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Motohiko Izawa | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1954-02-01)February 1, 1954 (age 71) Nagoya, Japan |
| Occupation | Writer, researcher of history |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Period | 1980–present |
| Genre | detective fiction,historical novels |
| Notable works | Sarumaru Genshi-ko Gyakusetsu no Nihonshi |
| Notable awards | Edogawa Rampo Prize (1980) |
Motohiko Izawa (井沢 元彦,Izawa Motohiko; born February 1, 1954,Nagoya,Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese writer of mystery novels and historical fiction as well as a historical researcher. He was formerly a news reporter forTBS and since April 2012 has worked as a visiting professor atShuchiin University.
Motohiko Izawa graduated from Chitose Tokyo Metropolitan High School, nowRoka Tokyo Metropolitan High School, and from the faculty of law atWaseda University. While he was in university his storyTōsaku no Hōfuku ("Retaliation for Perversion") was a candidate for theEdogawa Rampo Prize. After graduation he joinedTBS as a news reporter. In 1980, at the time he was working at the politics section of the news bureau, his novelSarumaru Genshi-ko ("Illusionary Travel Around Sarumaru") won the 26th Edogawa Rampo Prize.Sarumaru Genshi-ko is a both detective fiction and a historical novel in which the protagonist mentally travels in time under the influence of medications and, in a science-fiction style twist, amalgamates with the mind ofShinobu Orikuchi and solves crimes in Orikuchi's time as well as unravelling the mystery of theHeian-erairoha and the relationship of the poetsSarumaru no Taifu andKakinomoto no Hitomaro. In 1985 Izawa left TBS to become a full-time writer.
Most of Izawa's novels are on the plane of what he callshistorical mysteries, in which he ties modern-day murders into his detective fiction while taking the mysteries of history as his themes. In addition, he also works on pure historical fiction, and he develops his own unique theories on history, particularly since 1992 in the successive instalments of his popular series of non-fiction history books,Gyakusetsu no Nihonshi ("Paradoxical Japanese History").
In his early days he also wrotefantasy and the novelization of theNintendo gameDragon Buster. Recently he has turned his attention outside of Japanese history and has released books such as a series of “intensive courses” on the religions of Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Izawa has a strong command of diverse historical materials and treats the society and history of Japan from an original point of view. He sees as the animating undercurrents of Japan the unconscious faith of the Japanese people inkotodama,onryo,kegare, and wa, or harmony.
Izawa thinks highly of and has been heavily influenced by Shunshin Chin and Takeshi Umehara. He reveres Umehara, a pioneer of the view that Japanese history has been shaped by the fear of onryo, as being “someone who is like a beloved teacher to me”. The theories about Kakinomoto no Hitomaro's life espoused in his bookSarumaru Genshi-ko are taken from Umehara'sMinasoko no Uta.
His style of writing history takes into account his thorough dissection and criticism of “the three great flaws of the study of history”, which include the “authoritarianism” of professional historical societies, an excessivelyempirical reliance on historical documents as opposed to the unsaid or unconscious factors of history, and the ignoring or belittling of mystical and religious aspects.
He is vocal about problems with the way Japanese people perceive their history centering on theSecond Sino-Japanese War andWorld War II and frequently contributes articles on the subject to journals of opinion such as the biweekly magazine SAPIO. He is critical of the stance of the mass media towards history including theAsahi Shimbun which he blasted in a book co-written withYoshinori Kobayashi. Izawa is affiliated with theJapanese Society for History Textbook Reform and is an active denier of theNanjing massacre.[1] As a member of this society, his books were among those owned by Nishi Library inFunabashi which were destroyed in 2001 by the librarians. In 2005 the Supreme Court ordered the library to pay compensation for the loss.[2]
After the Chuo Gishi Kai, a group dedicated to studying the47 ronin, wrote a detailed and scathing criticism of one volume in hisGyakusetsu no Nihonshi subtitled “The Mystery ofChushingura”, it became clear that Izawa was not at all able to read old Japanese documents.[3] The late historian Eiichi Matsushima who was a professor at Waseda University criticized him on this matter and at one point Izawa changed his views, though he retracted his change of heart after Matsushima's death.
In a 12 December 2007 column for the magazine SAPIO he attackedKenzaburō Ōe’s 1970 essay Okinawa Note but when quoting similar criticism byAyako Sono from a 28 November column in the same magazine he conspicuously fixated on Sono’s infamous misreading[4] by swapping her use ofkyokai (巨魁 meaning ringleader) with the correctkyokai (巨塊 meaning colossal mass).
He has made appearances on many television programs including "Takajin no Sokomade Itte Iinkai" and "Wake up!" onYomiuri TV and "Koko ga Hen da yo Nihonjin" on TBS, and is the Monday commentator on "Yoshida Terumi Soko daiji na Koto" onNCB. He has also served as a regular commentator on the TV show “Historical Discoveries” onNHK.
In recent years his TV appearances in Tokyo have been scarce but he continues to appear inKansai, including several times on "Be-bop High Heel" onAsahi TV. He even appeared on "Hikari Ota's If I Were Prime Minister... Secretary Tanaka" in which he analyzed the Japanese people's religious outlook and belief inkotodama and a lively debate ensued based on his cherished theories.
He advocates democratic fundamentals in both Japanese society and politics. In January 2012 he went to work at the headquarters of the Chūkyō Dokuritsu Senryaku Honbu which seeks to abolishAichi Prefecture and elevate Nagoya to metropolis-level status as Tokyo already is. He expressed his sympathy toKoichi Kato when his home was burned down and on the occasion argued for a reappraisal of his political record.
In 2010 Izawa also worked on a committee to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of the moving of the Japanese capital toHeijo-kyo.
He loves baseball and partly because of his Nagoya origins, he is also a fan of theChunichi Dragons.
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