Kishida Theater Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (1959) award
Chikao Tanaka
たなか ちかお
Tanaka Chikao
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1905-10-10 （Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan）
- Died
- 1995-11-29 （Tokyo, Japan） age 90
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Residence History
- Nagasaki City (birthplace) → Kugenuma, Fujisawa, Kanagawa (residence) → Tokyo (later years)
Career
- Occupations
- playwright, director, French literature scholar, educator
- Active Years
- 1933-1995
- Affiliations
- Bungakuza (Literary Theatre Company), Gekidan Haiyūza (as director/member of production department), Toho Gakuen Junior College (Professor, Department of Drama), Japan Art Academy (member)
- Memberships
- Japan Art Academy
- Influenced By
- Paul Géraldy, Kunio Kishida, Shishi Bunroku, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keio University | Faculty of Letters | Department of French Literature | 学士 | 1926-1930 | Japan |
Keio University
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of French Literature
Degree:
学士
Period:
1926-1930
Year of Graduation:
1930
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Yomiuri Literature Prize | Education | — | Yomiuri Shimbun | Winner |
| 1959 | Kishida Drama Award | Maria's Head | — | Kishida Drama Award Committee | Winner |
| 1960 | Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) | Maria's Head / Chidori | — | Agency for Cultural Affairs (formerly Ministry of Education) | Winner |
| 1978 | Mainichi Publishing Culture Award | On Dramatic Style (introductory essay) | — | Mainichi Shimbun | Winner |
| 1980 | Japan Art Academy Prize & Imperial Award | — | — | Japan Art Academy | Winner |
| 1982 | Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class | — | — | Government of Japan | Awarded |
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1955
Work:
Education
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
Winner
Kishida Drama Award
1959
Work:
Maria's Head
Organization:
Kishida Drama Award Committee
Result:
Winner
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1960
Work:
Maria's Head / Chidori
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs (formerly Ministry of Education)
Result:
Winner
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1978
Work:
On Dramatic Style (introductory essay)
Organization:
Mainichi Shimbun
Result:
Winner
Japan Art Academy Prize & Imperial Award
1980
Organization:
Japan Art Academy
Result:
Winner
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class
1982
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
Awarded
Awards & Nominations
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 32 (1978) award
Japan Art Academy Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 36 (1980) imperial prize
Works
Major Works
Edge of the Clouds
1947 existentialist dramaAn existentialist play published after the war exploring human solitude and questions of existence.
existencelonelinessmoral conflict
Education
1954 playA representative existentialist work dealing with conflicts surrounding family and education.
educationfamilyresponsibility
Maria's Head
1959 play (addresses the atomic bombing)A play addressing the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, thematizing war and the memory of the bombing.
waratomic bombingmemory
Bibliography
- Ofukuro (debut play, 1933)
- Edge of the Clouds (1947)
- Education & The Flute (1955)
- Collected Plays of Chikao Tanaka (7 vols., 1960-1967)
- On Dramatic Style (1977-78)
- Right and Left (1979)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- existentialist psychological depictionfocus on dramatic styleconcise and austere dialogue
- Recurring Motifs
- questions of existencelonelinessmoral dilemmasmemory of war
Legacy
Regarded as an important playwright and director in the Shingeki movement, representing existentialist tendencies in postwar Japanese theatre. Left notable achievements as a member of the Japan Art Academy.
Academic Societies
- Japan Art Academy
Archives
- Nagasaki Prefectural Library, etc. (possible holdings)
Trivia
- Hobby: sewing dishcloths (zokin).
- Buried at Catholic Fuchu Cemetery. A memorial inscription by his wife Sumie was erected in front of Urakami Catholic Church in his hometown Nagasaki.