Taku Mayumura facts for kids

Taku Mayumura (眉村 卓 Mayumura Taku, born October 20, 1934 – died November 3, 2019) was a famous Japanese writer. He wrote many science fiction stories and also haiku poems. He won the Seiun Award for his novels two times. Many of his books, especially those for young people, were made into TV shows, movies, and anime.

About Taku Mayumura

His Early Life and Career

Taku Mayumura was born as Murakami Takuji in Osaka, Japan, in 1934. He studied economics at Osaka University and was also good at judo. After college, he worked for a company. While working, he started writing short stories and sending them to writing contests.

He began his professional writing career as a copywriter. In 1960, he joined a group that made a fan magazine about science fiction called Uchūjin. The next year, in 1961, he won a prize for his novel Kakyū Aidea-man (Junior Idea-Man). This helped him start writing for S-F Magazine.

Becoming a Full-Time Writer

In 1965, Mayumura decided to leave his company job. He became a full-time writer. His first science fiction book, Moeru Keisha, was published that same year.

He became well-known for his stories. In 1979, he won two big awards: the Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature and the Seiun Award. These were for his novel Shōmetsu no Kōrin. He won the Seiun Award again in 1996 for another novel, Hikishio no Toki.

Famous Stories and Adaptations

Many of Mayumura's stories were very popular and were turned into different forms of entertainment. For example, his book Psychic School Wars was made into both a live-action movie and an anime.

He also wrote many books for young adults. Some of his most famous young adult novels include Nazo no Tenkousei and Nerawareta Gakuen. These books were adapted into TV shows by NHK and also into movies. Another one of his young adult stories, Toraerareta School Bus, inspired the anime movie Toki no Tabibito.

A Special Gift: 1,778 Stories

In 2002, Mayumura's wife became very sick with cancer. To cheer her up, he started writing a very short story for her every single day. He kept writing these stories until he had written 1,778 of them. Sadly, his wife passed away when he reached that number.

These special stories were later collected and published in a book. In 2011, a movie called Boku to Tsuma no 1778 no Monogatari was made. It was based on this true and touching story about Mayumura and his wife.

His Later Years

In 2004, one of his works, Administrator, was translated into English. This helped his stories reach more readers around the world. By 2008, Taku Mayumura was teaching as a professor at the Graduate School of Osaka University of Arts.

He passed away on November 3, 2019, in Osaka. He had been dealing with cancer for several years. Even in the hospital, he kept writing until his last days. In 2020, he received a special award after his death from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan.

His Haiku Poetry

Besides novels, Taku Mayumura was also a haiku poet. Haiku is a type of Japanese poem with a specific number of syllables. He was part of a haiku club in high school and continued to write poetry throughout his life. In 2009, he published a book of his haiku poems called "Kiri wo yuku".

Awards and Recognition

Taku Mayumura received several important awards for his writing:

• Prize at the 1st Kūsōkagaku Shōsetsu Contest for Kakyū Aidea-man (下級アイディアマン) in 1961.
• Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature for Shōmetsu no Kōrin (消滅の光輪) in 1979.
• Seiun Award for Shōmetsu no Kōrin in 1979.
• Seiun Award for Hikishio no toki (引き潮のとき) in 1996.

His Books and Stories

Taku Mayumura wrote many novels and collections of short stories. Here are some of his notable works:

The Shiseikan Series

The Shiseikan (Administrator) series is a famous set of science fiction stories. They are set far in the future. Humans from Earth have traveled across space and settled on many planets. The main idea is about how these new planets are governed. At first, military groups ruled them. But then, civilian administrators were sent to take over. The stories are about the challenges these administrators face as they try to keep peace and order, especially when dealing with alien beings who lived on these planets first.

• Shiseikan (司政官}, Administrators) 1974
• Shōmesu no Kourin (消滅の光輪, The Corona of the Extinction) 1979 (Won the Seiun Award)
• Nagai Akatsuki (長い暁, Long Dawn) 1980
• Hikishio no Toki (引き潮のとき, The Time at Low Tide) 1996 (Won the Seiun Award)

Books for Young Readers

Mayumura wrote many popular books for young adults, often featuring science fiction or fantasy themes.

• Maboroshi no Pen Friend (まぼろしのペンフレンド) 1970
• Nazo no Tenkōsei (なぞの転校生) 1972 (The Mysterious Transfer Student)
• Nejireta Machi (ねじれた町) 1974 (The Twisted Town)
• Nerawareta Gakuen (ねらわれた学園) 1976 (Psychic School Wars)
• Toraerareta School Bus (とらえられたスクールバス) 1981 (Later retitled Toki no Tabibito)

Stories on Screen

Many of Taku Mayumura's books were so popular that they were made into TV shows and movies.

TV Shows Based on His Work

• Maboroshi no Pen Friend (まぼろしのペンフレンド) 1974, 2001
• Nazo no Tenkōsei (なぞの転校生) 1975
• Nerawareta Gakuen (ねらわれた学園) 1977, 1982, 1987, 1997

Movies Based on His Work

• Nerawareta Gakuen (ねらわれた学園) 1981, 1997
• Nazo no Tenkōsei (なぞの転校生) 1998
• Boku to Tsuma no 1778 no Monogatari (僕と妻の1778の物語) 2011 (Based on his life story and short stories)

Anime Based on His Work

• Toki no Tabibito (時空の旅人) 1986
• Neo Tokyo (Meikyuu Monogatari) (迷宮物語) 1987
• Nerawareta Gakuen (ねらわれた学園) 2012