Kenji Nakagami
Encyclopedia
Kenji Nakagami was a noted Japanese
writer
, critic
, and poet
of buraku ancestry. Nakagami died from kidney cancer
in 1992 at the age of 46.
in Wakayama Prefecture
, Japan
, Nakagami was of burakumin
ancestry. He was the first member of his village to be educated under the new compulsory education system “people thought that I was very bright because I could read my own name”. He moved to Tokyo
age 19 in 1965, took on various manual handling jobs including a baggage handler at Tokyo airport
, which also allowed him to continue his passions of jazz
and writing.
In June 2006:
"A poem card (shikishi) on which novelist Nakagami Kenji inscribed an original haiku
has been found in the possession of haiku poet Ibaraki Kazuo of Nara Prefecture
. The haiku was composed on June 3, 1990, at a party after a lecture given by Nosaka Akiyuki in the city of Shingū, Nara, to commemorate the founding of Kumano University. The poem reads Akiyuki ga / kiku gen no koe / natsu fuyō (Akiyuki / listening to phantom-like voices-- / a summer cotton rose)."
where he grew up under difficult circumstances. When Nakagami won the Akutagawa Prize
in 1975 for The Cape (岬 Misaki), he became the first author born in the post-war period to win this prize. He is considered one of the most important postwar writers in Japan, and one of the only of prominence to reveal the dark side of a racist Japanese society
. A number of Nakagami's short stories have been translated into English and other languages, including The Cape and Snakelust (蛇淫 Ja'in). He also won the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
for his yet untranslated story Karekinada (枯木灘 The Sea of Withered Trees).
Small biography in French
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...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
, and poet
Japanese poetry
Japanese poets first encountered Chinese poetry during the Tang Dynasty. It took them several hundred years to digest the foreign impact, make it a part of their culture and merge it with their literary tradition in their mother tongue, and begin to develop the diversity of their native poetry. For...
of buraku ancestry. Nakagami died from kidney cancer
Kidney cancer
Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the cells in the kidney.The two most common types of kidney cancer are renal cell carcinoma and urothelial cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis...
in 1992 at the age of 46.
Life
Born in the city of ShingūShingu, Wakayama
is a city located in Wakayama, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 32,288, with a household number of 16,003, and the density of 126.41 persons per km². The total area is 255.43 km²....
in Wakayama Prefecture
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
, Japan
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...
, Nakagami was of burakumin
Burakumin
are a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and Japanese residents of Korean and Chinese descent....
ancestry. He was the first member of his village to be educated under the new compulsory education system “people thought that I was very bright because I could read my own name”. He moved to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
age 19 in 1965, took on various manual handling jobs including a baggage handler at Tokyo airport
Tokyo Airport
Tokyo Airport may refer to one of these airports serving Tokyo, Japan:* Tokyo International Airport, commonly known as Haneda Airport, also known as Tokyo Haneda Airport....
, which also allowed him to continue his passions of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and writing.
In June 2006:
"A poem card (shikishi) on which novelist Nakagami Kenji inscribed an original haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
has been found in the possession of haiku poet Ibaraki Kazuo of Nara Prefecture
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
. The haiku was composed on June 3, 1990, at a party after a lecture given by Nosaka Akiyuki in the city of Shingū, Nara, to commemorate the founding of Kumano University. The poem reads Akiyuki ga / kiku gen no koe / natsu fuyō (Akiyuki / listening to phantom-like voices-- / a summer cotton rose)."
Works
Many of his works are set in the Kumano region of the Kii PeninsulaKii Peninsula
The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. The area south of the “Central Tectonic Line” is called Nankii , and includes the most poleward living coral reefs in the world due to the presence of the warm Kuroshio Current, though these are threatened by global warming and human...
where he grew up under difficult circumstances. When Nakagami won the Akutagawa Prize
Akutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
in 1975 for The Cape (岬 Misaki), he became the first author born in the post-war period to win this prize. He is considered one of the most important postwar writers in Japan, and one of the only of prominence to reveal the dark side of a racist Japanese society
Ethnic issues in Japan
- Demographic :About 1.6% of Japan's total legal resident population are foreign nationals. Of these, according to 2008 data from the Japanese government, the principal groups are as follows....
. A number of Nakagami's short stories have been translated into English and other languages, including The Cape and Snakelust (蛇淫 Ja'in). He also won the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by .-History:The history of the Mainichi Shimbun begins with founding of two papers during the Meiji period. The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun was founded first, in 1872. The Mainichi claims that it is the oldest existing Japanese daily newspaper...
for his yet untranslated story Karekinada (枯木灘 The Sea of Withered Trees).
Major works available in English Language Translation
- Karlsson, Mats (2001), The Kumano Saga of Nakagami Kenji, Stockholm: Stockholms Universitet.
- Nakagami, Kenji (1984), “The Immortal” (trans. Harbison, Mark) in Gessel, Van C. & Matsumoto, Tomone (eds.) (1985), The Showa Anthology – Modern Japanese Short Stories, New York: Kodansha International. ISBN 4770017081
- Rankin, Andrew (trans., ed.)(1999), Snakelust, Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN 4770023545
- -- (containing “The Mountain Ascetic”, “The Wind and the Light”, “Snakelust”, “Makeup”, “Crimson Waterfall”, “A Tale of a Demon” and “Gravity's Capital”)
- Zimmerman, Eve (trans., ed.)(1999), The Cape and Other Stories from the Japanese Ghetto, Berkeley California: Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 1880656396
- -- (containing “The Cape”, “House on Fire” and “Red Hair”)
Sources
Small biographySmall biography in French