Japanese Literary Awards

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Masakazu Yamazaki

やまざき まさかず

Yamazaki Masakazu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-03-26 （Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2020-08-19 （Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan） age 86
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Grew up in Shenyang (Manchukuo) → Kyoto (birthplace and education) → Osaka area (university faculty positions) → Nishinomiya (residence at time of 1995 Hanshin–Awaji earthquake) → Kobe (place of death) → United States (study at Yale University)

Career

Occupations
Playwright, Critic, Theatre scholar, University professor
Active Years
1960-2020
Affiliations
Kansai University, Faculty of Letters (Associate Professor/Professor), Osaka University, Faculty of Letters (Professor, later Emeritus Professor), Toa University (President), LCA Graduate University (President), Suntory Foundation for Arts (Vice Chairman), Japan Art Academy (Member)
Memberships
Member of the Japan Art Academy
Influenced By
Ogai Mori, William Shakespeare, Saiichi Maruya
Influenced
Tamiya Kuriyama

Education

Kyoto University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of Philosophy (Aesthetics and Art History)
Country: Japan
Entered graduate school doctoral program (Aesthetics and Art History); later left the program and subsequently obtained a PhD at Osaka University
Yale University, Department of Drama (study abroad)
Department of Drama / Department of Drama (visiting/study)
Period: 1964-1965
Year of Graduation: 1965
Country: United States
Studied on a Fulbright-supported program
Osaka University
Faculty of Letters (Doctoral program) / Department of Aesthetics and Art History
Degree: 博士（文学）
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: Japan
Received PhD (Literature) for doctoral thesis 'The Performing Spirit'

Awards

Kishida Kunio Drama Award
1964
Work: Zeami (play)
Organization: Kishida Kunio Drama Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Newcomer)
1972
Work: The Dramatic Japanese
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement)
Result: 受賞
Arts Festival Award (Excellence Award)
1973
Work: Sanetomo Sets Sail
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Festival)
Result: 優秀賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1973
Work: Ogai: The Fighting Patriarch
Organization: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1984
Work: Oedipus Ascension
Organization: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Yoshino Sakuzō Prize
1984
Work: The Birth of Soft Individualism
Organization: Yoshino Sakuzō Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1999
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Person of Cultural Merit
2007
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 選出
Japan Art Academy Prize and Imperial Award
2011
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: 受賞
Order of Culture
2018
Organization: Cabinet Office (Order of Culture)
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Zeami

1963 Play (Drama)

A play based on Zeami, the seminal figure of Noh theatre. After its publication it was staged and translated abroad and won the Kishida Kunio Drama Award.

theatre historytradition vs. modernitythe artist's spirit
Adaptations
  • [Theatre] Zeami (English-language productions) (1964)
  • [Theatre] Zeami (German-language productions) (1960)
Translations
  • Translated into English and German

The Dramatic Japanese

1971 Essays / Cultural criticism

Cultural-critical essays on Japanese mentality and culture; awarded the Art Encouragement Prize (Newcomer).

cultural critiqueJapanese identitydramatic sensibility

Oedipus Ascension

1984 Play (Drama)

A play borrowing motifs from Greek tragedy. Recipient of the Yomiuri Literature Prize.

tragedyfateindividual and society

Bibliography

  • Zeami (Play, 1963)
  • The Dramatic Japanese (Essays, 1971)
  • Oedipus Ascension (Play, 1984)
  • The Birth of Soft Individualism (1984)

Adaptations

  • Zeami — staged in New York, Florence and elsewhere

Translations by Author

  • Taiheiki (modern-language translation)
  • Tsurezuregusa (modern-language translation)
  • Hōjōki (modern-language translation)

Translations of Works

  • Zeami (English and German translations)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
dramatic and lyrical prosescholarly, analytical critical writing
Recurring Motifs
theatre and performancereinterpreting history and classicsindividualism and civic spirit

Health

  • Malignant mesothelioma
    〜2020年（終期）
    Died of malignant mesothelioma in August 2020

Legacy

A major figure in contemporary Japanese theatre and cultural criticism. His plays were staged domestically and abroad, and he received numerous honors including the Order of Culture.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy

Quotes

  • Both rice balls and culture are necessary
    Source: Comment related to the 1995 Hanshin–Awaji earthquake and subsequent theatrical activities (1995)

Trivia

  • His wife, Tomoko Yamazaki, was a professor at Osaka University of Arts and died in 2019.
  • He criticized smoking regulations and used the term 'smoking fascism' in his critique.