Japanese Literary Awards

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Yoshishige Yoshida

よしだ よししげ

Yoshida Kiju

Pen Names: Kiju (reading)（Reading of his given name often rendered as 'Kiju'）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1933-02-16 （Sakaeshitamachi, Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2022-12-08 （Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan） age 89
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, French
Residence History
Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture (birth) → Tokyo (moved in 1947) → Mexico (resided 1979–1982) → Shibuya, Tokyo (final residence)

Career

Occupations
Film director, Stage director, Screenwriter, Novelist
Active Years
1955-2022
Influenced By
Yasujirō Ozu, French cinema
Influenced
Younger Japanese filmmakers (post-Japanese Nouvelle Vague generations)

Education

University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters, Department of French Literature
Faculty of Letters / Department of French Literature
Period: 1951-1955
Year of Graduation: 1955
Country: Japan
Originally interested in philosophy but entered French literature; studied French language and cinema.

Awards

Arts Encouragement Award, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1998
Work: Anti-Cinema of Yasujirō Ozu
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Silver Shell (San Sebastián International Film Festival)
1986
Work: Ningen no yakusoku (The Promise of Man)
Organization: San Sebastián International Film Festival
Result: 受賞
São Paulo International Film Festival — Special Prize
2003
Organization: São Paulo International Film Festival
Result: 受賞（特別賞）
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officier)
2003
Organization: Government of France
Result: 授与
Cannes Film Festival (Special Invitation/Screening)
2002
Work: Women in the Mirror
Organization: Cannes Film Festival
Result: 特別招待上映

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Eros + Massacre

1969 Feature film

An avant-garde 1969 film that examines history and individual lives; it attracted international attention.

HistoryErosPolitics

Ningen no yakusoku

1986 Feature film

Released after a 13-year hiatus from theatrical films; it won recognition at international festivals.

Human relationshipsEthics

Women in the Mirror

2002 Feature film

A return to feature filmmaking after 14 years; screened as a special invitation at Cannes.

MemoryWomenAnti-nuclear themes

Anti-Cinema of Yasujirō Ozu

1998 Critical essay / Book

A critical reading of Yasujirō Ozu's cinema; recipient of a national arts award.

Film theoryCriticism

Bibliography

  • The Logic of Self-Negation: Transformation by Imagination
  • Anarchism of Seeing: Yoshida Yoshishige on Cinema
  • Mexico: The Joyful Metaphor
  • Anti-Cinema of Yasujirō Ozu
  • Atonement: The War of Rudolf Hess, Deputy Führer of the Nazis
  • Toward As-Yet-Unseen Film Language (co-authored)

Adaptations

  • Welcome to São Paulo (contributed short: Waitress)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Philosophical, experimental visual styleFragmentary and symbolic narration
Recurring Motifs
Representations of womenErosHistory and memoryCritiques of power

Health

  • Pneumonia
    2022
    Hospitalized with pneumonia and died

Legacy

Recognized as a leading figure of the Japanese Nouvelle Vague, Yoshida made significant contributions through experimental and critical cinema and film writing; he received international recognition including film festival awards and a French government arts honor.

In Popular Culture

  • Frequently cited as a representative director of the Japanese Nouvelle Vague

Trivia

  • His given name is often read as 'Kiju'.
  • Married to actress Mariko Okada in 1964.
  • Moved to Tokyo with his family in 1947.
  • Lived in Mexico from 1979 to 1982.
  • Made his directorial debut in 1960 with 'Rokudenashi'.
  • Died in Tokyo in 2022 of pneumonia, aged 89.