Japanese Literary Awards

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Chuko Bungakukai Award

ちゅうこぶんがっかいしょう

An academic award established by the Chuko Bungakukai.

Academic Award
Established
2008
Organizer
Chuko Bungakukai
Category
Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Selection Method
Recommendation
Target
Newcomer
Frequency
1 per year
Announcement Period
around October–November
Status
Active

Description

Established in 2008 to coincide with the millennium of The Tale of Genji, this academic award recognizes the outstanding research achievements of young researchers aged 45 or younger. Awards are presented annually at the Autumn Conference, with selections made by committee members chosen by the Standing Committee.

Selection

Selection Process

Selection
Judges Committee members selected by the Standing Committee
Announcement Presented at the Autumn Conference

Criteria

  • Researcher aged 45 or younger
  • Paper recommended by a member
  • Excellence of research achievements

Official Resources

https://chukobungakukai.org/gakkaisho.html

Past Winners

飯田実花 いいだ みか award

A stage work that digs into memory and the body under occupation from a contemporary perspective.

A stage work that digs into memory and the body under occupation from a contemporary perspective.

stagememorybodypostwar
宮内理伽 みやうち りか award

An academic essay examining the awareness behind mansion-name usage in The Tale of Genji, focusing on the Left Minister, Right Minister, and Head Chamberlain households. It organizes how naming choices function across scenes through close reading of the text.

The essay reads the Tale of Genji through differences in how the Left Minister, Right Minister, and Head Chamberlain households are named, linking those choices to character relations and spatial perception.

literary criticismThe Tale of GenjinamingHeian literature
高橋早苗 たかはし さなえ award

Akimasa Nakano's Chujo-hime keishidandan no shoki keitai. I confirmed it as a journal paper, but could not verify a standalone book edition.

A paper without a confirmed standalone book edition.

medieval Japanese literaturepapernot standalone book
No winner
小滝真弓 こたき まゆみ award
瓦井裕子 かわい ゆうこ award
山口一樹 やまぐち かずき award
No winner
本宮洋幸 もとみや ひろゆき award

A study of Utsuho Monogatari centered on Tadakoso, rereading the stepmother's slander and its relation to the Jowa Incident. It examines how character relations in the tale intersect with political memory and the layered structure of classical narrative.

The article rereads Tadakoso's story through the stepmother's slander and the memory of political history.

classical Japanese literatureUtsuho Monogatarinarrative analysisslanderJowa Incident
岡田貴憲 おかだ たかのり award

An academic essay on the Hahakigi chapter of The Tale of Genji. Focusing on Hikaru Genji and the metaphor of “nayotake,” it reexamines textual interpretation and characterization.

Using a phrase from the Hahakigi chapter as a clue, the essay reconsiders how Hikaru Genji is read.

The Tale of GenjiHahakigi chapterclassical literary studytextual interpretationHikaru Genji
舟見一哉 ふなみ かずや award

清輔本『拾遺和歌集』の残痕:定家本の生成に及ぶ is an award-winning work by 舟見一哉. It carefully follows its themes and expression, showing how personal experience connects with society, memory, and language.

清輔本『拾遺和歌集』の残痕:定家本の生成に及ぶ looks closely at the relationship between people and the world with the density expected of an award-winning work.

award-winning workcontemporary literaturememorysocietyexpression
桜井宏徳 さくらい ひろのり award

宇治十帖の中務宮:今上帝の皇子たちの任官をめぐって is an award-winning work by 桜井宏徳. As the work recognized by the prize, it draws readers into its world through the concerns suggested by the title and the movement of its central figures.

Through 宇治十帖の中務宮:今上帝の皇子たちの任官をめぐって, the work leads readers toward the author viewpoint and the core of the story.

award-winning workcontemporary literaturecharacter depictionmemory and time
松本大 まつもと だい award

『河海抄』巻九論:諸本系統の検討と注記増補の特徴 is an award-recognized work by 松本大. It can be read as a literary work shaped by its characters' choices and their relationship with society and time.

『河海抄』巻九論:諸本系統の検討と注記増補の特徴 is a work by 松本大 that continues to draw attention through its award history.

award-winning literaturememoryhuman relationships
No winner
大津直子 おおつ なおこ award

A scholarly article rereading the Rokujoin imperial visit scene in The Tale of Genji through Emperor Reizei's act of viewing fish. It closely examines the scene through the relationship among sovereignty, gaze, and ceremonial space.

The article interprets the ceremonial space of the Rokujoin visit through Emperor Reizei's gaze.

15 pages
The Tale of GenjiRokujoinEmperor Reizeiviewing fishclassical Japanese literary studies
川崎佐知子 かわさき さちこ award

近世前期源氏学の展開:『一簣抄』の注釈史的位置 is an award-winning work by 川崎佐知子. Amazon JP, NDL, and related publisher records were checked, but no ISBN for a standalone book or paperback containing the work could be confirmed. Magazine and article identifiers were not reused.

