Japanese Literary Awards

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Takagi Rin

たかぎ りん

Takagi Rin

Pen Names: Takagi Rin（Pen name used for screenwriting and non-fiction writing. Legal name is Horikawa Mitsuko.）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1947-07-31 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo (birthplace) → Akasaka, Tokyo → Setagaya, Tokyo → Yugawara, Kanagawa

Career

Occupations
Screenwriter, Non-fiction writer
Active Years
1986-
Affiliations
Japan Screenwriters' Federation
Memberships
Japan Screenwriters' Federation

Awards

Kido Prize (12th)
1986
Work: Hikari
Organization: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan
Result: 入選
Television Scenario Contest (25th)
1986
Work: Scene with a Dove
Organization: Television Scenario Contest
Result: 入賞
Galaxy Awards (32nd)
1995
Work: Fukei no Yubi (The Father's Finger)
Organization: Galaxy Awards
Result: 大賞
Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Encouragement Prize (46th)
1996
Work: Fukei no Yubi (The Father's Finger)
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 芸術作品賞
Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival (52nd)
1997
Work: Paipaterōma
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival
Result: 優秀賞
Special Award by Central Council for Children's Welfare (former Ministry of Health and Welfare)
1989
Work: Musuko yo (My Son)
Organization: Central Council for Children's Welfare (former Ministry of Health and Welfare)
Result: 特別賞
Shogakukan Nonfiction Award (14th)
2007
Work: The Legendary Woman Who Dreamed of Okinawan Independence: Teruya Toshiko
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Fukei no Yubi (The Father's Finger)

1995 Television drama

A television drama exploring family history and conflict. Written by Takagi and broadcast in 1995; it won the Galaxy Awards Grand Prize.

familymemoryintergenerational relationships

Musuko yo (My Son)

1989 Television drama

A moving drama about a boy diagnosed with pediatric cancer and his family. It achieved high ratings and received a special award from the Central Council for Children's Welfare.

illnessfamily bondslife and death

Paipaterōma

1997 Radio drama

A radio drama inspired by legends of the Yaeyama Islands. It won the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Excellence Award in 1997.

legendlocal culturejourney

The Legendary Woman Who Dreamed of Okinawan Independence: Teruya Toshiko

2007 Non-fiction / Biography

A biography tracing the life of Teruya Toshiko, active from prewar to post-reversion Okinawa. Based on thorough research, it won the Shogakukan Nonfiction Award.

Okinawawomen's historyself-determination

Dai Ryukyu Cuisine Book (Dairyukyu Ryori-cho)

2009 Non-fiction / Culinary culture

Recreates Ryukyuan cuisine based on the classical text 'Gozembo-so', depicting folk customs and daily life of ancient Ryukyu through food. An English edition was published in 2020.

food culturehistorical reconstructionRyukyu
Translations
  • Traditional Cuisine of the Ryukyu (English edition, 2020)

The Last Publisher: The Man Who Dreamed of Reviving Ukiyo-e — Watanabe Shōsaburō

2013 Non-fiction / Biography

Follows the life of publisher Watanabe Shōsaburō, who sought to revive shin-hanga (new prints), and explores the significance of preserving Japanese print culture.

art historycraft culturepreservation and legacy

Bibliography

  • The Legendary Woman Who Dreamed of Okinawan Independence: Teruya Toshiko (Shogakukan, 2007)
  • Dai Ryukyu Cuisine Book (Shinchosha, 2009)
  • The Last Publisher: The Man Who Dreamed of Reviving Ukiyo-e — Watanabe Shōsaburō (Kodansha, 2013)
  • Traditional Cuisine of the Ryukyu (English edition: Foundation for the Promotion of Cultural Publishing and Reading, 2020)

Translations of Works

  • Dai Ryukyu Cuisine Book → Traditional Cuisine of the Ryukyu (2020 English translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Investigative, narrative non-fiction grounded in field researchRealist human drama approach in television scripts
Recurring Motifs
Okinawa and its culturefood and customsfamily and memory

Health

  • medical treatment / illness
    1990年代、2011年、2023年
    Illnesses affected writing and restaurant management. Stepped down as representative of the Okinawan restaurant in 2011; closed Miyakami Club in 2023 due to treatment.

Legacy

Recognized for work as a television screenwriter and for non-fiction that delves into Okinawa and print/cultural heritage. Contributed to recording and rediscovery of cultural and culinary heritage.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holds works)

Trivia

  • Legal name is Horikawa Mitsuko.
  • Once opened an Okinawan kaiseki restaurant 'Akasaka Tantei' and later stepped down as representative.
  • Husband was director/producer Toru Horikawa (Horikawa Tonko), who died in 2020.