Shimao Toshio
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
novelist.
, graduated from Kyushu University
, and in 1944 was sent to Japan's southern Amami Islands
as an officer for a naval suicide attack (kamikaze
) squadron in World War II
. The war ended while he was still waiting for his orders. His wartime experiences inspired his earliest works, including Shima no hate (1946) and Shutsukotō-ki (A Tale of Leaving a Lonely Island, 1949), as well as several later works including Shuppatsu wa tsui ni otozurezu (1962) and Gyoraitei gakusei (Student on the Torpedo Boat, 1985).
A second major theme in his work is that of madness in women, with notable examples in Ware fukaki fuchi yori (1954) and Shi no toge (The Sting of Death, 1960). This theme was related to his wife's mental illness, whom he met and married on the southern islands. In 1955 he took her back to Amami Ōshima
, the largest of the Amami Islands; his novella The Sting of Death describes this period using the his own name and that of his wife.
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.
Biography
Shimao was born in YokohamaYokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, graduated from Kyushu University
Kyushu University
Kyushu University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 8th in 2010 and 2009 in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai...
, and in 1944 was sent to Japan's southern Amami Islands
Amami Islands
The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...
as an officer for a naval suicide attack (kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
) squadron in 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...
. The war ended while he was still waiting for his orders. His wartime experiences inspired his earliest works, including Shima no hate (1946) and Shutsukotō-ki (A Tale of Leaving a Lonely Island, 1949), as well as several later works including Shuppatsu wa tsui ni otozurezu (1962) and Gyoraitei gakusei (Student on the Torpedo Boat, 1985).
A second major theme in his work is that of madness in women, with notable examples in Ware fukaki fuchi yori (1954) and Shi no toge (The Sting of Death, 1960). This theme was related to his wife's mental illness, whom he met and married on the southern islands. In 1955 he took her back to Amami Ōshima
Amami Oshima
is a semi-tropical island in the Amami Islands, which is part of the larger Nansei Islands in Japan. Ōshima literally means big island, and it is the largest of the Amami Islands. It lies roughly halfway between the islands of Okinawa and Kyūshū. Briefly part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, in 1624 it was...
, the largest of the Amami Islands; his novella The Sting of Death describes this period using the his own name and that of his wife.
Major prizes
- 1950 Postwar Literature Prize for Shutsukotō-ki (A Tale of Leaving a Lonely Island)
- 1960 Minister of Education Award for Art for novella Shi no toge (The Sting of Death)
- 1972 Mainichi Publishing Culture Award for Garasu shoji no shiruetto (Silhouette through Frosted Glass)
- 1977 Yomiuri Literary Prize for collection The Sting of Death
- 1977 Tanizaki PrizeTanizaki PrizeThe 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...
for Hi no utsuroi (日の移ろい) - 1985 Noma Literary Prize for Gyoraitei gakusei (Student on the Torpedo Boat)
English translations and studies
- The Sting of Death and Other Stories, trans. Kathryn Sparling, Michigan Papers in Japanese Studies, University of Michigan Press, 1985. ISBN 0-939512-18-1
- J. Philip Gabriel, Mad Wives and Island Dreams: Shimao Toshio and the Margins of Japanese Literature, University of Hawaii Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8248-2089-4
Selected works
- Amami Kyōdo Kenkyukai ho (奄美鄉土硏究会報), Nase-shi : Amami Kyōdo Kenkyūkai, began in 1959.
- Tōhoku to Amami no mukashibanashi, 1973.
- Yaponeshia josetsu = Japanesia, 1977.
- Shimao Toshio ni yoru Shimao Toshio, Tokyo : Seidōsha, 1981.
- Sugiyuku toki no naka de, Tōkyō : Shinchōsha, 1983.
- Gyoraitei gakusei, (魚雷艇 学生), Tōkyō : Shinchōsha, 1985.
- Yumekuzu, (夢屑), Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 1985.
- Shinʾyō hasshin, (震洋 発進), Tōkyō : Ushio Shuppansha, 1987.
- Kimushi, (記夢志), Tōkyō : Chūsekisha, 1993.