Makoto Oda
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese novel
ist, peace activist
, academic and Time
Asian Hero.
in 1932 and graduated from the University of Tokyo
's Faculty of Letters program, majoring in classical Greek philosophy and literature. He won a Fulbright Scholarship to Harvard University
in 1958.
a day formed the basis of his 1961 bestseller Nandemo Mite yaro ("I'll go and see everything"). His first book Assatte no Shuki ("The Notebook of the Day After Tomorrow") was published in 1951. It was based on experiences during World War II
and the Korean War
. His first full-length novel, "Amerika" ("America") was published in 1962.
Oda won the Lotus Prize in 1981 of the Afro-Asian Writers' Association for his book Hiroshima. This led to a 1990 English translation as well as translations in French, Arabic, Italian, Korean and Russian. It was written about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki not only in Japan but on the Hopi Indians and Americans who lived near the testing sites.
He won the Kawabata Yasunari Prize for Aboji o Fumu ("Stomping Father"), published in 1998.
Oda's novel The Breaking Jewel was published in English in 2003. It was about Japanese forces on a South Pacific
island facing an American invasion at the end of World War II.
) with philosopher Shunsuke Tsurumi
and writer Takeshi Kaiko to protest against the Vietnam War
. He was an inaugural member of the Article 9 Association set up to protect Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan which renounces Japan's right to wage war. Oda was a prolific writer on political topics starting with Heiwa o tsukuru genri ("The Principles of Peace") in 1966.
Oda died of stomach cancer in July 2007, aged 75.
His memorial service was held on August 4, 2007 at the Aoyama Sogisho funeral hall in Tokyo and was attended by about 800 people, including well-known persons in the political, literary and activist fields in Japan. Afterward, an estimated 500 people held a peace march in Oda's memory, marching through the streets of downtown Tokyo and vowing to carry on Oda's anti-war activist efforts.
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...
ese novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, peace activist
Peace activist
This list of peace activists includes people who proactively advocate diplomatic, non-military resolution of political disputes, usually through nonviolent means.A peace activist is an activist of the peace movement.*Jane Addams*Martti Ahtisaari...
, academic and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
Asian Hero.
Early life and career
Oda was born in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
in 1932 and graduated from the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
's Faculty of Letters program, majoring in classical Greek philosophy and literature. He won a Fulbright Scholarship to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1958.
Writing
His travels through Europe and Asia on a budget of a dollarUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
a day formed the basis of his 1961 bestseller Nandemo Mite yaro ("I'll go and see everything"). His first book Assatte no Shuki ("The Notebook of the Day After Tomorrow") was published in 1951. It was based on experiences during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. His first full-length novel, "Amerika" ("America") was published in 1962.
Oda won the Lotus Prize in 1981 of the Afro-Asian Writers' Association for his book Hiroshima. This led to a 1990 English translation as well as translations in French, Arabic, Italian, Korean and Russian. It was written about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki not only in Japan but on the Hopi Indians and Americans who lived near the testing sites.
He won the Kawabata Yasunari Prize for Aboji o Fumu ("Stomping Father"), published in 1998.
Oda's novel The Breaking Jewel was published in English in 2003. It was about Japanese forces on a South Pacific
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
island facing an American invasion at the end of World War II.
Activism
In 1965, he co-founded Beheiren (Citizens' League for Peace in VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) with philosopher Shunsuke Tsurumi
Shunsuke Tsurumi
is a Japanese historian and philosopher. Graduating from Harvard University in 1942, he taught at Kyoto University. In 1946, he started the magazine "Shiso-no Kagaku" . He was a member of the anti-Vietnam War group Beheiren....
and writer Takeshi Kaiko to protest against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He was an inaugural member of the Article 9 Association set up to protect Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan which renounces Japan's right to wage war. Oda was a prolific writer on political topics starting with Heiwa o tsukuru genri ("The Principles of Peace") in 1966.
Oda died of stomach cancer in July 2007, aged 75.
His memorial service was held on August 4, 2007 at the Aoyama Sogisho funeral hall in Tokyo and was attended by about 800 people, including well-known persons in the political, literary and activist fields in Japan. Afterward, an estimated 500 people held a peace march in Oda's memory, marching through the streets of downtown Tokyo and vowing to carry on Oda's anti-war activist efforts.