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Shozo Uehara

ウエハラ ショウゾウ

Uehara Shozo

Aliases: 木原光 / 泉崎敬太
Pen Names: （Pen name used for some works）, （Pen name used for some works）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1937-02-06 （Naha, Okinawa, Japan）
Died
2020-01-02 （Japan） age 82
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Ishikawa (now Uruma), Okinawa, Japan → Tamaki (now Nanjo), Okinawa, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
screenwriter, novelist
Active Years
1964-2020
Influenced By
Tetsuo Kaneshiro (Tetsuo Kaneshiro / Kinjo Tetsuo), Shinichi Sekizawa, Eiji Tsuburaya
Influenced
Toshihisa Arakawa (Minoru Arakawa?), Hirohisa Soda

Education

Chuo University
Country: Japan
Wrote amateur scripts while at university, including pieces themed on the Battle of Okinawa and U.S. military bases.

Awards

Tsubota Jōji Literature Prize (33rd)
2018
Work: Kijimuna kids
Organization: Tsubota Jōji Literature Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Art Festival Encouragement Award
Work: Script 'Shuukotsu'
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Festival)
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kijimuna kids

2017 Novel

A novel portraying the resilience of Okinawan children and regional memory, reflecting the author's background and wartime experiences.

Okinawan identitywartime experiencechildhood and growth

Return of Ultraman (main writer)

1971 TV series (tokusatsu)

Participated as a main writer in the second Ultraman series, helping lay the series' foundations; wrote episodes dealing with social issues and minorities.

social themesdiscrimination and inclusionheroic narratives

Getter Robo (anime)

1974 Anime

Wrote scripts for Toei Animation's robot anime, blending sci-fi elements with human drama.

teamworkthe light and dark of technology

Space Pirate Captain Harlock (script contributions)

1978 Anime

Contributed scripts to Toei Animation's production, providing episodes reflecting human drama and rebellious spirit.

rebellious spiritindividual vs community

Kaiki Daisakusen

1968 TV series (tokusatsu/strange tales)

One of the works from his Tsuburaya period, noted for scripts incorporating strange/occult elements.

strangenesshuman drama

Bibliography

  • Shozo Uehara Scenario Selected Works
  • Kijimuna kids
  • Tetsuo Kaneshiro: Ultraman Shimauta
  • Revenge After 24 Years: Shozo Uehara Scenario Masterpieces

Adaptations

  • Himitsu Sentai Gorenger: Bomb Hurricane
  • Space Sheriff Shaider (including theatrical films)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
robust dramatic approach within children's worksweaving Okinawan identity into narrativesallegorical depiction in sci-fi and tokusatsu
Recurring Motifs
memory of Okinawa and wartime experiencesminorities and discriminationwarnings about technology

Health

  • tuberculosis
    大学卒業後、若年期（1950年代〜）
    Required recuperation that led to temporary return to Okinawa and influenced later connections and creative work.
  • liver cancer
    2019–2020
    Died of liver cancer in January 2020.

Legacy

A leading screenwriter for the Ultraman series and Toei tokusatsu/anime productions, Uehara is praised for bringing deep social themes and an Okinawan perspective to children's works. In later years he published novels and won the Tsubota Jōji Literature Prize.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (authority/archival records)

In Popular Culture

  • Foundational scripts for tokusatsu genres such as the Ultraman and Super Sentai series

Quotes

  • The forcefulness of the Satsuma invasion that occupied Ryukyu continues even now. Shana (Janā) the chief who was executed then is my ancestor, and Shana is always in my heart.
    Source: Interview (sources: Okinawa Times, etc.)

Trivia

  • Disliked ketchup—said to stem from drifting at sea during wartime where ketchup was the only food available.
  • His father reportedly served as head of the Ishikawa Police Station after the war (sources vary).
  • Coined the playful word 'Puripuri no Kirinko' for the show 'Kaiju Booska'.