Tomohiro Maekawa

The native form of this personal name is Maekawa Tomohiro. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Tomohiro Maekawa
前川知大
Born1974 (1974)
Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
Alma materPhilosophy Department of Toyo University
OccupationsNovelist
Playwright
Theater director
Years active2003–present
Organization(s)Ikiume
Katalushitsu

Tomohiro Maekawa (前川 知大, Maekawa Tomohiro; born 1974) is a Japanese novelist, playwright, and theater director. Maekawa has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including multiple Yomiuri Theater Awards, Yomiuri Literary Awards, two Kinokuniya Theater Award, and the Arts Encouragement Prize for both his plays and his directing.

Maekawa is the founder of the theater companies Ikiume and Katalushitsu. His plays have been translated and performed internationally in cities such as Seoul and Paris. Several of Maekawa's plays have been adapted into films. Most notably, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2017 film, Before We Vanish, is based on his play and novel. The film premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.

Biography

Born in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture.[1] He graduated from the Philosophy Department of Toyo University in 2000.[2] He established Ikiume in 2003, which depicts otherworldly realms juxtaposed with everyday life through a supernatural worldview. His directing style is characterized by seamless editing of space and time.[3][4][5]

In 2007, he published the novel version of Before We Vanish (originally premiered in 2005, currently available in Kadokawa Bunko). In 2008, he received the Yomiuri Theater Award for Excellent Work and Excellent Director for The Front, the Back, and Beyond. In 2009, he won the Kinokuniya Theater Award (Individual Award) and the Arts Encouragement Prize (Newcomer) for Function Domino and Strange Tales from Koizumi Yakumo.[6]

In 2010, he participated in the playwriting program at the Royal Court Theatre in London (International Residency).[4] That year, he won the Tsuruyama Nankoku Playwright Award for The Dance Floor of Plankton. In 2011, he received the 63rd Yomiuri Prize for Drama and Screenplay for The Sun. He won the 19th Yomiuri Theater Award for Best Director and the Grand Prize for both Strange Tales, Part Two and The Sun.[6]

In 2013, he started the experimental theater company Katalushitsu, adapting and directing Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground for their first performance. He received the 21st Yomiuri Theater Award for Excellent Director for Notes from Underground and the Excellent Work Award for Fragments.[6]

In 2017, Before We Vanish was adapted into a film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It earned two nominations at the 41st Japanese Academy Film Prize.[7] The film had its world premiere in competition at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017.[8][9] The film also received an award at the Sitges Film Festival, Official Selection.[10] Foreboding was created as a spin-off of Before We Vanish.[11] It was released in theaters in Japan on 11 November 2017.[11] It was selected to screen in the Panorama section at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in 2018.[12]

In 2017, he received the 52nd Kinokuniya Theater Award for Group for Ikiume with The Enemy of Heaven and The Invaders Who Take a Walk.[13]

His productions include Tono Monogatari: Strange Tales, Part Three (2016, based on the work of Kunio Yanagita, performed at Setagaya Public Theatre), To Teacher GeGeGe (2018, based on Shigeru Mizuki, performed at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre),[14] and Endless (2019, based on Homer's Odyssey, also at Setagaya Public Theatre).[15]

In 2016, he had an English reading of The Sun in London (The Studio Theatre, RADA).[16] In 2018, the Paris City Theatre staged a French reading of The Strolling Invader, and Radio France aired a radio drama based on it.[17][18]

In 2018, a Korean reading performance of The Strolling Invader was directed by Lee Ki-ppeum and performed by Company LAS in Seoul,[19][20] with a revival at Arco Arts Theatre in 2019 (sponsored by Arts Council Korea). In 2021, The Sun was performed at Doosan Art Center, directed by Kim Jung.[21] Kim Jung-hwa won the Dong-A Theater Award for Newcomer Acting for this performance. In 2023, the same production was revived at the National Cheongdong Theatre.[22] A dance piece titled The Sun (based on Maekawa's work, choreographed by Lee Jae-yong) was performed at Daehakro Arts Theatre.[23]

From around 2021, his translated plays began to be published in various countries, including a French edition of The Invaders Who Take a Walk (published by Espaces34) and a Korean edition (ALMA). The Sun has been published in Spanish (Satrori), Korean (ALMA), English (Methuen Drama, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing House),[24] Russian (Hyperion), Arabic (DarAl Maaref), and Chinese (Qingdao Publishing House).[25]

