Japanese Literary Awards

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Shinichiro Kumagai

くまがや しんいちろう

Kumagaya Shin'ichirō

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1977-01-01 （Shinnan'yō (now Shūnan), Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Yamaguchi Prefecture (Shinnan'yō / Shūnan) → Tokyo (residence/research)

Career

Occupations
physician, pediatrician, scientist, researcher, professor
Active Years
2003-
Affiliations
Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo (RCAST), The University of Tokyo Hospital (past affiliation), Chiba-Nishi General Hospital (past affiliation), Saitama Medical University Hospital (past affiliation)

Education

The University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine / Department of Medicine
Country: Japan
The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine
Degree: 博士（学術）
Year of Graduation: 2014
Country: Japan
Doctoral dissertation: Theorizing 'participant research' and its application to autism spectrum disorder studies
The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering
Country: Japan

Awards

Shincho Document Award (9th)
2010
Work: Rehabilitation Night
Organization: Shinchosha
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Rehabilitation Night

2009 Non-fiction / Reportage

A first-person account linking personal bodily experience with clinical rehabilitation, written from the perspective of participant research. It addresses everyday life, tensions, and rethinking relationships in the contexts of disability and care.

disabilityrehabilitationparticipant researchmedicine and care

The Art of Connection — Neither the Same Nor Different

2010 Co-authored essays / critique

Through dialogues and essays by people with disabilities and supporters, the book reexamines forms of 'connection', presenting perspectives on diversity, coexistence, and practices of support.

connectioncoexistencediversity

Bibliography

  • Rehabilitation Night (2009)
  • Participant Research on Developmental Disorders — Slowly, Carefully, Wanting to Connect (co-authored, 2008)
  • The Art of Connection — Neither the Same Nor Different (co-authored, 2010)
  • Research on Participant Research (co-authored, 2013)
  • What If the Pediatrician Was in a Wheelchair — My and Your Stories of 'Disability' (2019)

Adaptations

  • NNN Document (NTV) appearance (documentary)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
essayistic writing grounded in participant researchjuxtaposition of clinical observation and theoretical reflectionplainspoken and frank voice
Recurring Motifs
disability and bodily experiencedependence and autonomyconnection and relationships

Health

  • cerebral palsy (sequelae of neonatal asphyxia)
    出生〜現在
    Life using a wheelchair and experience with medical care and rehabilitation form a major basis for his research and writing.

Legacy

Recognized as a practitioner of participant research who connects clinical expertise as a physician with lived experience as a person with a disability. His cross-cutting contributions across clinical, social, and academic spheres have influenced discussions on disability understanding and care.

In Popular Culture

  • Featured in documentaries such as NNN Document (NTV)

Quotes

  • Autonomy is increasing the number of places you can depend on.
    Source: Interview / cited in writings (source needs verification)

Trivia

  • He lives in a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy resulting from neonatal asphyxia.
  • His partner is a person with Asperger's syndrome; they conduct participant research together.
  • Winner of the 9th Shincho Document Award (2010) for 'Rehabilitation Night'.