Sakyo Komatsu facts for kids

Sakyo Komatsu (小松 左京, Komatsu Sakyō, January 28, 1931 – July 26, 2011) was a Japanese science fiction writer and screenwriter. He was one of the most famous and respected science fiction writers in Japan.

Early Life and Education

Sakyo Komatsu was born Minoru Komatsu in Osaka, Japan. He studied Italian literature at Kyoto University. After finishing university, he worked at different jobs. These jobs included being a reporter for a magazine and writing for comedy shows.

Writing Career and Famous Works

Komatsu started his writing career in the 1960s. He believed that modern literature and science fiction were very similar.

In 1961, he entered the first Scientific-fiction Contest of Hayakawa's SF Magazine. His short story, "Peace on Earth," earned him an honorable mention. The story was about a young man preparing to defend Japan if World War II did not end in 1945.

The next year, he won the same contest with his story, "Memoirs of an Eccentric Time Traveller." His first novel, The Japanese Apache, was published two years later. It sold 50,000 copies, which was a lot at the time.

Komatsu is best known for his novels Japan Sinks (1973) and Sayonara Jupiter (1982). Both of these books were made into movies. Japan Sinks became the film Submersion of Japan (1973). Sayonara Jupiter became Bye Bye Jupiter (1984).

His book Japan Sinks described a future where Japan is destroyed by natural disasters. This idea made many people in Japan think about the past. Japan was still recovering from the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Komatsu was inspired to write it by wondering what would happen if Japanese people lost their land. Interestingly, his book came out decades before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. This real-life event caused a nuclear plant disaster. Komatsu was interested to see how Japan would change after such a catastrophe.

Komatsu also helped organize the Japan World Exposition in Osaka in 1970. In 1984, he worked as a technical helper for a concert in Austria. He won the Nihon SF Taisho Award in 1985. In 2007, Komatsu was a special guest at Nippon 2007. This was the first World Science Fiction Convention held in Asia.

Many people consider Komatsu one of the greatest Japanese science fiction writers. He is often mentioned alongside Shin'ichi Hoshi and Yasutaka Tsutsui.

Later Life and Death

Sakyo Komatsu passed away on July 26, 2011, in Osaka. He was 80 years old and died from problems related to pneumonia. Just five days before he died, his magazine, Sakyo Komatsu Magazine, published an article by him. In the article, he shared his thoughts about the 2011 tsunami. Komatsu wrote that he hoped his country would grow stronger after the disaster. He said, "I had thought I wouldn't mind dying any day... but now I'm feeling like living a little bit longer and seeing how Japan will go on hereafter."

Works in English

Some of Sakyo Komatsu's works have been translated into English.

Novels

• Japan Sinks
• Virus: The Day of Resurrection (2012)

Short Stories

• "The Savage Mouth"
• "Take Your Choice"
• "The Kudan's Mother"

Adaptations of His Work

Many of Sakyo Komatsu's stories have been made into movies and TV shows.

Movies

• Tidal Wave (1973), based on Japan Sinks
• ESPY (1974)
• Virus (1980)
• Sayonara Jupiter (1984)
• Tokyo Blackout (1987)
• Sinking of Japan (2006), a remake of Tidal Wave

Television Shows

• Uchūjin Pipi (1965, NHK)
• Kūchūtoshi 008 (1969, NHK) — A science fiction puppet show.
• Saru no gundan (1974, TBS) — A science fiction drama.
• Nihon Chinbotsu (1974, TBS) — A TV version of the Japan Sinks film.
• Komatsu sakyō anime gekijō (Sakyo Komatsu's Animation Theater) (1989)
• Japan Sinks: 2020 — A Netflix anime series (2020).

See also

In Spanish: Sakyo Komatsu para niños