In 2022, he created and directed À la Marge (Paris performance) for Ikiume's first overseas production (with French subtitles), performed at the Maison de la Culture du Japon à Paris, participating in the Festival d'Automne à Paris.[26][27]

In 2024, he won the 31st Yomiuri Theater Award for Best Work and Excellent Director for Delivering the Soul.[6]

In 2025, he received the 12th Hayakawa "Tragedy Comedy" Award for Strange Tales from Koizumi Yakumo, as well as the Best Director Award and Excellent Work Award at the 32nd Yomiuri Theater Awards.[28]

Work List

Script and Direction

Referenced by:[6]

  • Helicopter Field (ヘリコプター畑) — 2003
  • Bossa! World Coordinator (ボッサ！世界担当) — 2003
  • Berry Roll by the Window (窓際のベリーロール) — 2004
  • A Thoughtful Monster (思慮深いモンスター) — 2004
  • Don't Be Shy (はばかるな) — 2005 (Script)
  • Short Stories: Library Life vol. 1 (短篇集 図書館的人生vol.1) — 2005
  • Twin Fish (双魚) — 2006 (Script)
  • PLAYER — 2006
  • Incoming Call from Edo!? (江戸から着信!?) — 2007 (Script)
  • The Tip of the Smoke (煙の先) — 2007 (Script)
  • Union of Rhapsody (狂想のユニオン) — 2007
  • The Conference Room with a Hidden Exit (抜け穴の会議室) — 2007,[29] 2010[30]
  • Uranus (ウラノス) — 2008 (Script)
  • A Friend for Sleep (眠りのともだち) — 2008
  • The Front, the Back, and Beyond (表と裏と、その向こう) — 2008
  • Library Life vol. 2: Shield and Spear (図書館的人生vol.2 盾と矛) — 2008
  • Mutual Love (相思双愛) — 2009 (Script)
  • Kikkai: Stories Heard from Lafcadio Hearn (奇ッ怪〜小泉八雲から聞いた話) — 2009
  • Enter by the Narrow Gate (狭き門より入れ) — 2009[31]
  • Survivors of the Unseen (見えざるモノの生き残り) — 2009
  • Library Life Vol. 3: Food Chain (図書館的人生Vol.3 食べもの連鎖) — 2010
  • Contemporary Noh Plays VI: Kikkai Part 2 (現代能楽集VI 奇ｯ怪 其ノ弐) — 2011
  • Mission (ミッション) — 2012 (Script)
  • The Library of Life — 2012
  • A Fragment (片鱗) — 2013
  • The Engraver of the Sky (空ヲ刻ム者) — 2014
  • The Sun 2068 (太陽2068) — 2014 (Script)
  • Coming from a Dark Place (暗いところからやってくる) — 2012, 2014 (Script)
  • A New Holiday (新しい祝日) — 2014
  • Notes from the Underground (地下室の手記) — 2013 two-person play version, 2015 one-person play version
  • The Plankton's Landing (プランクトンの踊り場) — 2010, Holy Ground X (聖地X) (retitled in 2015)
  • A Room to Tell Stories (語る室) — 2015
  • The Sun (太陽) — 2011, 2016[32][33]
  • Tono Monogatari: Kikkai Part 3 (遠野物語・奇ッ怪 其ノ参) — 2016[34]
  • Living Time (生きてる時間) — 2017
  • Player (プレイヤー) — 2017 (Script)
  • Before We Vanish (散歩する侵略者) — 2005, 2007, 2011, 2017
  • Library Life Vol. 4: Things That Attack (図書館的人生Vol.4 襲ってくるもの) — 2018
  • To Mr. Gegege (ゲゲゲの先生へ) — 2018[35]
  • CO.JP — 2018 (Script/Direction collaboration, Script/Direction by Junpei Yasui)
  • Pillar of Beasts (獣の柱) — 2013, 2019[36]
  • The Endless (終わりのない) — 2019[37]
  • Function Dominoes (関数ドミノ) — 2005, 2009, 2014, 2017 (Script), 2022[38]
  • Enemy of Heaven (天の敵) — 2017, 2022[39]
  • The Outer Road (外の道) — 2021, 2022 (Paris performance titled "À la Marge")[26]
  • To Deliver a Soul (人魂を届けに) — 2023[40]
  • Useless Resistance (無駄な抵抗) — 2023[41][42]
  • Kikkai: Stories Heard from Lafcadio Hearn (奇ッ怪 小泉八雲から聞いた話) — 2024
  • Going Out of Sync (ずれる) — 2025

