Japanese Literary Awards

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Motoi Taniguchi

たにぐち もとい

Taniguchi Motoi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Tokyo, Japan
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Researcher of modern Japanese literature, University professor, Literary critic
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
National Institute of Japanese Literature, Ibaraki University
Memberships
Showa Literary Society, The Society for Modern Japanese Literature

Education

Rikkyo University Graduate School, College of Arts
Graduate School of Arts
Period: 不明（博士後期課程満期退学）
Country: Japan
Left doctoral program after fulfilling the term without receiving degree
Seikei University
Degree: 博士（文学）
Year of Graduation: 2011
Country: Japan
Received PhD in Literature from Seikei University in 2011

Awards

Honkaku Mystery Award (Criticism/Research)
2010
Work: Heterodox Literary Studies Before and After the War
Category: 評論・研究部門
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result: 受賞
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
2014
Work: Introduction to Irregular Detective Fiction
Category: 評論・研究
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞
Matsumoto Seicho Research Encouragement Program (Selected)
Organization: Matsumoto Seicho Research Encouragement Program
Result: 入選
Popular Literature Research Award
Result: 受賞（第2回）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kaidan Itan: The Modernity of Grudges

2009 Literary studies

A collection of essays examining ghost stories and representations of grudges to discuss transformations in popular literature and popular imagination in modern Japan.

ghost storiespopular literaturemodernity

Heterodox Literary Studies Before and After the War: Fantasy and Rebelliousness

2009 Literary studies

A study analyzing groups of literature considered 'heterodox' before and after the war, examining how fantasy and rebellious spirit influenced works and authors.

heterodox literaturefantasyprewar and postwar

The Postwar Henkakuha: Futaro Yamada — Defeat, Science, Gods, and Ghosts

2013 Literary studies

Using Futaro Yamada's postwar works as a clue, this research explores contexts in which defeat, science, religious and ghostly elements arise.

Futaro Yamadapostwar literaturestrangeness

Introduction to Irregular Detective Fiction: The Legacy of Fantasy

2013 Literary studies / Criticism

An essay collection discussing the genealogy of irregular detective fiction—works that do not fit conventional detective novel frameworks—and the genealogical significance of their fantasy elements.

detective fictionirregular/atypicalfantasy

Bibliography

  • Kaidan Itan: The Modernity of Grudges (Suiseisha, 2009)
  • Heterodox Literary Studies Before and After the War: Fantasy and Rebelliousness (Shintensha, 2009)
  • The Postwar Henkakuha: Futaro Yamada — Defeat, Science, Gods, and Ghosts (Seikyusha, 2013)
  • Introduction to Irregular Detective Fiction: The Legacy of Fantasy (Iwanami, 2013)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Careful textual and historical verification combined with critical essaysAn academic style that explores intersections between popular and canonical literature
Recurring Motifs
fantasy/strangenessheterodoxyghost stories/spiritsatypical detective fiction

Legacy

A scholar with solid achievements in modern Japanese literature—especially studies of popular literature, irregular detective fiction, and ghost stories—recognized for bridging academic literary studies and mystery research.

Academic Societies

  • Showa Literary Society
  • The Society for Modern Japanese Literature

Archives

  • Ibaraki University Library — Research Collections

Trivia

  • Won the 10th Honkaku Mystery Award (Criticism/Research) in 2010 for '戦前戦後異端文学論'.
  • Won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 2014 for 'Introduction to Irregular Detective Fiction'.