

One of the leading Japanese postmodern writers since the 1980s. Active across novels, plays, essays, translations and opera libretti, and engaged in teaching at the university level. Known widely in contemporary literary circles through numerous awards and media adaptations.

In Popular Culture

  • Known widely through TV/drama adaptations, film appearances, and regular television/web program appearances

Quotes

  • I wrote it intending it to be my magnum opus.
    Source: Wikipedia (Masahiko Shimada) (2003)

Trivia

  • Debuted in 1983 while still at university.
  • Has been a world lightweight champion in 'poetry boxing'.
  • Inhabitants of the Comet was adapted into an opera; Shimada wrote the libretto and directed performances.