Yomiuri Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 55 (2003) award
Tadashi Wakashima
わかしま ただし
Wakashima Tadashi
Pen Names:
Aoi（Pen name used for shogi game reports in the Yomiuri Shimbun）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1952-08-10 （Kyoto, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, English
- Residence History
- Kyoto, Japan → Kobe, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- English literature scholar, Translator, Tsume-shogi (mate problem) composer, Chess problem composer, Essayist, Literary critic, University professor, Shogi game reporter
- Active Years
- 1966-
- Affiliations
- Kyoto University (Professor Emeritus), Kobe University (former staff), Sokikai (Tsume-shogi circle; former president), Japan Chess Problem Association (chair), Chess-Shogi Exchange Association (chair), Vladimir Nabokov Association (executive committee)
- Memberships
- Sokikai (Tsume-shogi circle), Japan Chess Problem Association, Henkaku Mystery Writers Club, Shogi Pen Club (committee member / awardee), Yomiuri Literary Prize selection committee member (since 2021)
- Influenced By
- Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike, Richard Powers
- Influenced
- Contemporary Japanese translators and tsume-shogi composers
- Nominations
- 9th Japan Translation Awards — Finalist (2023)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakusei Junior & Senior High School | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Kyoto University, Faculty of Science | Faculty of Science | — | 学士 | 1968-1972 | Japan |
| Kyoto University, Faculty of Letters (English) / Graduate School of Letters | Faculty of Letters / Graduate School of Letters | Department of English | 修士 | — | Japan |
Rakusei Junior & Senior High School
Year of Graduation:
1968
Country:
Japan
Kyoto University, Faculty of Science
Faculty of Science
Degree:
学士
Period:
1968-1972
Year of Graduation:
1972
Country:
Japan
Initially aimed for mathematics, later shifted to Anglo-American literature
Kyoto University, Faculty of Letters (English) / Graduate School of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Graduate School of Letters
/ Department of English
Degree:
修士
Country:
Japan
Graduated from the Department of English and completed a master's course (year unspecified)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Honkaku Mystery Award (Criticism/Research) | Return of the Astigmatic Reader | 評論・研究部門 | Honkaku Mystery Writers Club | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Yomiuri Literary Prize (Essays/Travelogue) | Lectures on Anglo-American Short Stories (The Astigmatic Reader) | 随筆・紀行部門 | Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
| — | Tsukada Prize | Tsume-shogi problems | 詰将棋 | — | 受賞（7回） |
| — | Kanju Prize | Tsume-shogi problems | 詰将棋 | — | 受賞（9回） |
| 2020 | Shogi Pen Club Grand Prize (Technical Category, Grand Prize) | Frontier of the Board | 技術部門 | Shogi Pen Club | 大賞 |
| 2024 | Shogi Pen Club Grand Prize (Game Report Category, Grand Prize) | Game report: 71st Oza Title Match Game 3 (Nikkei) | 観戦記部門 | Shogi Pen Club | 大賞 |
| 2023 | Japan Translation Awards (Finalist) | The Gold-Bug Variations (co-translated with Shinichiro Mori) | — | — | 最終候補 |
Honkaku Mystery Award (Criticism/Research)
2002
Work:
Return of the Astigmatic Reader
Category:
評論・研究部門
Organization:
Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result:
受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize (Essays/Travelogue)
2004
Work:
Lectures on Anglo-American Short Stories (The Astigmatic Reader)
Category:
随筆・紀行部門
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Tsukada Prize
Work:
Tsume-shogi problems
Category:
詰将棋
Result:
受賞（7回）
Kanju Prize
Work:
Tsume-shogi problems
Category:
詰将棋
Result:
受賞（9回）
Shogi Pen Club Grand Prize (Technical Category, Grand Prize)
2020
Work:
Frontier of the Board
Category:
技術部門
Organization:
Shogi Pen Club
Result:
大賞
Shogi Pen Club Grand Prize (Game Report Category, Grand Prize)
2024
Work:
Game report: 71st Oza Title Match Game 3 (Nikkei)
Category:
観戦記部門
Organization:
Shogi Pen Club
Result:
大賞
Japan Translation Awards (Finalist)
2023
Work:
The Gold-Bug Variations (co-translated with Shinichiro Mori)
Result:
最終候補
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Paradise on the Board: The Strange World of Tsume-Shogi Enthusiasts
1988 Tsume-shogi essaysNon-fiction tracing the history of the tsume-shogi fanzine 'Tsume-Shogi Paradise' and the culture of its enthusiasts.
