Ogawa Mimei Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (2000) excellence award
Tao Yamaguchi
ヤマグチ タオ
Yamaguchi Tao
Aliases:
山口隆夫
Pen Names:
Tao Yamaguchi（Pen name (real name: Takao Yamaguchi)）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Resident of Tokyo, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Children's author, Short-short writer, Visiting-class lecturer
- Active Years
- 1983-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tokyo | Faculty of Engineering | Department of Urban Engineering | 工学士 | — | Japan |
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Engineering
/ Department of Urban Engineering
Degree:
工学士
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Hoshi Shinichi Short-Short Contest - Prize | When You Turn Twenty | — | Hoshi Shinichi Short-Short Contest | 入賞 |
| 1985 | Hoshi Shinichi Short-Short Contest - Best Work | The Rejected Medicine | — | Hoshi Shinichi Short-Short Contest | 最優秀作 |
| 1997 | Takarazuka Family Land Fairy Tale Contest - Special Prize | The Town That Caught a Cold | — | Takarazuka Family Land Fairy Tale Contest | 特賞 |
| 2000 | Honobono Douwa-kan Grand Prize | The Visitor on a Rainy Day | — | Honobono Children's Story Hall | 大賞 |
| 2000 | Ogawa Mimei Literary Prize - Excellence Award (9th) | Pieces of the Earth | — | Ogawa Mimei Literary Prize | 優秀賞 |
Hoshi Shinichi Short-Short Contest - Prize
1983
Work:
When You Turn Twenty
Organization:
Hoshi Shinichi Short-Short Contest
Result:
入賞
Hoshi Shinichi Short-Short Contest - Best Work
1985
Work:
The Rejected Medicine
Organization:
Hoshi Shinichi Short-Short Contest
Result:
最優秀作
Takarazuka Family Land Fairy Tale Contest - Special Prize
1997
Work:
The Town That Caught a Cold
Organization:
Takarazuka Family Land Fairy Tale Contest
Result:
特賞
Honobono Douwa-kan Grand Prize
2000
Work:
The Visitor on a Rainy Day
Organization:
Honobono Children's Story Hall
Result:
大賞
Ogawa Mimei Literary Prize - Excellence Award (9th)
2000
Work:
Pieces of the Earth
Organization:
Ogawa Mimei Literary Prize
Result:
優秀賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Stray Cat Socrates
1995 Children's literature (fairy tale)A children's series featuring a stray cat named Socrates, exploring friendship and small insights about everyday life.
friendshipcommunitycats
This Wonderful World - The Astronaut Story Told by a Donkey
2002 Slow book / essay-likeA fable-like work reflecting on the world and humanity, characterized by humor and warmth.
imaginationhumorhuman observation
If All Japanese Were Rice Grains
2004 Parody / humorA parody collection using quirky metaphors about Japanese society and customs, provoking both laughter and reflection.
social satirehumor
White Short-Shorts - The Rejected Medicine
2018 Short-short storiesA collection of brief, fable-like short-shorts mixing gentle absurdity and satire.
absurditysatireshort fiction
Black Short-Shorts - When Earthlings Smile
2018 Short-short storiesA short story collection containing irony and small surprises, lightly capturing social behaviors and human actions.
ironyhuman observation
Bibliography
- The Elephant-Dolphin-Crow Comes (1990)
- Love Humanity More (1991)
- Goodbye Nippon (1996)
- Hey / Friend Book (1998)
- Lucky / Friend Book 2 (1998)
- The Useless Dog Fu-Fu (1999)
- This Wonderful World - The Astronaut Story Told by a Donkey (2002)
- Text of Imagination - Where You Are (2003)
- If All Japanese Were Rice Grains (2004)
- Word Hide-and-Seek (2010)
- Proverb Old Man (2013)
- Seven Chilling Tales in Seven Minutes (2015)
- Rocket Vending Machine - Speedy Spray (2016)
- White Short-Shorts - The Rejected Medicine (2018)
- Black Short-Shorts - When Earthlings Smile (2018)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Concise, fable-like short-shortsA narrative voice blending humor and ironyGentle, imagination-provoking style for children's works
- Recurring Motifs
- animals (especially cats)everyday absurditysocial satire and humor
Legacy
Tao Yamaguchi is known for moving between short-shorts and children's literature, gaining broad support across generations with humor and gentle satire. With an atypical background as a University of Tokyo engineering graduate, he carved out a distinct position through children's series and parody works.
Trivia
- Real name: Takao Yamaguchi.
- Born in Hyōgo Prefecture; resident of Tokyo.
- Alumnus of the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Engineering (Department of Urban Engineering).
- Notable works include the 'Stray Cat Socrates' series and 'If All Japanese Were Rice Grains'.
- Maintains a Twitter account (Tao Yamaguchi / Kotowaza Ojisan).