Kishida Kunio Drama Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1955) honorable mention
Seiichi Yashiro
やしろ せいいち
Yashiro Seiichi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1927-04-10 （Ginza, Kyobashi, Tokyo, Japan）
- Died
- 1998-01-11 （Tokyo, Japan (home)） age 70
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Catholicism Baptized in 1969
- Residence History
- Ginza (birthplace) → Tokyo, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, essayist
- Active Years
- 1944-1998
- Affiliations
- Japan Writers' Association, Japan Theatre Association, Bungakuza (former member)
- Memberships
- Japan Writers' Association, Japan Theatre Association
- Influenced By
- Kunio Kishida, Yukio Mishima, Chikao Tanaka, Shusaku Endo
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseda University | Faculty of Letters | Department of French Literature | — | 1946-1950 | Japan |
Waseda University
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of French Literature
Period:
1946-1950
Year of Graduation:
1950
Country:
Japan
Member of the Haiyūza literary division while at university. Alumni of Waseda High School.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Kishida Kunio Drama Award (Honorable Mention) | Kabe-ga (Wall Painting) | — | Kishida Kunio Drama Award Committee | recipient |
| 1971 | Kinokuniya Theatre Award | Sharaku-ko / Cactus of Palestine | — | Kinokuniya Bookstore | recipient |
| 1972 | Yomiuri Literature Prize | Sharaku-ko | — | Yomiuri Shimbun | recipient |
| 1978 | Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) | Three-play series on ukiyo-e artists (Sharaku-ko, Hokusai Manga, Inransai Eizen) | — | Agency for Cultural Affairs / Ministry of Education | recipient |
| 1990 | Medal with Purple Ribbon | — | — | Government of Japan | recipient |
| 1997 | Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (4th class) | — | — | Government of Japan | recipient |
Kishida Kunio Drama Award (Honorable Mention)
1955
Work:
Kabe-ga (Wall Painting)
Organization:
Kishida Kunio Drama Award Committee
Result:
recipient
Kinokuniya Theatre Award
1971
Work:
Sharaku-ko / Cactus of Palestine
Organization:
Kinokuniya Bookstore
Result:
recipient
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1972
Work:
Sharaku-ko
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
recipient
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1978
Work:
Three-play series on ukiyo-e artists (Sharaku-ko, Hokusai Manga, Inransai Eizen)
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs / Ministry of Education
Result:
recipient
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1990
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
recipient
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (4th class)
1997
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
recipient
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Kabe-ga (Wall Painting)
1955 playAn early play that received an honorable mention in the Kishida Kunio Drama Award.
human relationshipssymbolism
Sharaku-ko
1971 playA play centered on the ukiyo-e artist Sharaku; deals with issues of artistic identity and representation.
art and representationhistorical imagination
Hokusai Manga (kitazai manga)
1973 playA play about the artist Hokusai; adapted into a 1981 film directed by Kaneto Shindo.
artist's lifecreation and madness
Adaptations
- [film] Hokusai Manga / 新藤兼人 (1981)
Inransai Eizen
1975 playOne of a series of plays on ukiyo-e artists.
ukiyo-eartist portrait
Yaya
1992 one-woman play (drama)A one-woman play about Ryokan and his first love Yaya, narrated by Yaya's daughter; a late-career signature piece.
memoryfemale perspectivereligiosity
Bibliography
- Kabe-ga: Seiichi Yashiro Plays (Eureka, 1955)
- E-sugata Nyobo (Eureka, 1956)
- Seiichi Yashiro Collected Plays (Hakusui-sha, 1967)
- Sharaku-ko (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1972)
- Hokusai Manga (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1973)
- Inransai Eizen (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1975)
- Yaya (premiered 1992)
- Youth in the Mirror: My Late 1950s (Shinchosha, 1988)
Adaptations
- Hokusai Manga (1981 film directed by Kaneto Shindo)
- Miyagino (2008 film adaptation based on his original work)
Translations by Author
- Molière, The Learned Ladies (co-translated, Kawade Shobo Citizen's Library, 1953)
- Jean Giraudoux Collected Plays (co-translated, Hakusui-sha, 1958)
- Jean Cocteau Selected Plays (co-translated, Hakusui-sha, 1959)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- dialogue-driven dramaincorporation of religious and ethical themesadaptation of historical subjects
- Recurring Motifs
- Catholic motifsukiyo-e artists and artistic biographyfamily and recollection
Health
-
tuberculosis1950-1952Hospitalized from Dec 1950 to Apr 1952 for tuberculosis; seven ribs were removed.
-
heart failure (fatal)1998In January 1998 he suffered heart failure at home and was found deceased.
Legacy
Seiichi Yashiro was a prominent postwar Japanese playwright known for blending Catholic elements with Japanese themes. Many of his plays were staged and adapted to film, leaving a lasting influence on Japanese theatre.
Academic Societies
- Japan Writers' Association
- Japan Theatre Association
Archives
- Seiichi Yashiro official site (Wayback Machine archive)
In Popular Culture
- Film adaptation of Hokusai Manga (1981) and continued stagings and adaptations of his plays.
Trivia
- Born into the third generation of the Ginza Yoshinoya founding family.
- Developed an early interest in Catholicism and was baptized in 1969; novelist Shusaku Endo served as his godfather.
- A devoted fan of the Takarazuka Revue; several family members were associated with Takarazuka and the theatre world.