Japanese Literary Awards

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Tokihiko Umezu

うめづ ときひこ

umezu tokihiko

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948 （Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
journalist, music critic, editor, university professor, university president
Active Years
1971-
Affiliations
The Mainichi Newspapers, Toho Gakuen School of Music / Toho Gakuen University, Waseda University (visiting researcher / part-time lecturer)

Education

Waseda University
School of Letters, Department of Western Philosophy / Department of Western Philosophy
Period: 1967-1971
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: Japan
Graduated in 1971; specific degree details not confirmed in sources
Cologne University of Music
Study abroad (Western music studies / research)
Country: Germany
Studied in Cologne; sources do not specify whether a degree was conferred

Awards

Arts Festival Award (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize)
2004
Work: "The Music of 'Gauche the Cellist'"
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Selection)
Result: winner
Kenji Miyazawa Prize (Iwate Nippo)
2004
Work: "The Music of 'Gauche the Cellist'"
Organization: Iwate Nippo
Result: winner
The Japan National Press Club Award
2010
Work: 'The Instruments of Vermeer' and related writings
Organization: Japan National Press Club
Result: winner
NHK-selected "100 Books of Japan"
2006
Work: "The Name 'Gauche'"
Organization: NHK
Result: selected

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Wind Carrying Sound: Classic Discussions

1991 music criticism

A collection of essays and dialogues on classical music, discussing performance, composition, and listening perspectives.

classical musiccriticism

The Musicology of 'Gauche the Cellist'

2003 musicology / criticism

An in-depth study of Miyazawa Kenji's 'Gauche the Cellist', analyzing the musicality and motifs within the work.

Kenji Miyazawamusic theoryintersection of literature and music

Winterreise: Into the Forest of 24 Symbols

2007 music research / Schubert studies

A philosophical reading of Schubert's 'Winterreise', exploring symbols and structure; later translated into German.

Schubertlied analysissymbolism
Translations
  • Symbole als Wegweiser in Franz Schuberts "Winterreise" (German translation, S. Roderer-Verlag, 2019)

The Instruments of Vermeer: New Ways to Listen to Music

2009 music criticism / art studies

Uses the instruments depicted in Vermeer's paintings as a clue to propose new perspectives on listening to music.

Vermeermusic and visual artlistening

Bibliography

  • Wind Carrying Sound: Classic Discussions
  • Extraordinary and Everyday Music
  • Visiting Performers Seen by Camera: 1960s
  • Bach in the Sunshine
  • Maps Inside the Ear
  • Sonata of Sound and Words: Art Fantasy
  • The Sound of Vermeer: Things Beyond Music
  • The Musicology of 'Gauche the Cellist'
  • The Name 'Gauche'
  • When Sound Descends from Heaven
  • Winterreise: Into the Forest of 24 Symbols
  • The Instruments of Vermeer: New Ways to Listen to Music
  • The Song God Wrote: Critical Essays on Music
  • Beyond the Sound
  • The Dying Linden Tree: Schubert's 'Winterreise' and the Fantastic
  • The Miller's Beautiful Daughter: Schubert, Müller and the Melody of Purification
  • Corridor of Music and Thought

Translations of Works

  • Winterreise: Into the Forest of 24 Symbols → German translation (Symbole als Wegweiser in Franz Schuberts 'Winterreise')
  • The Dying Linden Tree → German translation (Der sterbende Lindenbaum Zu Franz Schuberts 'Winterreise')

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly and critical proseincorporates philosophical and symbolic readingspresents expert knowledge in accessible language
Recurring Motifs
sound and symbolism in worksintersection of literature and musicSchubert studies

Legacy

Known for contributions to music criticism and musicology, especially studies of the musicality in literature and Schubert. As a journalist-turned-university president he has an uncommon career path and helped disseminate music criticism in Japan. Several works have been translated into German and received international attention.

Academic Societies

  • Japanese Society for Musicology

Archives

  • National Diet Library (materials related to Tokihiko Umezu)

Trivia

  • He is a notable example of a journalist who became a university president, a rare career path in Japan.
  • 'Winterreise: Into the Forest of 24 Symbols' was the first Japanese Schubert study to be translated and published in Germany.