Naoki Sanjugo Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (1938) award
Sotoo Tachibana
たちばな そとお
Tachibana Sotoo
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1894-10-10 （Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan）
- Died
- 1959-07-06 age 64
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Christian influence
- Residence History
- Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan → Kumamoto, Japan → Takasaki, Gunma, Japan → Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan → Manchuria (Xinjing/Changchun, Manchukuo/China) → Tokyo, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Writer
- Active Years
- 1922-1959
- Affiliations
- Railway Administration Bureau (Sapporo), Worked at trading companies, Worked at a medical equipment shop, Manchuria Book Distribution Co., Manchukuo Film Association, Shunjusha (publisher/periodical)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Takasaki Middle School (prewar) | — | — | — | 在籍期間不明（退学） | Japan |
Old Takasaki Middle School (prewar)
Period:
在籍期間不明（退学）
Country:
Japan
Expelled during youth; dismissed from prewar middle schools several times.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Bungeishunju True-Story Fiction Contest (selected) | Bar Roulette Trouble | — | Bungeishunju | 入選 |
| 1938 | Naoki Prize | Reminiscences of Prince Narin | — | Naoki Prize Selection Committee (Bungeishunju) | 受賞 |
Bungeishunju True-Story Fiction Contest (selected)
1936
Work:
Bar Roulette Trouble
Organization:
Bungeishunju
Result:
入選
Naoki Prize
1938
Work:
Reminiscences of Prince Narin
Organization:
Naoki Prize Selection Committee (Bungeishunju)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
When the Sun Sets
1922 NovelAn early novel written after the death of his sister; shows Christian-influenced themes and early development of his distinctive prose.
loss and renewalreligious motifsyouthful failure
Bar Roulette Trouble
1936 True-story style fictionA work that won selection in a Bungeishunju contest; depicts bar life and nightlife and was his breakout in the literary world.
nightlifesin and redemptionhuman weakness
Reminiscences of Prince Narin
1938 Reminiscence/novelWinner of the 7th Naoki Prize; a reminiscence-style novel portraying characters and eras through reflective narration.
memory and reminiscencecharacter studyperiod depiction
I Am a Convict
1955 Autobiographical memoir/essaysAutobiographical essays based on his conviction for embezzlement and subsequent imprisonment in Sapporo prison; deals with life as an ex-convict and its aftermath.
crime and atonementprison experiencememoir
Bibliography
- When the Sun Sets (1922)
- To Draw Near the Lord (1924)
- Enma Jigoku: A Glimpse of a Death-Row Prisoner (1925)
- Shadows Remaining on the Ground (1927)
- Bar Roulette Trouble (1936)
- In the Shadow of the Spanish–American War (1937)
- Reminiscences of Prince Narin (1938)
- Fleeing the Motherland (1938)
- Enchanting Flower Irene (1947)
- The Strange Man Cipriano (1947)
- Denei (1948)
- Beyond the Unides Currents (1948)
- The Shadow Beast Tristessa (1948)
- Constantinople (1949)
- I Am a Convict (1955)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- loquacious, expansive prose ('jojotai')true-story / reminiscence techniqueselements of horror and fantasyhumorous narrative tone
- Recurring Motifs
- ghost stories and the uncannyManchuria (the 'Manchuria' series)prison and ex-convict experiencereligious/Christian motifshuman-beast hybrid imagery
Legacy
Tachibana Sotoo was an active writer from the prewar to postwar period, known for his distinctive loquacious prose ('jojotai'), his Manchuria-themed 'Manchuria' stories, and a body of works spanning horror, fantasy and true-story style fiction. He won the 7th Naoki Prize and his Manchurian accounts are regarded as having documentary value.
Archives
- National Diet Library of Japan (holdings)
- Aozora Bunko — Author page
- Authority records (VIAF / ISNI / WorldCat)
Quotes
-
Anyone who reads it as 'kichigai otoko' is the one who is truly insane.
Source: Shinichiro Inui, 'The Days of Shin Seinen' (memoir/commentary) (1991) -
I am a convict
Source: Sotoo Tachibana, 'I Am a Convict' (1955)
Trivia
- Expelled from prewar middle schools several times in youth.
- While employed by the Sapporo Railway Administration Bureau he was convicted of embezzlement and served time in Sapporo prison — an experience he later wrote about.
- Gained attention after being selected in a Bungeishunju contest in 1936.
- Winner of the 7th Naoki Prize (1938).
- Known for the 'Manchuria' stories based on his experiences in Xinjing/Changchun (Manchukuo).