Japanese Literary Awards

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Sohachi Yamaoka

やまおか そうはち

Yamaoka Sohachi

Aliases: 藤野庄蔵 / 山内庄蔵
Pen Names: Sohachi Yamaoka（Pen name used for literary works）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1907-01-11 （Sasari (Koide), Kita-Uonuma District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan (now Uonuma City)）
Died
1978-09-30 （Kami-Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan (Cancer Institute Hospital)） age 71
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Koide, Niigata (birthplace) → Tokyo (Kanda; later Kami-Ikebukuro, Toshima)

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
1933-1978
Affiliations
Shinyokai, Nippon wo Mamoru Kai (Representative Committee), Friends of the Self-Defense Forces (Chair)
Memberships
Shinyokai, Nippon wo Mamoru Kai, Anti-Drug National Purification League
Influenced By
Hasegawa Shin
Influenced
Mitsuteru Yokoyama (manga artist who adapted Yamaoka's historical novels), Later writers of popular historical fiction

Education

Teishin Kanri Training Institute (Ministry of Communications training institute)
Printing and Bookbinding
Country: Japan
Attended a training institute of the Ministry of Communications; worked in printing and bookbinding.

Awards

Sunday Mainichi Popular Literature Selection (Selected)
1938
Work: Yakusoku (short story)
Organization: Mainichi Shimbun / Sunday Mainichi
Result: 入選
Noma Literary Encouragement Prize
1942
Work: 'Gunjin Sugimoto Chūsa' and 'Kaitei Senki' (and others)
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: 受賞
Chunichi Cultural Award
1958
Work: Tokugawa Ieyasu
Organization: Chunichi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Hasegawa Shin Prize
1967
Work: Tokugawa Ieyasu
Organization: Hasegawa Shin Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize
1968
Work: Tokugawa Ieyasu
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞（第2回）
Medal with Purple Ribbon (Shiju Hosho)
1973
Organization: Japanese government
Result: 受章
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Second Class
1978
Organization: Japanese government
Result: 受章（没後）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tokugawa Ieyasu

1953 Historical novel

A long historical novel chronicling the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Serialized in newspapers and published in 26 volumes between 1953 and 1967; became one of the major postwar bestsellers.

politicsmilitary strategyhuman dramaportrayal of leadership
Adaptations
  • [Film] Tokugawa Ieyasu (film) (1965)
  • [TV drama] Tokugawa Ieyasu (NHK Taiga Drama) (1983)
  • [TV anime] Young Tokugawa Ieyasu (1975)

The Pacific War

1965 Historical novel / War narrative

A large-scale series on the Pacific War, depicting wartime Japan through accounts of battles and personalities. Published in multiple volumes (nine-volume series among editions).

warmilitary strategystate and individual

Novel: Nobusuke Kishi

1959 Political novel

A political novel that portrays Nobusuke Kishi in a near-real-name depiction. Written in response to the political climate around the revision of the Security Treaty.

politicsmodern historyroman à clef

Haruno Saka-michi (Spring Slope)

1971 Historical novel

A historical novel dealing with figures such as Yagyū Munenori. Adapted as an NHK Taiga Drama.

swordsmanship historysamurai societyhuman relationships
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Haruno Saka-michi (NHK Taiga Drama) (1971)

Moeru Kidō (Burning Trajectory)

1974 Biographical novel

A biographical novel in five volumes about Hiroike Chikurō, written with sympathy for Moralogy thought.

biographymoral educationreligion and thought

Bibliography

  • Karayuki Gunka (1939)
  • Kaitei Senki (1942)
  • Tokugawa Ieyasu (1953-1967)
  • Oda Nobunaga (1955-1960)
  • The Pacific War (1965-1971)
  • The Meiji Emperor (1968)
  • Date Masamune (1970-1973)
  • Moeru Kidō (1974-1978)

Adaptations

  • Tokugawa Ieyasu (Film, 1965)
  • Young Tokugawa Ieyasu (TV anime, 1975)
  • Haruno Saka-michi (NHK Taiga Drama, 1971)
  • Mitsuteru Yokoyama's comic adaptations (Tokugawa Ieyasu, etc.)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
populist narrative stylenarrative blending historical fact and fiction
Recurring Motifs
heroic figuresloyalty and ethicsnation and leadersmilitary and politics

Health

  • Hodgkin lymphoma
    1977-1978
    His condition worsened in his final years, severely affecting his writing and health; he developed acute pneumonia and died.

Legacy

One of postwar Japan's leading popular historical novelists. 'Tokugawa Ieyasu' became a bestseller and influenced business leaders and popular culture; many works were adapted to film, television and comics, contributing to the popularization of historical fiction.

Archives

  • Kodansha Archive Center
  • National Diet Library (holds many works)

In Popular Culture

  • Adaptations into NHK Taiga Dramas (Haruno Saka-michi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, etc.)
  • TV anime 'Young Tokugawa Ieyasu' (1975)
  • Comic adaptations by Mitsuteru Yokoyama

Quotes

  • In the midst of the East-West Cold War, earnestly continuing the effort not to split the nation in two while venerating the gods is the most important way to honor the deity of Emperor Meiji.
    Source: Address at the Centennial of the Meiji Restoration ceremony (Nippon Budokan) (1968)
  • This book covers everything from politics and military strategy to economics and religion.
    Source: Praise by Eisaku Satō in a special issue of 'Shinkan Tenbō' (new publications review) (1963)

Trivia

  • 'Tokugawa Ieyasu' became a huge bestseller and accounted for a significant share of Kodansha's sales; it achieved very high cumulative circulation.
  • During the war he served as a war correspondent/author and traveled to China and Southeast Asia.
  • In his later years he sympathized with Moralogy and wrote a biographical novel about Hiroike Chikurō, 'Moeru Kidō'.