was a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 novelist.

Drawn to the arts, the former television script writer and essayist surprised many critics as the winner of the highly esteemed 1988 Naoki Prize

Naoki Prize

The Naoki Prize is a Japanese literary award presented semiannually. The official name is Naoki Sanjugo Prize. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo...

 for his novel, Coo: Tooi Umi Kara Kita Coo

Coo: Tooi Umi Kara Kita Coo

is a Japanese novel by Tamio Kageyama. It won the Naoki Prize in 1988. It was adapted into an anime film named , released in 1993 by Toei Animation. The story revolves around a boy who finds a baby dinosaur....

(1993). Tamio also contributed to the films Sakana kara daiokishin!! (1992), Saraba itoshiki hito yo (1987), and Hoshikuzu kodai no densetsu (1985).

Perhaps another lasting contribution is Tamio's frequent role as a judge in the TV series Iron Chef

Iron Chef

is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1992, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended...

. Iron Chef pitted chefs in contest, in relatively melodramatic settings. In his appearances on Iron Chef, Tamio was frequently seen elegantly dressed, wearing bow tie, rendering sensitive feedback on the culinary delights served to him.

Tamio perished at the age of 50 in a house fire at his residence. The fire appeared suspicious to some, and was investigated at the time of Tamio's death.

External links

• Tamio Kageyama on IMDb