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Kei Wakasugi

わかすぎ けい

Wakasugi Kei

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1903-08-29 （Toyama Village, Asa District, Hiroshima Prefecture (now Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima City), Japan）
Died
1987-08-23 （Shingyo-ji Temple, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan） age 83
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Lyricist, Teacher
Active Years
1932-1987
Nominations
Akutagawa Prize nominee ("Usuzumi")

Education

Hiroshima City Toyama Elementary School
Country: Japan
Hiroshima Higher Normal School (precursor to Hiroshima University Faculty of Education)
Faculty of Education (precursor)
Country: Japan
Worked as a teacher after graduation.

Awards

Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize
1975
Work: Sketches on Nagatsuka Setsu
Organization: Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Eden no Umi

1946 Postwar coming-of-age novel

A postwar coming-of-age novel that depicts youth, passion and personal growth. The work was adapted to film on multiple occasions after publication.

youthpostwarromancerenewal
Adaptations
  • [Film] Eden no Umi (film adaptation)

Usuzumi

1943 Short novel / novella

Published in 1943. A work with I-novel tendencies that was shortlisted for the 18th Akutagawa Prize.

inner lifeI-novelhuman depiction under wartime

Seishun Zenki (Early Youth)

1954 Youth novel

A novel depicting postwar young people. Later adapted into the film "Seishun Zenki: Blue Fruit" (1965, Nikkatsu).

youthcoming of agegenerational gaps
Adaptations
  • [Film] Seishun Zenki: Blue Fruit (1965)

Sketches on Nagatsuka Setsu

1975 Literary criticism / essay

A critical essay focusing on Nagatsuka Setsu. It received the Hirabayashi Taiko Literary Prize in 1975.

literary criticismauthor studies

Eku (Eku)

1932 Fiction (debut)

Published in 1932 in "Kyou no Bungaku", this work marked his literary debut.

debutI-novel elements

Bibliography

  • Eku (1932)
  • Hisoyaka na Shiiku (1934)
  • Mijin Sekai (1942)
  • Usuzumi (1943)
  • The Color-Blind Painter (1946)
  • Eden no Umi (1946)
  • Rokushaku no Tsuchi (1947)
  • Hebi no Kotoba (1948)
  • Ima Kita Kono Michi (1950)
  • Nyubo Aru Amazon (1951)
  • Yoru Hiraku Tani (1952)
  • Kindan (1954)
  • Seishun Zenki (1954)
  • Ai no Jimaku (1955)
  • Kiyoraka na Nyubo (1955)
  • Hana o Tsukuru Shonen (1957)
  • Mizumizushii Honoo (1957)
  • Tenohira hodo no Kofuku (1961)
  • Unknown Hometown: Records of My Travels (1957)
  • No no Hotoke (1958)
  • Pilgrimage to Stone Buddhas (1960)
  • Hojo Stone Buddhas (1963)
  • Dams and Stone Buddhas: Tadami River Travelogue (1964)
  • Open-to-the-Sky History (1966)
  • Hymn to Stone Buddhas (1968)
  • Sketches on Nagatsuka Setsu (1975)
  • One Hundred Views of Stone Buddhas (1977)
  • Heart of Stone: Hojo's Stone Buddhas (1980)
  • The Spirit of Stone Buddhas (1981)

Adaptations

  • Eden no Umi - adapted to film multiple times
  • Seishun Zenki - film "Seishun Zenki: Blue Fruit" (1965, Nikkatsu)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
I-novel stylelyricaltravelogue/essayistic descriptions
Recurring Motifs
stone Buddhist statuestravelyouthBuddhist motifs

Legacy

Known chiefly for the postwar youth novel "Eden no Umi", he also produced numerous essays, travelogues and studies on stone Buddhist statues, establishing a distinct literary world. His works received film adaptations and literary recognition.

In Popular Culture

  • Multiple film adaptations of "Eden no Umi"

Trivia

  • "Eden no Umi" is known as a postwar youth romance and was adapted into films multiple times.
  • He wrote the school song for Hiroshima City Toyama Elementary School.
  • "Usuzumi" was shortlisted for the 18th Akutagawa Prize.
  • His grave is located at Shingyo-ji in Nerima, Tokyo.