Motofumi Tomikawa <interviewer: Tamako Sarada>

Mr. Motofumi Tomikawa Interview Part One

■Motofumi Tomioka

Born February 11, 1949 in Ichinomiya City, Aichi. Graduated from Ichinomiya High School and the Department of Sculpture, Tama Art University.
Awarded by the NHK Creative TV Drama Screenwriting Open Offer while working as an elementary school teacher. He kept writing while still working as a teacher. After his script was chosen for the period drama Touge no Gunzou in 1982, he left his teaching career at age 32 to become a freelance screenwriter. He has created scripts for novels and plays as well as TV shows and films. He teaches at the Nihon University College of Art, Tokyo Sakka College, and a private school, and hosts the Script Study Group. He studied in Turkey as an overseas trainee under the Agency of Cultural Affairs’ Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists in 2001.

Major Works
○ Films
The Eel (directed by Shohei Imamura, 1997)
Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (directed by Shohei Imamura, 2001)
Ankon (collaborative movie of Japan and China, 2022)
The Sunny Day (2023)
○ TV drama series
Period drama Touge no Gunzou (NHK, 1982)
Morning TV serial Kokoro wa Itsumo Ramune Iro (NHK, 1984)
Two Sakura Trees (NHK, 1990)
New Totsugawa River Story (NHK, 1991-1992)
Haruko’s Doll (NHK, 2018)
○ Theatrical plays
Red Heart and Blue Moon (2004)
Awards
ACA National Arts Festival Excellence Award (1979) for Shinsetsu
10th Kuniko Mukoda Award (1991) for Two Sakura Trees and For the Women Not Getting Married
Won the Geijutsu Sensho Award for Excellent New Artist in Broadcasting Division (1994)
50th Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or (1997) for The Eel

■Tamako Sarada

Broadcast writer, playwright, essayist, radio personality.
Born in Tokyo on July 17, 1959.　
Graduated from the Faculty of Economics, Keio University.
○ Former chair of the Television and Radio Writers’ Association of Japan
Elected as director in June 1994 and as executive director in June 2008. Appointed as chair in June 2012.
Stepped down as the chair in June 2022 after 10 years of service and currently serves as an auditor.
○ Member of the Japan P.E.N. Club
○ Member of the Writers Guild of Japan
○ Member of the Association of Broadcast Critics. (Served as a member of the Galaxy Award selection committee (radio division) for four years from 2008.)
○ Served as president of Shinichi Ichikawa-Giichi Fujimoto Memorial Tokyo Sakka College for eight years from May 2015 to April 2023.

Made her debut as a radio personality on NHK Radio 1 while attending university.
Debuted as a radio writer on Nippon Broadcasting following adoption of her drama script.
After graduating from university, she participated in the planning and composition as a writer of TV and radio shows such as Ryori Banzai, Oshare, Jet Stream, and Asa no Saijiki, as well as being involved in the development of a wide range of theatrical plays and stage performances. She sometimes appears in the shows herself. While serving as a radio personality in Caffè Latte and a moderator in symposiums, she has frequently visited rural France to learn about food and wine. Leveraging her broad knowledge, she has written books on food culture as well as numerous essays focusing on women’s lifestyles, life philosophy, and love philosophy.

She has been focused on broadcasting clubs in recent years, serving on the judging panel for the annual NHK National High School Broadcast Contest finals.
She has written (supervised) books such as Bukatsu de Sukiruappu! Hoso Katsuyaku no Pointo 50 Kotsu ga wakaru Hon (Mates Publishing) and Konaihoso ga motto tanoshiku naru! Konaihoso, Netamatsuri! (Kyouikugageki).


Other major books include Parasite Singles (WAVE Publishers), Chichi to Musume no Parasaito Shinguru (co-authored with Shumon Miura and published by KK Best Shinsho), Burugonyu no chiisana Machi de (Daiwa Shobo), Tobikiri yukai na Wain no Hanashi (Gakuyo Shobo), Kurumaisu Seikatsu ni Yume wo ataeru Shigotonin (Kyoiku Hyoron Sha), Manners of Adultery (Makino Shuppan), and Oya mo Jibun mo suriheranai Shinguru Kaigojyutsu (WAVE Publishers). Her works as a playwright include Takaradaza musical The Story of Akira Takarada, the solo musical Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Jun Sawaki version, Yoshiki Yamamoto version), Seiyu Kodomo musical The Emperor’s New Clothes, Shingo Mizusawa’s reading theater performance Yume no Ki: Boku no Haha wa Kankoku Koji no Omoni ni natta, and Koi ni ochite supervised by Fukuko Ishii (Mitsukoshi Theater), among many others.