Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Yoshihiro Uehara

うえはら よしひろ

Uehara Yoshihiro

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1973-07-06 （Minamishinmachi, Matsubara, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Catholicism （Baptismal Name: Kolbe）
Residence History
Minamishinmachi (Furuiike), Matsubara, Osaka → Habikino, Osaka → Fujiidera, Osaka → Sakai, Osaka → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Non-fiction writer, Writer, Reportage journalist
Active Years
1996-2023
Influenced By
Kenji Nakagami

Education

Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences
Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Physical Education
Period: 1992-1996
Year of Graduation: 1996
Country: Japan
Entered on a sports recommendation; won prefectural discus competition.

Awards

Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award
2010
Work: Travelling Japan's Alleys
Organization: Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Sakuya Konohana Prize
2010
Category: 文芸その他部門
Organization: Sakuya Konohana Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Magazine Journalism Award Selected by Editors
2012
Work: "Origins of a Solitary Populist" (Shincho 45, Nov 2011)
Organization: Editors' Magazine Journalism Award Committee
Result: 大賞
Mizuno Sports Writer Award
2016
Work: Betting on a Throw: Kazuyo Mizoguchi, The Last Rogue Athlete
Organization: Mizuno Sports Writer Award Committee
Result: 優秀賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tables of the Discriminated

2005 Reportage / Non-fiction

A reportage focusing on the lives and food culture of communities facing discrimination.

Buraku issuesDiscriminationFood culture

Travelling Japan's Alleys

2009 Reportage / Non-fiction

A travel reportage exploring alleys and marginal areas, delving into the lives and histories of their residents.

AlleysMarginal communitiesDiscrimination

The False Tower of Stone: Discovery and Fabrication — Men Obsessed with Archaeology

2014 Non-fiction / Investigative

Investigative reportage examining fabrications and the frenzied aspects of prehistoric excavation research.

ArchaeologyFabricationJournalism

Betting on a Throw: Kazuyo Mizoguchi, The Last Rogue Athlete

2016 Sports reportage

A sports reportage portraying the life and struggles of athlete Kazuyo Mizoguchi.

SportsBiographyRogue athletes

Child of the Alley

2017 Reportage / Non-fiction

Through personal origins and stories of people raised in alleys, depicts discrimination and daily life.

Autobiographical elementsBuraku issuesAlleys

Bibliography

  • 28 Uehara Yoshihiro Poetry Collection (2001)
  • Tables of the Discriminated (2005)
  • Korean Buraku: In Search of the Phantom Korean Outcasts (2006)
  • St. Luke's Hospital Home Nursing Section: 11 Nurses (2007)
  • Travelling Japan's Alleys (2009)
  • Strange Japanese (2010)
  • Private Edition Dictionary of Discriminatory Terms (2011)
  • The False Tower of Stone: Discovery and Fabrication (2014)
  • Discrimination, Education, and Me (2014)
  • Classroom of Alleys: Thinking about Buraku Discrimination (2014)
  • Gourmet of the Discriminated (2015)
  • Betting on a Throw (2016)
  • Canada: Traveling the Historical Road (2017)
  • Child of the Alley (2017)
  • To the Border Alleys (2018)
  • Record of Stopping Medication: Why I Quit Antidepressants (2020)
  • Shikoku Remote Lands: Phantom Grass Pilgrims and Alley Pilgrimages (2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Reportage styleOn-site, descriptive reportingDirect and argumentative tone
Recurring Motifs
AlleysDiscriminationMarginalized peopleProfiles of sports figures

Health

  • Bipolar disorder
    中学生期から（生涯を通じて断続的）
    Multiple suicide attempts and hospitalizations; in 2012 he publicly disclosed hospitalization after an overdose of sleeping pills.

Legacy

Known for reportage on Buraku and marginal communities, his work provoked both acclaim and controversy; he is regarded as a writer who brought attention to sensitive social issues.

Quotes

  • Being attacked for doing something new has always been common; it's only natural. Rather, it can be seen as evidence that I'm doing my job properly.
    Source: Tweet (2013) / public remark (2013)

Trivia

  • Won a prefectural discus competition in university.
  • Was baptized Catholic in university (baptismal name: Kolbe).
  • Won the Oya Soichi Nonfiction Award in 2010 for 'Travelling Japan's Alleys'.
  • Announced retirement from nonfiction writing in 2023.