Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Kunio Tsuji

つじ くにお

Tsuji Kunio

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1925-09-24 （Komagome, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
1999-07-29 （Karuizawa, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan） age 73
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Komagome, Tokyo, Japan → Yugawara (evacuation), Japan → Former Matsumoto Higher School / Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture, Japan) → Paris, France → Karuizawa (villa), Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Scholar of French literature, University professor, Essayist, Critic
Active Years
1963-1999
Affiliations
Rikkyo University (Associate Professor), Gakushuin University (Professor)
Memberships
Japan Art Academy
Influenced By
Stendhal, Thomas Mann, Jean Cocteau, Arimasa Mori

Education

Former Matsumoto Higher School (later part of Shinshu University)
Former Higher School / Science (Class B) → Arts (Class B)
Period: 1944-1949
Year of Graduation: 1949
Country: Japan
Entered during wartime evacuation period; school later reorganized into Shinshu University.
University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters, Department of French Literature (undergraduate)
Faculty of Letters / Department of French Literature
Degree: 学士
Period: 1949-1952
Year of Graduation: 1952
Country: Japan
Undergraduate thesis on Stendhal ('From Victories to Melanie').
University of Tokyo, Graduate School (Department of French Literature)
Graduate School (Faculty of Letters) / Department of French Literature
Degree: 修士
Period: 1952-（大学院在学）
Country: Japan
Entered graduate school after graduation; specialized in French literature.

Awards

Kindaibungaku (Modern Literature) Prize
1963
Work: In the Corridor
Organization: Kindaibungaku Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Newcomer)
1969
Work: The Signore: Shogun of the Warring States
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Art Award
1973
Work: Julian the Apostate
Organization: The Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize
1995
Work: Saigyo Kaden
Organization: Tanizaki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Osaragi Jiro Prize (Nomination)
1995
Work: Saigyo Kaden
Organization: Osaragi Jiro Prize Committee
Result: 候補（選考対象辞退）
Member of the Japan Art Academy
1996
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

In the Corridor

1963 Novel

A novel begun during his return from Europe in 1961 and published in 1963. Drawing on his stay in Europe, it examines human spirit, time and memory. It was his debut and won the Kindaibungaku Prize.

travelmemoryhuman spirit

The Signore: Shogun of the Warring States

1968 Historical novel

A long historical novel set in the Sengoku period. It depicts the interaction of power and culture and human aspiration; it won the Art Encouragement Prize (Newcomer) in 1969.

historypowerculture
Translations
  • English translation: The Signore: Shogun of the Warring States (translated by Stephen Snyder, Kodansha International, 1989)

Julian the Apostate

1972 Historical novel

A long historical novel about the Roman Emperor Julian. It explores religion, faith and spiritual conflict in a literary manner; it received the Mainichi Art Award in 1973.

religionfaithspiritual conflict

Saigyo Kaden

1995 Historical novel

A historical novel depicting the life of the medieval poet Saigyo. Through waka poetry and faith it portrays his artistic sensibility; it won the Tanizaki Prize in 1995.

waka poetryfaithart
Adaptations
  • [Radio drama] Saigyo Kaden (radio drama, CD) (2006)

The Northern Cape

1970 Short story collection (fiction)

A collection of short stories focusing on regional settings and human drama. It was adapted into a film directed by Kei Kumai in 1976.

regional lifehuman relationshipsloss and renewal
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Northern Cape (film) / 熊井啓 (1976)

Bibliography

  • In the Corridor (1963)
  • Summer Fortress (1966)
  • An'zu Oukanki / The Signore (1968)
  • Julian the Apostate (1972)
  • The Northern Cape (1970)
  • Saigyo Kaden (1995)
  • Later Thoughts (unfinished, 1999)
  • Notes from Paris (1973-1974)

Adaptations

  • Film 'The Northern Cape' (1976, dir. Kei Kumai)
  • NHK drama 'Amakusa no Magoka' (1972)
  • Radio drama 'Saigyo Kaden' (CD release, 2006)

Translations by Author

  • Marcel Brion, 'Resurrection of a Dead City' (co-translated, 1963-1964)
  • Works and translations related to Jean Cocteau (various)

Translations of Works

  • An'zu Oukanki → The Signore: Shogun of the Warring States (translated by Stephen Snyder, 1989)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical, classical prosenarration linking history and the presentsymbolic and philosophical descriptions
Recurring Motifs
journey and recollectionsea and capesreligion and faithart and poetry

Health

  • Myocardial infarction
    1999-07
    Suffered a fatal myocardial infarction while staying in Karuizawa in July 1999, causing his sudden death and the end of his writing career.

Legacy

Kunio Tsuji is highly regarded for combining his knowledge of French literature with historical-novel imagination. He left many novels and essays; his materials are held by archives such as the Gakushuin University Archive and Yamanashi Prefectural Museum. Having won major prizes including the Tanizaki Prize, he holds a distinctive place in modern Japanese literature.

Museums

  • Gakushuin University Archives (materials related to Kunio Tsuji) Tokyo, Japan
  • Yamanashi Prefectural Museum (holds Tsuji family documents) Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
  • Karuizawa Kogen Bunko (holds and exhibits materials related to Kunio Tsuji) Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy

Archives

  • Gakushuin University Archive holdings: 'Kunio Tsuji materials'
  • Yamanashi Prefectural Museum (Tsuji family documents)
  • Yamanashi Prefectural Library holdings

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation 'The Northern Cape' (1976) and other screen adaptations
  • NHK drama adaptation 'Amakusa no Magoka' (1972)
  • Radio drama 'Saigyo Kaden' (CD release, 2006)

Quotes

  • I'll continue until I die.
    Source: Serial essays in Shinano Mainichi Shimbun (collected later in 'Kunio Tsuji: Observations of the Late 20th Century') (2000)

Trivia

  • Born in Komagome; named 'Kunio' because his birthday is September 24.
  • From 1980 he stayed/lived at 37 Rue Descartes in Paris's 5th arrondissement.
  • Posthumous Buddhist name: 'Zenrin-in Bungaku Kunio-koji' (禅林院文覚邦生居士).
  • Debuted with 'In the Corridor' which won the Kindaibungaku Prize.