Japanese Literary Awards

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Shoji Kokami

こうかみ しょうじ

Koukami Shōji

Pen Names:

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1958-08-02 （Niihama, Ehime, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Niihama, Ehime, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → London, United Kingdom (study)

Career

Occupations
playwright, director, writer, screenwriter, actor, producer
Active Years
1981-
Affiliations
Japan Playwrights Association, The Third Stage (founder), KOKAMI@network (organizer), Kyoko no Gekidan (fictional company; founded–disbanded), Thirdstage Inc. (CEO), Horipro (management), Japan Association of Theatre Companies (board member), Directors Guild of Japan (board member)
Memberships
Amnesty International Japan
Influenced By
Mamoru Oshii, Nobuhiko Obayashi

Education

Waseda University
Faculty of Law
Country: Japan
Guildhall School of Music and Drama (study)
Period: 1997–1998
Year of Graduation: 1998
Country: United Kingdom
One-year overseas training under the Agency for Cultural Affairs program

Awards

Kinokuniya Theatre Award (Group Award)
1987
Work: Asahi no youna yuhi wo tsurete (A Sunset Like the Morning Sun)
Organization: Kinokuniya Bookstore
Result: 受賞
Golden Arrow Award (Theatre)
1991
Organization: Japan Magazine Publishers Association
Result: 受賞
Kishida Kunio Drama Award
1995
Work: Snufkin's Letter
Organization: Kishida Kunio Drama Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize (Drama/Scenario)
2009
Work: Globe Jungle (Kyoko no Gekidan inaugural trilogy)
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Sunset Like the Morning Sun

1983 play

An early representative play focusing on youth loneliness and rebellion. It served as a starting point for The Third Stage troupe and established themes seen in later works.

lonelinessyouthcommunity

Snufkin's Letter

1994 play

A play blending a travel-like narration with poetic imagery. It is characterized by delicate character portrayals and allegorical elements.

journeysolitudememory

Globe Jungle

2009 play

One of the inaugural works of Kyoko no Gekidan; part of a trilogy that sharply interrogates the relationship between society and the individual.

social criticismindividual vs groupidentity

Bibliography

  • Adventure Game (1985)
  • Kokami Yūhidō no Gyakujō (1989)
  • Don Quixote's Pierce (1996)
  • I Want to Meet You Wearing a Helmet (2006)
  • The Dog of August Barks Twice (2011)
  • The Invincible Kamikaze Soldier (2017)
  • 12 Stories That Give Hope in Life (2008)

Adaptations

  • A Place Closest to the Blue Sky (film, directed by Shoji Kokami, 1994)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
dialogue-driven dramatic structureuse of allegorical and poetic imagerycontemporary drama with social satire
Recurring Motifs
lonelinessjourney/movementtension between society and the individual

Legacy

One of contemporary Japan's leading playwrights and directors. Through The Third Stage, KOKAMI@network and Kyoko no Gekidan, he has influenced younger theatre practitioners and is widely known through plays, essays and media appearances.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Playwrights Association

In Popular Culture

  • Some characters in Dragon Quest III are said to be modeled on Kokami
  • His original segments on the radio program 'All Night Nippon' became cultural talking points

Trivia

  • He used the reading 'Kougami' on radio for ease of pronunciation.
  • Provided lyrics and vocals for a Dragon Quest III single which charted on Oricon.
  • Both parents were elementary school teachers and members of the Japan Teachers' Union.