Japanese Literary Awards

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Taijirō Amazawa

あまざわ たいじろう

Amazawa Taijiro

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1936-07-31 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2023-01-25 （Inage Ward, Chiba City, Japan (hospital)） age 86
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Manchuria (childhood) → Tokyo, Japan (birth and student years) → Chiba Prefecture (later life)

Career

Occupations
poet, French literature scholar, children's literature writer, translator, university professor, Miyazawa Kenji researcher
Active Years
1956-2023
Affiliations
Meiji Gakuin University (Professor, Department of French Literature; Emeritus Professor), Teikyo Heisei University (Professor)
Memberships
Miyazawa Kenji Society
Influenced By
Kenji Miyazawa, Georges Bataille (translated author), Maurice Blanchot (translated author)

Education

Chiba Prefectural Chiba Junior & Senior High School
Period: 〜1955
Year of Graduation: 1955
Country: Japan
High school graduation
University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters (French literature)
Faculty of Letters / Department of French Literature
Period: 1956〜
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Department of French Literature
University of Paris (study abroad)
Period: 1964-1966
Country: France
Studied in Paris (1964–1966)

Awards

Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
1977
Work: Les Invisibles
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Organization
Result: 受賞
Takami Jun Prize
1985
Work: "At Hell" (《地獄》にて)
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Iwate Nippo Literary Prize (Kenji Prize)
1987
Work: On Miyazawa Kenji
Organization: Iwate Nippo
Result: 受賞
Japan Translation and Publishing Culture Prize
1992
Work: Anthology of Medieval French Literature vols.1–3
Organization: Japan Translation and Publishing Culture Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Broadcasting Culture Foundation Prize
1996
Work: Ihatov Fantasy: KENjI's Spring (supervision)
Organization: Broadcasting Culture Foundation
Result: 受賞（関係作品）
Miyazawa Kenji Prize
2001
Work: Body of Miyazawa Kenji research
Organization: Miyazawa Kenji Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize (Poetry/Haiku category)
2002
Work: Yumei Gurin-ka (幽明偶輪歌)
Category: 詩歌俳句賞
Organization: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2002
Organization: Government of Japan (honor)
Result: 受章
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (approx.)
2010
Organization: Government of Japan (honor)
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Dodo (Michi-michi)

1957 poetry collection

First poetry collection, containing early experimental poems.

natureyouthpoetic experimentation

Les Invisibles

1976 poetry collection

A poetry collection titled with a French phrase, exploring invisible and fantastical realms.

fantasythe invisibledreams

At "Hell" (《Jigoku》 nite)

1984 poetry collection

A poetry collection of dark, intense images; won the Takami Jun Prize.

deathsuggestionconfessional imagery

Yumei Gurin-ka (幽明偶輪歌)

2001 poetry collection

A late-career poetry collection; recipient of the Yomiuri Literature Prize.

mysterylife and deathmemory

Bibliography

  • Dodo (1957)
  • Morning River (1961)
  • From Midnight to Morning (1963)
  • Les Invisibles (1976)
  • At "Hell" (1984)
  • Yumei Gurin-ka (2001)
  • Many other poetry collections, children's books, and critical works

Adaptations

  • Collaborated on the animation of 'Night on the Galactic Railroad' (1985)

Translations by Author

  • Georges Bataille, 'L'Air' (translated, 1968)
  • Maurice Blanchot, 'The Supreme' (translated, 1970)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
fantastical and symbolic poetic stylelyricism influenced by French literatureexperimental and avant-garde expression
Recurring Motifs
nature and cosmosdreams and fantasylife and deathreferences to Kenji Miyazawa

Health

  • acute respiratory failure
    2023-01
    Died on 25 January 2023 due to acute respiratory failure

Legacy

An important postwar Japanese poet, French literature scholar, translator and Miyazawa Kenji researcher. As an educator he mentored many scholars and poets, and through translations and editorial work contributed significantly to dissemination of French literature and Miyazawa scholarship.

Academic Societies

  • Miyazawa Kenji Society

Archives

  • National Diet Library, Japan (related holdings)

In Popular Culture

  • Influenced popular culture via collaboration on the animation 'Night on the Galactic Railroad' and related projects

Trivia

  • Won the Takami Jun Prize in 1985 for 'At Hell' (《地獄》にて).
  • Has a son, Tenjiro Amasawa (天澤天二郎), who is a race engineer.
  • Collaborated on the animation adaptation of 'Night on the Galactic Railroad'.