Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (1975) award
Rinjiro Sodei
そでい りんじろう
Sodei Rinjiro
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1932-03-09 （Kogota Town, Tōda District, Miyagi Prefecture (now Misato), Japan）
- Died
- 2025-02-10 age 92
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, English
- Residence History
- Kogota (now Misato), Miyagi Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Los Angeles, United States (UCLA)
Career
- Occupations
- International relations scholar, Political scientist, Critic, University professor
- Active Years
- 1954-2025
- Affiliations
- Hosei University (Professor, Faculty of Law; Professor Emeritus), UCLA Center for Japanese Studies (Visiting Researcher: 1992-1993)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Misato Town Kogota Junior High School | — | — | — | 〜1947 | Japan |
| Miyagi Prefectural Furukawa High School | — | — | — | 〜1950 | Japan |
| Waseda University, School of Political Science and Economics | School of Political Science and Economics | Department of Political Science | 学士 | 1950-1954 | Japan |
| Waseda University Graduate School of Political Science | Graduate School | Graduate School of Political Science | 修士 | 1954-1956 | Japan |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Graduate School | Graduate School | Political Science | 修士 | 1958-1964 | United States |
| Hosei University | — | — | 博士（政治学） | — | Japan |
Misato Town Kogota Junior High School
Period:
〜1947
Year of Graduation:
1947
Country:
Japan
Miyagi Prefectural Furukawa High School
Period:
〜1950
Year of Graduation:
1950
Country:
Japan
Waseda University, School of Political Science and Economics
School of Political Science and Economics
/ Department of Political Science
Degree:
学士
Period:
1950-1954
Year of Graduation:
1954
Country:
Japan
Waseda University Graduate School of Political Science
Graduate School
/ Graduate School of Political Science
Degree:
修士
Period:
1954-1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
Japan
Completed master's program
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Graduate School
Graduate School
/ Political Science
Degree:
修士
Period:
1958-1964
Year of Graduation:
1964
Country:
United States
Master of Political Science (UCLA)
Hosei University
Degree:
博士（政治学）
Year of Graduation:
2004
Country:
Japan
Doctorate in Political Science awarded by Hosei University
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Oyake Soichi Nonfiction Prize | MacArthur: The Two Thousand Days | — | Oyake Soichi Memorial Foundation | winner |
| 1975 | Mainichi Publishing Culture Prize | MacArthur: The Two Thousand Days | — | Mainichi Newspapers | winner |
Oyake Soichi Nonfiction Prize
1975
Work:
MacArthur: The Two Thousand Days
Organization:
Oyake Soichi Memorial Foundation
Result:
winner
Mainichi Publishing Culture Prize
1975
Work:
MacArthur: The Two Thousand Days
Organization:
Mainichi Newspapers
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Burning America, Shaking America
1972 Non-fiction, Contemporary historyA collection of essays and critiques on U.S. society and politics in the early 1970s.
American politicsContemporary history
MacArthur: The Two Thousand Days
1974 Non-fiction, Occupation historyA documentary and analytical study of General MacArthur's role during the Allied occupation of Japan, based on extensive archival research.
Occupation periodUS–Japan relationsPostwar history
Were We the Enemy?: American Survivors of Hiroshima
1978 Non-fiction, Studies of hibakushaA reportage-style work collecting the experiences and voices of hibakusha living in the United States, examining postwar perspectives.
HibakushaPostwar historyHuman rights
Dear General MacArthur: Letters from the Japanese under Occupation
1985 Edited volume, documentary collectionA compilation of letters written by Japanese people to General MacArthur during the occupation, offering a grassroots perspective on the period.
Occupation periodSocial historyDocumentary compilation
Yumeji in California
1985 Biography / Travel writingA study and travelogue about artist Takehisa Yumeji's connections with the United States and related episodes.
Art historyUS–Japan cultural exchange
Yumeji: Journeys to Foreign Lands
2012 Scholarly study, biographyA reconsideration of Takehisa Yumeji's overseas experiences, situating the artist within an international context.
BiographyInternational exchangeArt
Bibliography
- Burning America, Shaking America (1972)
- MacArthur: The Two Thousand Days (1974)
- Were We the Enemy?: American Survivors of Hiroshima (1978)
- Anti-nuclear America (1982)
- Dear General MacArthur: Letters from the Japanese under Occupation (1985)
- Yumeji in California (1985)
- Occupiers and the Occupied: Rethinking the Origins of US–Japan Relations (1986)
- Remembering Showa!: Notes on Contemporary History (1999)
- Arthur Szyk: The Righteous Jewish Painter (2007)
- Yumeji: Journeys to Foreign Lands (2012)
- Yoshida–MacArthur Correspondence 1945–1951 (ed./trans., 2000)
Translations by Author
- Removing the Leader: A Facet of Occupation-era Japanese Politics (H. Bärwald, 1970)
- The Biocrat (Gerald Leach, co-translator, 1972)
- Yoshida–MacArthur Correspondence 1945–1951 (ed./trans., 2000)
Translations of Works
- Were We the Enemy?: American Survivors of Hiroshima (appeared in English-language collections/editions)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Archival, source-driven academic proseClear analytical narrative with reportage elements
- Recurring Motifs
- US–Japan relations during the OccupationAmerican politics and societyHibakusha perspectivesArchival research and reappraisal
Legacy
As a leading scholar of the Occupation period, he influenced postwar and US–Japan relations studies through extensive archival research and numerous publications. He served as Professor Emeritus at Hosei University and contributed widely to scholarship and education.
Academic Societies
- Hosei University (through academic appointment)
Trivia
- His wife is sociologist Takako Sodei.
- Known for his research on the Occupation period; his book 'MacArthur: The Two Thousand Days' won the Oyake Soichi Nonfiction Prize and the Mainichi Publishing Culture Prize in 1975.