Novel

  • Before We Vanish (散歩する侵略者) — December 2007, Media Factory; July 2017, Kadokawa Bunko[43]
  • The Oni's Head (鬼の頭) — Published in Gunzo, April 2011 issue; included in the Japanese Writers' Association's "Literature 2012", April 2012, Kodansha
  • The Mosquito and My Mother's Blood (ヤブ蚊と母の血) — Published in Shosetsu Shincho, August 2014 issue, Shinchosha; included in the Shincho Bunko nex "I Told You Not to Look: Nine Strange Stories," July 2018
  • The Sun (太陽) — February 2016, KADOKAWA

Illustrated book

  • Coming from a Dark Place (くらいところからやってくる) — (Art: Kei Kobayashi, Kodansha) Original Work[6]

Manga

  • Livingston (リヴィングストン) — (Art by Jinsei Kataoka, Kodansha, 2009 - 2015) Original Work[44]

Film

  • The Sun (太陽) — 2016, directed by Yu Irie (Original Story/Script)[45]
  • Before We Vanish (散歩する侵略者) — 2017, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Original Story)[46]
  • Foreboding (予兆 散歩する侵略者, Yochō: Sanpo Suru Shinryakusha)[43] — 2017, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Original Story)
  • The Cursed Sanctuary X (聖地X) — 2021, directed by Yu Irie (Original Story)[47]

Television Drama

  • The first drama I created, "The Votive Hair-Plucking Festival of Idea" (奉納イデア毛抜き祭) — October 15, 2010, NHK BShi (Script/Direction)[6]
  • The Foreboding: Before We Vanish (予兆 散歩する侵略者) — September 19 - October 17, 2017, WOWOW (Original Story)[48]
  • Super Premium "Mario: Where AI is Going" (スーパープレミアム「マリオ〜AIのゆくえ〜」) — October 13, 2018, NHK BS Premium (Script)[6]

Radio drama

  • FM Theater: Before We Vanish March 13, 2010, NHK-FM) - Script.

Achievements

Awards

Awards received by Maekawa
Award Year Category Work Result Ref.
60th Arts Encouragement Prize 2009 Newcomer Award Function Domino and Strange Tales from Koizumi Yakumo Won [6]
12th Hayakawa Awards 2025 "Tragedy Comedy" Award Strange Tales from Koizumi Yakumo Won
44th Kinokuniya Theater Award 2010 Individual Award Function Domino and Strange Tales from Koizumi Yakumo Won
52nd Kinokuniya Theater Award 2017 Group Award The Enemy of Heaven and The Invaders Who Take a Walk Won
14th Tsuruyama Nankoku Playwright Award 2011 Playwright Award The Dance Floor of Plankton Won
63rd Yomiuri Prize 2011 Drama and Screenplay Award The Sun Won
16th Yomiuri Theater Awards 2008 Excellent Work Award The Front, the Back, and Beyond Won
Excellent Director Award The Front, the Back, and Beyond and Library Life Vol. 2: Shield and Spear Won
17th Yomiuri Theater Awards 2009 Excellent Director Award Function Domino and Enter Through the Narrow Gate Won
18th Yomiuri Theater Awards 2010 Excellent Director Award The Dance Floor of Plankton and Library Life Vol. 3: Food Chain Won
19th Yomiuri Theater Awards 2011 Grand Prize and Best Director Award Strange Tales, Part Two and The Sun Won
Excellent Work Award Strange Tales, Part Two Won
21st Yomiuri Theater Awards 2013 Excellent Director Award Notes from Underground and Fragments Won
Excellent Work Award Fragments Won
31st Yomiuri Theater Awards 2023 Excellent Director Award Delivering the Soul and Futile Resistance Won [49]
Best Work Award Delivering the Soul Won
32nd Yomiuri Theater Awards 2024 Excellent Excellent Work Award for Ikiume's Strange Tales from Koizumi Yakumo Won [50]
2025 Best Director Award Won

References

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  2. ^ 『東洋大学報』第231号、2012年、p.18 (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2019.
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  50. ^ 第32回読売演劇大賞の結果発表、最優秀作品賞は新宿梁山泊「おちょこの傘持つメリー・ポピンズ」. ステージナタリー. ナターシャ. February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
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