Person of Cultural Merit explained

is an official Japanese recognition and honour which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of creative activities in Japan. By 1999, 576 people had been selected as Persons of Cultural Merit.^[1]

System of recognition

The Order of Culture and Persons of Cultural Merit function in tandem to honor those who have contributed to the advancement and development of Japanese culture in a variety of fields, including academia, arts, science^[1] and sports.^[2]

Persons of Cultural Merit

The 1951 Law on Pensions for the Persons of Cultural Merit honors persons of cultural merit by providing a special government-sponsored pension. Since 1955, the new honorees have been announced on the same day as the award ceremony for the Order of Culture.^[1]

Order of Culture

See main article: Order of Culture. The award ceremony, which takes place at the Imperial Palace on the Day of Culture (November 3). Candidates for the Order of Culture are selected from the Persons of Cultural Merit by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, who then recommends the candidates to the Prime Minister. The final decisions are made by the Cabinet.^[1]

Selected recipients

• Makoto Asashima, developmental biologist^[2]
• Seiji Ozawa, conductor^[2]
• Hisao Domoto, abstract painter
• Toru Funamura, composer^[2]
• Toshi Ichiyanagi, composer^[2]
• Akira Isogai, bio-organic chemistry researcher^[2]
• Tota Kaneko, haiku poet^[2]
• Asami Maki, choreographer^[2]
• Kyoko Matsuoka, author and translator^[3]
• Makoto Nagao, information engineering^[2]
• Tomijuro Nakamura, Kabuki actor^[2]
• Tatsuo Nishida, linguist^[2]
• Man Nomura, Kyogen actor^[2]
• Sayume Okuda, craftswoman^[2]
• Hiroyuki Sakaki, electronic engineer^[2]
• Koichi Shimoda, physicist^[2]
• Kiichi Sumikawa, sculptor^[2]
• Kenichi Tominaga, economic sociologist^[2]
• Naoya Shiga (1951), author^[1]
• Hideki Yukawa (1951), physicist^[1]
• Masuji Ibuse (1966), author (for the work Black Rain).
• Haruko Sugimura (1974), actress
• Motoo Ōtaguro (1977), music critic^[4]
• Susumu Tonegawa (1983), medical researcher^[5]
• Hisaya Morishige (1984), actor
• Fuku Akino (1991), Nihonga painter^[6]
• Ryotaro Shiba (1991), writer^[7]
• Isuzu Yamada (1993), actress
• Migishi Setsuko (1994), painter^[8]
• Jakucho Setouchi (1997), Buddhist nun and author^[9]
• Mitsuko Mori (1998), actress
• Koji Nakanishi (1999), chemist
• Marius Berthus Jansen (1999), historian^[1]
• Ito Masami (2000), judge^[1]
• Ishimura Uzaemon XVII (2000), Kabuki actor^[1]
• Shotaro Yasuoka (2001), writer^[10]
• Donald Keene (2002), educator^[2]
• Akira Ifukube (2003), composer^[11]
• Shozo Shimada (2004), artist
• Ken Takakura (2006), actor
• Tatsuya Nakadai (2007), actor
• Makoto Asashima (2008), biologist
• Nakamura Tomijyuro V (2008), Kabuki actor^[12]
• Taiho Koki (2009), sumo wrestler^[13]
• Yoshihide Kozai (2009), astronomer
• Sayuri Yoshinaga (2010), actress
• Hideji Ōtaki (2011), actor
• Matsumoto Kōshirō IX (2012), Kabuki actor
• Hayao Miyazaki (2012), film director, animator, manga artist, producer, and screenwriter^[14]
• Shun'ichi Amari (2012), mathematician
• Hiroko Takenishi (2012), author
• Mitsumasa Anno (2012), artist, children's author
• Keiji Morokuma (2012), theoretical and computational chemist^{[15] [16] [17]}
• Nobutaka Hirokawa (2013), neuroscientist and cell biologist
• Tamio Yamakawa (2014), biochemist^[18]
• Tsuneko Okazaki (2015), molecular biologist^[19]
• Tsumura Setsuko (2016), novelist^[20]
• Nakamura Kichiemon II (2017), Kabuki actor
• Mutsuo Takahashi (2017), poet
• Hisashi Yamamoto (2018), chemist
• Moto Hagio (2019), manga artist^[21]
• Shigeru Miyamoto (2019), video game developer^{[22] [23]}
• Koichi Sugiyama (2020), composer^[24]
• Nobuhiro Kiyotaki (2020), economist^[25]
• Masatoshi Sakai (2020), record producer^{[26] [27]}
• Yoshiyuki Tomino (2021), Mecha anime creator, animator, songwriter, director, screenwriter, novelist^[28]

See also

• Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class (Austria)
• Italian Medal of Merit for Culture and Art
• Living National Treasure (Japan)
• Order of Arts and Letters of Spain
  • Order of Honour (Russia) Order of the Companions of Honour (UK)
• Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
• Pour le Mérite (Germany; recognised by the state, though not a state order)

References

• Peterson, James W., Barry C. Weaver and Michael A. Quigley. (2001). Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States. San Ramon, California: Orders and Medals Society of America.