tsume-shogi culturefan communitieshistory of fanzines
Frontier of the Board: New Tsume-Shogi Problems by Tadashi Wakashima
2019 Collection of tsume-shogi problemsA collection of Wakashima's new tsume-shogi problems, demonstrating his range as a composer.
problem compositionpuzzle mechanicsformal aesthetics
Return of the Astigmatic Reader
2001 Literary criticism / essaysA collection of critical essays traversing contemporary and genre fiction; awarded in the criticism/research category.
contemporary literary criticismmystery studiesgenre analysis
Lectures on Anglo-American Short Stories (The Astigmatic Reader)
2003 Criticism / lecturesA lecture-style collection of criticism on Anglo-American short stories; winner of the Yomiuri Literary Prize (essays/travelogue).
short story studiesAnglo-American literaturereading lectures
Lolita, Lolita, Lolita
2007 Literary criticismAn essayistic study centered on Nabokov's 'Lolita', blending translation-focused and critical perspectives.
Nabokov studiestranslation theoryliterary ethics
The Birth of Tsume-Shogi: Reading 'Tsumu ya Tuma Zaruya'
2024 Scholarly studyA scholarly study explaining the history of tsume-shogi and notable compositions, discussing its development and cultural background.
history of tsume-shogiproblem analysiscultural history
Bibliography
- Paradise on the Board: The Strange World of Tsume-Shogi Enthusiasts (1988)
- Elegant Tsume-Shogi: Labyrinth on the Board (1993)
- Board Fantasia: Tsume-Shogi Works by Tadashi Wakashima (2001)
- Return of the Astigmatic Reader (2001)
- Lectures on Anglo-American Short Stories (2003)
- The Astigmatic Reader's New Adventures (2004)
- Time to Kill: A Mystery Walk by the Astigmatic Reader (2006)
- Frontier of the Board: New Tsume-Shogi Problems by Tadashi Wakashima (2019)
- Detailed Explanation: Tsume-Shogi Solving Championship Champion Matches 2004–2019 (2020)
- The Birth of Tsume-Shogi: Reading 'Tsumu ya Tumazuya' (2024)
Translations by Author
- Lolita (translation)
- Ada (new translation, Hayakawa Publishing, vols. 1–2)
- Galatea 2.2 (by Richard Powers, translation)
- The Gold-Bug Variations (by Richard Powers, co-translation)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Erudite and suggestive critical proseEssayistic tone blending humor with technical descriptionExpository style that makes specialist knowledge accessible to general readers
- Recurring Motifs
- tsume-shogi and chess positions and aestheticsmystery fiction and modes of readinglove of science fiction and fantastical literaturetranslation and source-text comparison
Legacy
Known both as an English literature scholar/translator and as a promoter and composer of tsume-shogi and chess problems. His cross-disciplinary activities bridging literary criticism and puzzle culture have had broad influence, notably on younger translators and tsume-shogi composers.
Academic Societies
- Sokikai
- Japan Chess Problem Association
- Shogi Pen Club
In Popular Culture
- Known as one of the founders of the Tsume-Shogi Solving Championship
- Frequently referenced within the shogi and tsume-shogi communities
Trivia
- Won the Tsukada Prize 7 times and the Kanju Prize 9 times (in tsume-shogi)
- Co-founded the Tsume-Shogi Solving Championship in 2004 and won it for the first time in 2014 at age 61 (oldest champion record)
- Has written shogi game reports under the pen name 'Aoi'
- Longtime faculty member at Kyoto University; retired in 2018 and became Professor Emeritus
- Received the Shogi Pen Club Grand Prize (technical category) for 'Frontier of the Board'