Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Tamura Shigeru

たむら しげる

Tamura Shigeru

Pen Names: Tamura Shigeru（Pen name used for picture books, illustrations and audiovisual works）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1949-11-26 （Kamata, Ota, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
picture book author, illustrator, film/visual artist, manga artist, package designer
Active Years
1970-
Influenced By
Kenji Miyazawa, Taruho Inagaki

Education

Kuwasawa Design School
Country: Japan
Completed

Awards

Shogakukan Art Award
Work: Metaphysical Nights
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞
Nobuo Oofuji Award (Mainichi Film Awards)
1993
Work: Fish of the Galaxy
Organization: Mainichi Film Awards (Mainichi Newspapers)
Result: 受賞
Montreux International Electronic Cinema Festival Special Prize
Work: Fish of the Galaxy
Organization: Montreux International Electronic Cinema Festival
Result: 受賞（特別賞）
AMD Award Grand Prix / Minister of Posts Prize
Work: Amusement Planet PHANTASMAGORIA
Organization: Digital Media Association (DMA)
Result: 受賞（グランプリ）
Japan Media Arts Festival (Animation) Grand Prize
Work: The Whale's Leap
Category: アニメーション
Organization: Japan Media Arts Festival (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
Result: 大賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (Grand Prize)
Work: Sound of the Night
Organization: Sankei Shimbun (Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award)
Result: 大賞
JBBY Award
Work: Sound of the Night
Organization: Japan Board on Books for Young People (JBBY)
Result: 受賞
Kuwasawa Special Award
Work: Sound of the Night
Organization: Kuwasawa Design School
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ant and Watermelon

picture book

An early picture book work characterized by delicate lines and a fantastical world.

fantasynaturechildhood perspective

Phantasmagoria

artbook / picture book

A representative collection of Tamura's fantastical works.

phantasmdreammemory
Adaptations
  • [CD-ROM / digital work] Amusement Planet PHANTASMAGORIA

Space Skate

1998 picture book

A picture book themed on outer space. Published in 1998 and later reissued.

spaceadventurenostalgia

Fish of the Galaxy

1993 film / animation

A visual work praised internationally for its fantastical visual expression.

waternostalgiacosmos
Adaptations
  • [film festival screening] Fish of the Galaxy (1993)

Sound of the Night

2017 picture book

A picture book crystallizing moving experiences from the author's childhood; regarded as a new direction in Tamura's work.

recollectionnightgrowing up

Bibliography

  • Ant and Watermelon
  • Night Stroll
  • Phantasmagoria
  • Space Skate
  • Santa's Toy Factory
  • Land of Robots SOS
  • Dahna
  • The Ghost Concert
  • Sand Castle
  • The Witch's Cake
  • Lancelot and Pablo
  • Snail Taxi
  • Rolling Snowman
  • Sound of the Night, etc.

Adaptations

  • TBS 'Broadcaster' opening animation
  • NHK Minna no Uta 'Yuyake Boshi' animation
  • House Foods stew TV commercial series (6 spots)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
fantasticalpoetic descriptionmeticulous linework
Recurring Motifs
starswaterglass beadstime suspension

Legacy

Tamura Shigeru established a distinctive fantastical world across picture books, illustration and visual media, receiving recognition in film festivals and publishing; he has left influence in both children's literature and visual arts.

Museums

  • Hachioji Yume Art Museum (Tamura Shigeru exhibition) Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan Opened in 2005

Archives

  • Holdings in the National Diet Library
  • Hachioji Yume Art Museum exhibition materials

In Popular Culture

  • Cover illustrations for TV magazine 'TV Station' (long-term since 1988)
  • Opening animation for TBS news program 'Broadcaster'
  • NHK 'Minna no Uta' animation for 'Yuyake Boshi'
  • Visuals for House Foods stew commercial series

Trivia

  • Graduated from Kuwasawa Design School.
  • Early works were published in the alternative manga magazine 'Garo'.
  • 'Uchu Skate' was published in 1998 and later reissued.
  • Provided cover illustrations for 'TV Station' magazine long-term since 1988.