Special exhibition

Exhibition of Genji Keita, a Naoki Prize-winning author born in Toyama

2026Years1Month17Day(Sat)~2026Years3Month9Day(Mon)

This special exhibition traces the footsteps of Toyama-born Naoki Prize-winning author Genji Keita (1912-1985), who pioneered the new genre of "salaryman novels" with bestsellers such as "Third-Class Executive" and became Toyama Prefecture's first Naoki Prize-winning author. In recent years, Mariko Yamauchi's commentary on "Blue Sky Girl" has garnered popularity, leading to a series of subsequent reprints of his paperbacks, bringing renewed recognition to his work. After graduating from Toyama Commercial School, Genji joined Sumitomo Limited Partnership Company, where he continued working for approximately 26 years, publishing a series of humorous novels that warmly explore the joys and sorrows of the life of a salaryman. Reflecting his own ideal of rewarding good and punishing evil, his works, timely and relevant to the times, have resonated with readers and spawned numerous films and television dramas based on his novels. His engaging writing style, featuring lively dialogue and engaging stories, remains compelling even today. In his later years, he became interested in "ghost novels," which portrayed the grudges of office workers and the darkness in the human heart. This exhibition focuses on Genji's most famous and popular works, and explores the appeal of his world and the history of his career as a writer through handwritten manuscripts, original illustrations, photographs, and readings. Additionally, we will introduce his literary activities from his younger days, when he wrote poetry under his real name, Tanaka Tomio, through valuable notebooks and magazines from that time. We hope you will enjoy the literary world of Genji Keita, which depicts the kindness of human beings.