Tanizaki Prize
Encyclopedia
The Tanizaki Prize named in honor of the Japanese novelist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, is one of Japan
's most sought-after literary awards. It was established in 1965 by the publishing company Chūō Kōronsha Inc. to commemorate its 80th anniversary as a publisher. It is awarded annually to a full-length representative work of fiction or drama of the highest literary merit by a professional writer. The winner receives a commemorative plaque and a cash prize of 1 million yen.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's most sought-after literary awards. It was established in 1965 by the publishing company Chūō Kōronsha Inc. to commemorate its 80th anniversary as a publisher. It is awarded annually to a full-length representative work of fiction or drama of the highest literary merit by a professional writer. The winner receives a commemorative plaque and a cash prize of 1 million yen.
Winners
- 1965 Kojima NobuoKojima Nobuowas a Japanese writer prominent in the postwar era. He is most readily associated with other writers of his generation, such as Shōtarō Yasuoka, who describe the effects of Japan's defeat in World War II on the country's psyche....
for Hōyō kazoku, (抱擁家族) - 1966 Endo Shusaku for SilenceSilence (novel)is a 1966 novel of historical fiction by Japanese author Shusaku Endo. It is the story of a Jesuit missionary sent to seventeenth century Japan, who endured persecution in the time of Kakure Kirishitan that followed the defeat of the Shimabara Rebellion...
(Chinmoku, 沈黙) - 1967 Kenzaburō ŌeKenzaburo Oeis a Japanese author and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues including nuclear weapons, social non-conformism and existentialism.Ōe was awarded...
for The Silent CryThe Silent CryThe Silent Cry is a novel by the Nobel Prize winning Japanese author Kenzaburō Ōe, first published in Japanese in 1967 and awarded the Tanizaki Prize that year.-Plot summary:The novel tells the story of two brothers in the early 1960s: the narrator Mitsusaburo The Silent Cry (Japanese 万延元年のフットボール;...
(Manen gannen no futtoboru, 万延元年のフットボール) - 1967 Abe Kobo for Friends (Tomodachi, 友達)
- 1968 no prize awarded
- 1969 Enchi FumikoEnchi Fumikowas the pen-name of Fumi Ueda, one of the most prominent Japanese women writers in the Shōwa period of Japan.-Early life:Fumiko Enchi was born in the Asakusa district of downtown Tokyo, as the daughter of distinguished philologist and linguist Kazutoshi Ueda...
for Shu wo ubau mono; Kizu aru tsubasa; Niji to shura (朱を奪うもの/傷ある翼/虹と修羅) - 1970 Yutaka HaniyaYutaka Haniyawas a noted Japanese author.-Biography:Haniya was born in Taiwan, then a Japanese colony, to a Samurai family named Hannya after the Hannya Shingyo . He had a sickly childhood and suffered from tuberculosis in his teens...
for Black Horse In The Midst Of Darkness (Yami no naka no kuroi uma, 闇のなかの黒い馬) - 1970 Yoshiyuki JunnosukeYoshiyuki Junnosukewas a Japanese novelist and short-story writer.- Life :Yoshiyuki was born in Okayama, the oldest child of author Yoshiyuki Eisuke, but his family moved to Tokyo when he was 3. He attended Shizuoka High School, where he grew interested in Thomas Mann's stories, and in 1945 entered the University of...
for The Dark Room (Anshitsu, 暗室) - 1971 Noma HiroshiNoma Hiroshiwas a noted Japanese author.Noma was born in Kōbe to a devout Buddhist family, and took up literature in 1932 after meeting the poet Takeuchi Shizuo. In 1935 he enrolled at Kyoto University, where he studied French literature with a particular interest in French Symbolist poetry. He also became...
for Seinen no wa (青年の環) - 1972 Maruya SaiichiMaruya Saiichiis a Japanese author and literary critic.-Biography:Maruya was mobilized into the Japanese Army in 1945 when still a high-school student. After the war's end, he completed his high school studies in Niigata, then in 1947 entered the University of Tokyo to major in English literature. There he...
for A Singular Rebellion (Tatta hitori no hanran, たった一人の反乱) - 1973 Kaga OtohikoKaga Otohikois a Japanese author.-Biography:Kaga was born in Tokyo, and studied psychiatry and criminology at the University of Tokyo Medical School. He worked in a hospital and then prison before going to France in 1957 for further studies...
for Kaerazaru natsu (帰らざる夏) - 1974 Usui YoshimiUsui Yoshimiwas a Japanese author and critic from Azumino, Nagano prefecture.Usui won the 1974 Tanizaki Prize for Azumino . It does not appear that any of his works have been translated to English.- Selected works :...
