Nihon Essayist Club Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 38 (1990) award
Shizuo Yamakawa
やまかわ しずお
Yamakawa Shizuo
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1933-02-27 （Umeyamachi, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- Announcer, Entertainment critic, Essayist
- Active Years
- 1956-1994
- Affiliations
- NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
- Influenced By
- Nakamura Kanzaburō (17th), Nakamura Utaemon (6th), Yoshida Tamio, Yoshida Minosuke
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kokugakuin University | Faculty of Letters | — | — | — | Japan |
Kokugakuin University
Faculty of Letters
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Japan Essayists Club Award | Meishu Meigen (Famous Performers, Famous Sayings) | — | Japan Essayists Club | 受賞 |
| 1994 | Hashida Award | — | — | Hashida Award | 受賞 |
| 1995 | Maeshima Hisoka Prize | — | — | Maeshima Hisoka Prize | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Tokugawa Musei Civic Award | — | — | Tokugawa Musei Civic Award | 受賞 |
| 2010 | Kodansha Essay Award | Omokou no Hitobito: Stories of Human Feeling from the Third Floor of Kabuki-za | — | Kodansha | 受賞 |
Japan Essayists Club Award
1990
Work:
Meishu Meigen (Famous Performers, Famous Sayings)
Organization:
Japan Essayists Club
Result:
受賞
Hashida Award
1994
Organization:
Hashida Award
Result:
受賞
Maeshima Hisoka Prize
1995
Organization:
Maeshima Hisoka Prize
Result:
受賞
Tokugawa Musei Civic Award
2005
Organization:
Tokugawa Musei Civic Award
Result:
受賞
Kodansha Essay Award
2010
Work:
Omokou no Hitobito: Stories of Human Feeling from the Third Floor of Kabuki-za
Organization:
Kodansha
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Kodansha Essay Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 26 (2010) award
Works
Major Works
Tsunadayu Shiki: Living Showa Bunraku
1974 Non-fiction / Performing arts criticismA biographical and critical study of bunraku master Tsunodayu, recounting the魅力 and history of bunraku in the Showa era.
BunrakuKabukiTraditional performing artsBiography / Criticism
Meishu Meigen (Famous Performers, Famous Sayings)
1991 Essay / CriticismAn essay collection compiling episodes and notable sayings of master performers, written with humor and insight.
Entertainment criticismHuman interestHumor
My NHK Story: 38 Years as an Announcer
1994 Memoir / EssaysMemoir recounting decades at NHK, anecdotes from broadcasting and reflections on program production.
BroadcastingReminiscenceCareer
Bibliography
- Tsunadayu Shiki: Living Showa Bunraku (1974)
- The Art of Laughter (1974)
- Another's Fundoshi (1976)
- Stories of Kamigata Entertainers (1977)
- Utaemon's Evacuation (1980)
- Ultra Uncle Strives On (1980)
- A Life of an Announcer: Biography of Wada Shingen (1983)
- Clear Evening Sky (1985)
- Sixty Years of Utaemon (1986)
- The Cup of Human Kindness (1986)
- I Want to Speak Better (1988)
- Kanzaburo's Weather (1988)
- Meishu Meigen (1991)
- The Pendulum of the Heart (1991)
- Contemporary Yamato Spirit (1992)
- Office Chushingura (1994)
- The Wisdom of Kabuki (1994)
- Women of Bunraku (1994)
- My NHK Story: 38 Years as an Announcer (1994)
- Shorter Speeches Leave a Better Impression (1998)
- Hints for Speaking (1999)
- The Secret Flavor of Kabuki (1999)
- Kabuki Essays (2000)
- Men of Bunraku: The World of Yoshida Tamio (2002)
- Yamakawa Shizuo's Theater Essays (2003)
- Returned to the Flower Stage (2007)
- The Great Actors I Met (2007)
- How to Enjoy Kabuki (2008)
- People in the Gallery (2009)
- Men of Bunraku - The World of the First Yoshida Tamio (2016)
- Women of Bunraku - The World of Yoshida Minosuke (2016)
- Yamakawa Shizuo's Bunraku Reminiscences (2017)
- My 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' Story (2019)
- Yamakawa Shizuo's Kabuki Reminiscences (2021)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Accessible, conversational toneCritical voice mixing humor and acerbic witExplanatory writing based on detailed knowledge of traditional performing arts
- Recurring Motifs
- Classical performing arts (kabuki, bunraku)Human-interest stories about performersBehind-the-scenes of broadcasting
Health
-
Cerebral infarction (stroke)2000年Suffered a stroke in 2000 accompanied by aphasia, heart failure and intestinal obstruction; hospitalized but made a relatively prompt recovery and returned to public activities.
Legacy
Longtime public figure for NHK who contributed as a broadcaster and master of live presentation; through essays and critical works on kabuki and bunraku he aided public understanding of traditional arts. His writings and broadcasts mark him as an important figure in broadcasting and performing-arts history.
Academic Societies
- National Language Council (Kokugo Shingikai)
Archives
- NHK Archives
In Popular Culture
- High public visibility from long-term role as host of NHK's Kohaku Uta Gassen (White Team)
Trivia
- Served as host of the White Team on Kohaku Uta Gassen for nine consecutive years from 1974 to 1982.
- Studied kabuki and voice mimicry while at Kokugakuin University and appeared on radio as a student.
- Suffered a stroke in 2000 but recovered and continued writing and occasional broadcasting.