Japanese Literary Awards

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Takao Uesaka

うえさか たかお

Uesaka Takao

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1926-12-20 （Hyogo Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2012-11-04 age 85
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Hyogo Prefecture → Yokohama

Career

Occupations
Writer, Elementary school teacher
Active Years
1955-2012

Education

Hyogo Normal School
Country: Japan
Graduated from Hyogo Normal School
Waseda University
Country: Japan
Left the university before graduating (dropped out)

Awards

Shosetsu Shinchō Prize (1st)
1955
Work: Michi Shio
Organization: Shosetsu Shinchō (magazine)
Result: 受賞
Yokohama Literature Prize (7th)
2001
Organization: Yokohama City
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Vanished Child

1968 Novel

An early work that reflects on children and educational settings.

educationchildrenlocal community

Winter Pressure Pattern

1970 Novel

A work depicting chilly human relationships and facets of society.

interpersonal relationshipslonelinesssocial depiction

Nights Without Light

1977 Short fiction / Novel

A piece/series focused on dark nights and inner anxieties.

solitudeinterior lifenight

Pioneer of Modern Architecture: Endō Oto and Disaster-Prevention Architecture

1983 Non-fiction

A non-fiction work introducing architect Endō Oto's achievements and his engagement with disaster-prevention architecture.

architecturedisaster preventionbiography

The Sky is Falling: The Yokohama Air Raids

1983 Non-fiction / Record

A work addressing the Yokohama air raids, portraying the city and citizens' wartime experiences.

warurban historymemory

Frontline of Blockage: Epitaphs of Teachers Who Committed Suicide

1988 Documentary / Fiction

A weighty work touching on struggles within education and commemorative perspectives on teachers' suicides.

educational issuesmental healthremembrance

Where the Beret Went

2008 Novel

One of his later works characterized by delicate psychological描写 of characters.

memoryhuman relationshipsmiddle and older age

Bibliography

  • The Vanished Child (Public Schools Mutual Aid Association, 1968)
  • Winter Pressure Pattern (Eiko Publishing, 1970)
  • Seek Not Other Than the Sanctuary (Eiko Publishing, 1972)
  • The Valley's Poultry Farm (Eiko Publishing, 1974)
  • Nobuhiko and His New Friends (Doshinsha, 1975)
  • Nights Without Light (Doshinsha, 1977)
  • Pioneer of Modern Architecture: Endō Oto and Disaster-Prevention Architecture (PHP Institute, 1983)
  • The Sky is Falling: The Yokohama Air Raids (Yurindo, 1983)
  • Frontline of Blockage: Epitaphs of Teachers Who Committed Suicide (Ikko-sha, 1988)
  • Dump List (Chisekisha, 1992)
  • The Rain Keeps Falling (Musashino Shobo, 1994)
  • Around YoriYoshi Arima and Fumio Niwa: 'Ishi no Kai' and 'Writers' (Musashino Shobo, 1995)
  • Crimson Garment (Musashino Shobo, 1996)
  • Kamakura Silence (Chisekisha, 1998)
  • Hakone Descent: Tajima Flame Summer (Chisekisha, 2000)
  • Female Doctor (Chisekisha, 2002)
  • Notification of the Prize (Musashino Shobo, 2004)
  • Where the Beret Went (Musashino Shobo, 2008)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
realistic depictionregional focus (notably Yokohama)concern with teachers and educational settings
Recurring Motifs
Yokohama cityscapesteachers' conflicts in educationmemories of war

Legacy

A writer known for works drawing on his teaching experience and often set in Yokohama. Recognized with the 1955 Shosetsu Shinchō Prize and the 2001 Yokohama Literature Prize; praised for regional focus and human depiction.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (author authority file)
  • External authority files such as VIAF and ISNI
  • Bibliographic records in CiNii Books / CiNii Research

Trivia

  • He dropped out of Waseda University.
  • He was the editor/organizer of the literary doujinshi 'Hi' (碑).
  • Many of his works are set in Yokohama.