for Azumino (安曇野) - 1975 Minakami TsutomuMinakami Tsutomu, also known as Mizukami Tsutomu, was a popular and prolific Japanese author of novels, detective stories, biographies, and plays. Many of his stories were made into movies....
for Ikkyū (一休) - 1976 Fujieda ShizuoFujieda Shizuowas a Japanese author.- Major prizes :* 1976 Tanizaki Prize - Denshin ugaku * 1979 Noma Prize - Kanashii dake - Selected works :* Inu no chi, 1957.* Rakudai menjō, 1968.* Gongu jōdo, 1970....
for Denshin ugaku (田紳有楽) - 1977 Shimao ToshioShimao Toshiowas a Japanese novelist.-Biography:Shimao was born in Yokohama, graduated from Kyushu University, and in 1944 was sent to Japan's southern Amami Islands as an officer for a naval suicide attack squadron in World War II. The war ended while he was still waiting for his orders...
for Hi no utsuroi (日の移ろい) - 1978 Nakamura ShinichiroNakamura Shinichirowas a Japanese author.- Selected works :* Kinō to kyō no monogatari, 1948.* Ōchō no bungaku, 1957.* Shi no kage no moto ni, 1951.* Shi no kage no moto ni, Tokyo : Shinzenbi Sha, 1947.* Shisetsu Genji monogatari, date unknown....
for Summer (Natsu, 夏) - 1979 Tanaka Komimasa for Poroporo (ポロポロ)
- 1980 Kono TaekoKono Taekois a Japanese writer and critic and is considered one of the most important contemporary writers of modern Japanese literature. She is best known in English for her collection of short stories Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories.-Biography:...
for Ichinen no banka (一年の牧歌) - 1981 Fukazawa Shichiro for Michinoku no ningyotachi (みちのくの人形たち)
- 1981 Goto Akio for Yoshinodayu (吉野大夫)
- 1982 Oba MinakoOba Minakowas a Japanese author and social critic.She was awarded the 1968 Akutagawa Prize for Sanbiki no kani , and the 1982 Tanizaki Prize for Katachi mo naku .Oba Minako suffered a stroke in 1996 and died on May 24, 2007.- Selected works :...
for Katachi mo naku (寂兮寥兮) - 1983 Furui YoshikichiFurui Yoshikichiis a noted Japanese author and translator.-Biography:Furui was born in Tokyo, Japan. He was educated at the University of Tokyo, where he majored in German literature and spent his summers hiking in the Japanese Alps. His undergraduate thesis was on Franz Kafka....
for Morning Glory (Asagao, 槿) - 1984 Kuroi SenjiKuroi SenjiKuroi Senji is a pen name of Osabe Shunjirō , Japanese author of fiction and essays.Kuroi is a member of the "Introspective Generation" of Japanese writers, whose work depicts the thoughts of ordinary Japanese...
for Life in the Cul-de-Sac (Gunsei, 群棲) - 1984 Takai YuichiTakai Yuichiis a Japanese author.Takai won the 1965 Akutagawa Prize for Kita no kawa , the 1984 Tanizaki Prize for Kono kuni no sora , and the 1989 Yomiuri Prize for Yoru no ari .- Selected works :...
for This Country's Sky (Kono kuni no sora, この国の空) - 1985 Haruki MurakamiHaruki Murakamiis a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and Jerusalem Prize among others.He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature...
for Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the WorldHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the Worldis a 1985 novel by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. The English translation by Alfred Birnbaum was released in 1991. A strange and dreamlike novel, its chapters alternate between two bizarre narratives — the 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland' and 'The End of the World' parts.-Plot summary:The story is split...
(Sekai no owari to Hādoboirudo Wandārando, 世界の終わりとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド) - 1986 Hino KeizoHino Keizowas a Japanese author.He won the 1974 Akutagawa Prize for Ano yūhi and the 1986 Tanizaki Prize for . Born in Tokyo, he accompanied his parents to Korea, when the country was still under Japanese colonial rule...
for Sakyu ga ugoku yō ni (砂丘が動くように) - 1987 Tsutsui Yasutaka for Yumenokizaka bunkiten (夢の木坂分岐点)
- 1988 no prize awarded
- 1989 no prize awarded
- 1990 Hayashi Kyoko for Yasurakani ima wa nemuri tamae (やすらかに今はねむり給え)
- 1991 Inoue HisashiInoue Hisashiwas a leading Japanese playwright and writer of comic fiction.- Biography :Inoue was born in the small town of Kawanishi in Yamagata Prefecture. He lost his father when he was 4 years old and was subsequently sent off to a Lasallian home for children where he received a Christian baptism...
