Nihon Essayist Club Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (1977) award
Shutaro Sugimoto
すぎもと ひでたろう
Sugimoto Shutaro
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1931-01-21 （Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan）
- Died
- 2015-05-27 （Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan (home)） age 84
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, French
- Residence History
- Kyoto (primary residence)
Career
- Occupations
- French literature scholar, Literary critic, Essayist, University professor
- Active Years
- 1953-2015
- Affiliations
- Kyoto Women's University (Professor Emeritus), International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Professor / Professor Emeritus), Japan Art Academy (Member)
- Memberships
- Japan Art Academy
- Influenced By
- Takeo Kuwabara
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoto University | Faculty of Letters, Department of French Literature | Department of French Literature | — | 1949-1953 | Japan |
| Kyoto University (Graduate School) | Graduate School of Letters | Department of French Literature | — | 1956-1961 | Japan |
Kyoto University
Faculty of Letters, Department of French Literature
/ Department of French Literature
Period:
1949-1953
Year of Graduation:
1953
Country:
Japan
Kyoto University (Graduate School)
Graduate School of Letters
/ Department of French Literature
Period:
1956-1961
Year of Graduation:
1961
Country:
Japan
Left doctoral program after completing required credits (no doctorate conferred)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Japan Essayist Club Prize | Rakuchu Seisoku (Essays on Life in Central Kyoto) | — | Japan Essayist Club | 受賞 |
| 1978 | Arts Encouragement Newcomer Award | Literary Performance (Bungaku Engi) | — | Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Encouragement) | 受賞 |
| 1988 | Yomiuri Literature Prize | Tsurezuregusa (Reading the Classic) | — | Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
| 1996 | Osaragi Jiro Prize | The Tale of the Heike: Listening to Impermanence | — | Osaragi Jiro Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2003 | Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon | — | — | Cabinet Office, Japan | 受章 |
| 2005 | Kyoto City Cultural Merit | — | — | City of Kyoto | 受賞 |
| 2015 | Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Award (Special Merit) | — | 特別功労賞 | Kyoto Prefecture | 受賞 |
Japan Essayist Club Prize
1977
Work:
Rakuchu Seisoku (Essays on Life in Central Kyoto)
Organization:
Japan Essayist Club
Result:
受賞
Arts Encouragement Newcomer Award
1978
Work:
Literary Performance (Bungaku Engi)
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Encouragement)
Result:
受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1988
Work:
Tsurezuregusa (Reading the Classic)
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Osaragi Jiro Prize
1996
Work:
The Tale of the Heike: Listening to Impermanence
Organization:
Osaragi Jiro Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon
2003
Organization:
Cabinet Office, Japan
Result:
受章
Kyoto City Cultural Merit
2005
Organization:
City of Kyoto
Result:
受賞
Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Award (Special Merit)
2015
Category:
特別功労賞
Organization:
Kyoto Prefecture
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Art Encouragement Newcomer Award of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 28 (1978) award
Osaragi Jiro Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 23 (1996) award
Works
Major Works
Rakuchu Seisoku
1976 EssaysAn essay collection on life in central Kyoto, depicting local scenes and daily life with subtle observation.
KyotoEveryday lifeSeasonal customs
Bungaku Engi
1977 Criticism / EssaysA collection of essays and criticisms on literature and the arts.
Literary theoryArt criticism
Tsurezuregusa: Reading the Classic
1987 Criticism / Classical commentaryA study interpreting Tsurezuregusa from a modern perspective, discussing its literary value.
Classical literatureInterpretation
The Tale of the Heike: Listening to Impermanence
1996 Literary study / adaptationA book centered on the theme of impermanence in The Tale of the Heike, discussing expression and readings of the Japanese classic.
The Tale of the HeikeImpermanenceClassical reinterpretation
Bibliography
- Otagaki Rengetsu
- Rakuchu Seisoku
- Bungaku Engi
- My Saijiki (Seasonal Notes)
- Tsurezuregusa: Reading the Classic
- The Tale of the Heike: Listening to Impermanence
- Collected Essays of Shutaro Sugimoto (5 vols.)
- The Joy of Seeing: Ecology of Form
- The Ostrich Egg: Poems by Shutaro Sugimoto
- Petals of the Soul, Patterns of Thought (posthumous)
Translations by Author
- Alain (Collected Literary Essays)
- The Life of Form (Henri Focillon)
- Pelléas and Mélisande (Maurice Maeterlinck)
- Les Fleurs du mal (Charles Baudelaire)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Clear, precise critical proseEssayistic style that weaves in seasonal sensibilities
- Recurring Motifs
- Kyoto landscapes and seasonal customsInterest in classical literatureArt and aesthetics
Health
-
Leukemia2015年（晩年）Died of leukemia in May 2015
Legacy
Based in Kyoto, he left a distinct body of criticism and essays bridging French literary studies and Japanese classical and art discourse. Through preservation of the Sugimoto family residence he contributed to local cultural heritage and influenced later scholars and cultural figures.
Museums
- Sugimoto Family Residence (Preservation House) Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan Opened in 1990
Academic Societies
- Japan Art Academy
Archives
- Naraya Memorial Sugimoto Family Preservation Association (Sugimoto family archives)
- Kyoto Women's University (holds related materials / used the old rice storehouse for campus activities)
In Popular Culture
- Frequently cited in regional guides as works introducing Kyoto machiya and traditional culture
Trivia
- The Sugimoto family residence was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2010.
- He received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in 2003.
- A posthumous work, "Petals of the Soul, Patterns of Thought," was published in 2024.