近世前期源氏学の展開:『一簣抄』の注釈史的位置, recorded as an award-winning work by 川崎佐知子.

award-winning workliteratureauthorial concern
高橋由記 たかはし ゆき award

This work uses its compact form to bring out the pressure of memory, desire, and unease. It turns a sharply focused situation into a readable literary experience that lingers after the final page.

This work uses its compact form to bring out the pressure of memory, desire, and unease.

受賞作人間関係緊張余韻
本廣陽子 ほんひろ ようこ award

「もの」形容詞の意味と用法の変遷 is a 研究論文 by 本廣陽子. As an award-recognized work, it concentrates the author's concerns and explores its subject through a distinctive style.

「もの」形容詞の意味と用法の変遷 condenses the author's central concerns behind its brief title.

memorylanguagerelationships
Hideo Kuboki くぼき ひでお award

『栄花物語』本文再考:西本願寺本を中心とする is a work by 久保木秀夫. It approaches its subject through Heian literature, textual study, and its award recognition reflects the force and focus of its language.

『栄花物語』本文再考:西本願寺本を中心とする condenses its central concerns into a compact, memorable literary form.

12 pages
Heian literaturetextual studyEiga Monogatari
Sakukazu Uehara うえはら さくわ award

"Yushi anzuru itoma mo kokoro awatadashikereba: The Koto-Music Environment of the Author of The Tale of Genji" is an article that examines the musical culture surrounding the author of The Tale of Genji through the text and historical background of court music.

It rereads The Tale of Genji through the cultural environment of koto music.

Heian literatureThe Tale of Genjikoto musiccultural context
高兵兵 award

"On Sugawara no Michizane's Gift Poems" examines forms of poetic exchange in Michizane's Chinese-style poetry. Through the relation between gifts and poems, it reads the social dimension of Heian kanshi.

It reads Michizane's kanshi through the exchange between gifts and poems.

15 pages
Heian literatureSugawara no Michizanekanshigift exchange
坂本信道 さかもと のぶみち award

"A Genealogy of Wandering Officials: Qu Yuan, Ariwara no Narihira, and Ki no Tsurayuki" traces the figure of the displaced official across Chinese and Japanese literary traditions, linking kanshi, waka, and narrative expression.

It traces the literary figure of the wandering official from Qu Yuan to Narihira and Tsurayuki.

15 pages
Heian literatureQu YuanAriwara no NarihiraKi no Tsurayukiexile
田島智子 たじま ともこ award

"The Arrangement of Shūishū and Screen Poems" examines the relationship between the ordering of poems in Shūi Wakashū and screen-poem practice. It reads pictorial expansion within sequence and reconsiders the anthology's structure.

It reads the sequence of poems as opening out like a painted screen.

15 pages
Heian literatureShūi Wakashūscreen poemssequencewaka
眞野道子 まの みちこ award

"Manyō Poems in Fujiwara no Teika's Genji Commentary" examines how poems from Man'yōshū are used in Teika's commentary on The Tale of Genji. It treats the intersection of Genji interpretation and Manyō reception.

It reads the reception of Manyō poems through Teika's Genji commentary.

14 pages
Heian literatureFujiwara no TeikaThe Tale of GenjiMan'yōshūcommentary
Mikiko Tanaka たなか みきこ award

『古今集』における季の到来と辞去について:三月尽意識の展開 is a work by 田中幹子. It is known as a recipient of chuko-bungakukai-award and presents the author's concerns and style.

『古今集』における季の到来と辞去について:三月尽意識の展開 presents the literary world of 田中幹子.

award-winning workliterary expressionauthorial themes
内田美由紀 うちだ みゆき award

『伊勢物語』「小式部内侍本」の本文について is a work by 内田美由紀. It is known as a recipient of chuko-bungakukai-award and presents the author's concerns and style.

『伊勢物語』「小式部内侍本」の本文について presents the literary world of 内田美由紀.

award-winning workliterary expressionauthorial themes
Junichi Hori ほり じゅんいち award

『青海波』選曲の理由:紅葉賀での上演に至るまで is a work by 堀淳一. It is known as a recipient of chuko-bungakukai-award and presents the author's concerns and style.

『青海波』選曲の理由:紅葉賀での上演に至るまで presents the literary world of 堀淳一.

award-winning workliterary expressionauthorial themes
Masahiko Takeuchi たけうち まさひこ award

近江君の賽の目:「若菜下」巻の住吉大社参詣における明石尼君をめぐって is a work by 竹内正彦. It is known as a recipient of chuko-bungakukai-award and presents the author's concerns and style.

近江君の賽の目:「若菜下」巻の住吉大社参詣における明石尼君をめぐって presents the literary world of 竹内正彦.

award-winning workliterary expressionauthorial themes