for Shanghai Moon (Shanhai Mūn, シャンハイムーン) - 1992 Setouchi Jakucho for Hana ni toe (花に問え)
- 1993 Ikezawa NatsukiIkezawa Natsukiis a Japanese poet, novelist, essayist and translator.He draws upon the relationship between civilization and nature in his writing, among other themes. Ikezawa translates a wide variety of writing, from contemporary Greek poetry to modern novels, and translates American literature into the...
for The Fall of Macias Guili (Mashiasu giri no shikkyaku, マシアス・ギリの失脚) - 1994 Tsujii TakashiTsujii Takashiis a Japanese author and poet, and the pen name of Tsutsumi Seiji , a major business leader.Tsujii is the son of Tsutsumi Yasujirō, founder of the Seibu Railway company and a long-serving member, and eventually speaker, of Japan's House of Representatives...
for Rainbow Cove (Niji no misaki, 虹の岬) - 1995 Tsuji KunioTsuji Kuniowas a Japanese author, novelist, and scholar of French literature.Tsuji was born in Tokyo, attended Matsumoto High School with Kita Morio, and studied French literature at the University of Tokyo. After graduation he became an instructor at Gakushūin University and a literary critic. He spent the...
for Saigyō kaden (西行花伝) - 1996 no prize awarded
- 1997 Hosaka KazushiHosaka Kazushiis a Japanese writer.-Biography:Hosaka was born in Yamanashi prefecture and received his undergraduate education at Waseda University with a major in Political Science and Economics. After graduating he worked for Seibu Culture Centers, holding popular educational workshops on philosophy...
for Kisetsu no kioku (季節の記憶) - 1997 Miki TakuMiki Takuwas the pen-name of a Japanese poet and novelist in Showa period Japan. His real name was Tomita Miki.- Biography :Miki was born in Tokyo, grew up in Manchukuo. He returned to Japan in 1946, and graduated in 1959 from Waseda University where he majored in Russian literature...
for Roji (路地) - 1998 Tsushima YukoTsushima YukoYūko Tsushima is the pen name of Satoko Tsushima, a contemporary Japanese fiction writer, essayist and critic. She is also the daughter of famed novelist Osamu Dazai, who died when she was only one year old.While attending Shirayuri Women's University she started publishing fiction...
for Mountain of Fire: Account of a Wild Monkey (Hi no yama - yamazaruki, 火の山―山猿記) - 1999 Takagi NobukoTakagi NobukoNobuko Takagi is the pen-name of Nobuko Tsuruta, a Japanese author.Takagi was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, graduated from the Junior College of Tokyo Woman's Christian University , and first published in 1980 with Sono hosoki michi...
for Tokō no ki (透光の樹) - 2000 Tsujihara Noboru for Yudotei Maruki (遊動亭円木)
- 2000 Murakami Ryu for A Symbiotic Parasite (Kyoseichu, 共生虫)
- 2001 Hiromi Kawakami for The Teacher’s Briefcase (Sensei no kaban, センセイの鞄)
- 2002 no prize awarded
- 2003 Tawada Yoko for Suspect On The Night Train (Yōgisha no yakōressha, 容疑者の夜行列車)
- 2004 Horie Toshiyuki for Yukinuma and Its Environs (Yukinuma to sono shūhen, 雪沼とその周辺)
- 2005 Machida KoMachida Kois a Japanese author, punk rock singer, poet and actor.-Career:Machida formed a punk rock band called Inu in 1978, for which he used the stage name Machida Machizō . Inu released their first album, Meshi Kuuna! in 1981. The band split shortly after the album release...
for Confession (Kokuhaku, 告白) - 2005 Yamada Eimi for Wonderful Flavor (Fūmizekka, 風味絶佳)
- 2006 Yoko OgawaYoko Ogawais a Japanese writer.-Biography:Ogawa was born in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, graduated from Waseda University, and lives in Ashiya, Hyōgo, with her husband and son. Since 1988, she has published more than twenty works of fiction and nonfiction. Her novel The Professor's Beloved Equation has been...
for Meena's March (Mīna no Kōshin, ミーナの行進) - 2007 Seirai Yuichi for Bakushin (爆心)
- 2008 Natsuo KirinoNatsuo Kirinois a Japanese novelist and a leading figure in the recent boom of female writers of Japanese detective fiction.-Biography:A prolific writer, she is most famous for her 1997 novel, Out, which received the Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan's top mystery award, and was a finalist for the 2004...
for Tokyo-jima (東京島) - 2009 no prize awarded
See also
- List of Japanese literary awards