External links

• Japan, Cabinet Office: Decorations and Medals in Japan
  • Decoration Bureau: Order of Culture
• Japan Mint: Production Process

Notes and References

1. [Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)]
2. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20081029TDY01304.htm "Donald Keene, 7 others win Order of Culture,"
3. Web site: 2022-01-28 . 「くまのパディントン」翻訳 児童文学者の松岡享子さん死去 . 2022-12-13 . Sankei News . ja.
4. Web site: Ōtaguro kōen to wa . ja:大田黒公園とは . What is Ōtaguro Park? . 2015 . Hakone Ueki Landscape Construction Co., Ltd . ja . 2021-12-27.
5. Frängsmyr, Tore. (1993). Nobel Lectures in Physiology or Medicine, 1981-1990, p. 380
6. News: Obituary: Fuku Akino. 2001-10-12. The Japan Times Online. 2019-12-11. en-US. 0447-5763.
7. Shiba, Ryotaro. (2004). The Last Shogun: The Life of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, back cover notes.
8. Web site: 一宮市三岸節子記念美術館. s-migishi.com. 2019-01-07.
9. News: (Update) Japanese Writer Jakucho Setouchi Dies at 99 . 27 November 2021 . . November 11, 2021. .
10. Web site: Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP) . . 2002 . 2009-07-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070721122219/http://www.ch.emb-japan.go.jp/jicc/leih_buecher.htm . July 21, 2007 .
11. Web site: 伊福部昭音楽資料室. Akira Ifukube Music Library. Town of Otofuke. April 17, 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220123133550/https://www.town.otofuke.hokkaido.jp/kyoiku/tosyokan/ifukube.html. January 23, 2022.
12. News: Kabuki actor Nakamura Tomijuro dies at 81. Japan Today. 2011-01-04. 2011-02-03.
13. Web site: Rakugo storyteller Beicho Katsura, ex-Yokozuna Taiho among culture award winners. 28 October 2009. Mainichi Daily News. 2009-11-10 . 2009-11-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091101154628/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/news/20091028p2a00m0na007000c.html .
14. Web site: Hayao Miyazaki receives Person of Cultural Merit honor. The Asahi Shimbun. Anime Anime Japan Ltd.. 8 September 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193304/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/anime_news/AJ201211150040. 29 October 2013.
15. Cui . Qiang . Irle . Stephan . Musaev . Jamal . 2018-02-23 . Keiji Morokuma (1934–2017) . Angewandte Chemie International Edition . en . 57 . 9 . 2288–2289 . 10.1002/anie.201800390 . 1433-7851.
16. Bowman . Joel M. . Musaev . Jamal . Nakatsuji . Hiroshi . 2018-02-01 . Keiji Morokuma . The Journal of Physical Chemistry A . en . 122 . 4 . 880–881 . 10.1021/acs.jpca.8b00070 . 1089-5639.
17. Web site: Morokuma Sensei bunka korosha . 2024-07-26 . YouTube . en.
18. Obituary: Dr. Tamio Yamakawa (1921–2018) . Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B . Kunihiko . Suzuki . 95 . 2 . 86–87. 10.2183/pjab.95.008 . 2019. 6403434 .
19. T.O.L.講義：2015度の文化功労者に選ばれた、名古屋大学名誉教授　岡崎恒子先生による特別講義を実施しました！ isen.ac.jp, November 13, 2015
20. Web site: 平成28年度 文化功労者：文部科学省. www.mext.go.jp. 2019-10-23.
21. Web site: 萩尾望都が2019年度の文化功労者に選出、マンガ家生活50年目の年に. natalie.mu. 2019-10-29.
22. Web site: 文化功労者 ゲームを日本文化の代表に 任天堂の宮本茂さん. www.sankei.com. 2019-10-29.
23. Web site: Shigeru Miyamoto recognised with Japanese cultural award . Haydn . Taylor . October 29, 2019 . October 29, 2019 . .
24. Web site: 文化功労者の作曲家・すぎやまこういち氏「無冠の帝王を返上できる」. ライブドアニュース.
25. Web site: Nobuhiro Kiyotaki. www.princeton.edu.
26. https://news.wbs.co.jp/162003 音楽プロデューサーの酒井政利さん死去・有田市出身・８５歳
27. https://www.asahi.com/sp/articles/ASP7M4JV4P7MUCVL01D.html 酒井政利さん死去　百恵さんや郷ひろみさんの楽曲生む
28. Web site: Gundam Creator Yoshiyuki Tomino Honored as Person of Cultural Merit. July 26, 2021. Gundam News.