was the
pen-name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
of a Japanese novelist in the
Shōwa period
Shōwa most commonly refers to:
* Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa
** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989
* Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...
. Her real name was Nakazato Tsune.
Early life
Nakazato was born in
Fujisawa city,
Kanagawa prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
and graduated from the Kanagawa Girls’ Higher School. When she was 17 years old she met
Tatsuo Nagai and started writing, publishing multiple novellas before her marriage at age 19.
Literary career
In 1938, Nakazato became the first woman to win the prestigious
Akutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes.
History
Th ...
, with her
short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
''Noriai bashi''.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, she came to be known for a number of works addressing the issue of
international marriage, including ''Mariannu monogatari'' ("Maryann's Story", 1946) and ''Kusari'' ("Chain", 1959), which were drawn from her own daughter's marriage to an American.
Her novel ''Utamakura'' ("Song Pillow", 1973) was awarded the Yomiuri Prize.
In 1974, she received the
Japan Art Academy
is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of ...
Prize,
and became a member of that institution in 1983.
Nakazato was a resident of
Zushi, Kanagawa
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
As of June 2012, the city has an estimated population of 58,087, and a population density of 3,350 per km². The total area is .
Geography
Zushi is located at the head of Miura ...
from 1932 until her death due to
colon cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
in 1987. Her grave is at the temple of
Engaku-ji
, or Engaku-ji (円覚寺), is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo.
Founded ...
in
Kamakura
, officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...
.
See also
*
Japanese literature
Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japa ...
*
List of Japanese authors
This is an alphabetical list of writers who are Japanese, or are famous for having written in the Japanese language.
Writers are listed by the native order of Japanese names—family name followed by given name—to ensure consistency, although ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakazato, Tsuneko
1909 births
1987 deaths
20th-century Japanese novelists
Japanese women short story writers
People from Fujisawa, Kanagawa
People from Zushi, Kanagawa
Akutagawa Prize winners
Yomiuri Prize winners
Deaths from colorectal cancer in Japan
Japanese women novelists
20th-century Japanese women writers
20th-century Japanese short story writers