The is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art, literature, science, technology, or anything related to culture in general; recipients of the order also receive an annuity for life. The order is conferred by the Emperor of Japan in person on Culture Day (November 3) each year. It is considered equivalent to the highest rank (Grand Cordon) of the Order of the Rising Sun, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, and the Order of the Precious Crown. The only orders that Japanese emperors bestow on recipients by their own hands are the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, the Grand Cordon of each order, and the Order of Culture.Toshio Kurihara. (2011) 勲章 知られざる素顔. Iwanami Shoten.
The badge of the order, which is in gold with white enamel, is in the form of a Tachibana orange blossom; the central disc bears three crescent-shaped jades (magatama). The badge is suspended on a gold and enamel wreath of mandarin orange leaves and fruit, which is in turn suspended on a purple ribbon worn around the neck.
System of recognition
The Order of Culture and Persons of Cultural Merit function together in honoring contributions to the advancement and development of Japanese culture in a variety of fields such as academia, arts and others.Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan): Culture 2000, Part 1, Chapter 3, Section 2.1
Order of Culture The Emperor himself presents the honor at 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, upon hearing views of all the members of the selection committee for the Persons of Cultural Merit. The Minister then recommends the candidates to the Prime Minister so that they can be decided by the Cabinet.
Persons of Cultural Merit
The system for Persons of Cultural Merit was established in 1951 by the Law on Pensions for the Persons of Cultural Merit. Since the Constitution of Japan stipulates that "No privilege shall accompany any award of honor, decoration or any distinction" (Article 14), the government is not allowed to provide pensions or rewards to recipients of the Order of Culture. The purpose is to honor persons of cultural merit (including recipients of the Order of Culture) by providing a special government-sponsored pension (3.5 million yen per year).Recipients of the Order of Culture are necessarily persons of cultural merit. Since 1955, the new honorees have been announced on the Day of Culture, the same day as the award ceremony for the Order of Culture.
Selected recipients
A complete list can be found here.文化勲章受章者一覧 Nifty
Akira Ifukube (1914–2006). A composer of classical music and film scores. Ryukichi Inada (1874–1950). A physician, a prominent academic, and bacteriologist researcher.Fukuoka Medical School: Hideo Kobayashi (1902–1983). An author, who established literary criticism as an independent art form in Japan. Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998). A world-famous film director and painter. Hantaro Nagaoka (1865–1950). A physicist and a pioneer of Japanese physics in the early Meiji period. Nakamura Kichiemon I (1896–1954). 1st kabuki actor to receive this honor. Nakamura Utaemon VI (1917–2001). A famous kabuki actor, known for his oyama roles.Honor awarded 1979 -- Strom, Stephanie. Nakamura Utaemon VI, 84, International Star of Kabuki , New York Times 4 April 2001. Kaii Higashiyama (1908–1999). A famous artist and writer, renowned for his Nihonga style paintings. Kinjiro Okabe (1896–1984). An electrical engineering researcher and professor who developed the split-anode magnetron. Jirō Osaragi (1897–1973). A popular writer in Shōwa period. Junjiro Takakusu (1866–1945). An academic, an advocate for expanding higher education opportunities, and an internationally known Buddhist scholar.Honor awarded 1944 -- Junijiro Takakusu Kenjiro Takayanagi (1899–1990). A pioneer in the development of television.Honor awarded 1981 -- "Kenjiro Takayanagi, Electrical Engineer, 91" , New York Times, 25 July 1990. Morohashi Tetsuji (1883–1982). An important figure in the world of Japanese studies and Sinology.Honor awarded 1965 -- Sanjo City website : Morohashi Tetsuji Museum Susumu Tonegawa (born 1939). A scientist who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1987.Frängsmyr, Tore. (1993). Nobel Lectures in Physiology or Medicine, 1981-1990, p. 380. Eiji Yoshikawa (1892–1962). A historical novelist.Honor awarded in 1960 -- "Yoshikawa Eiji , in Encyclopædia Britannica. (2006). Yasunari Kawabata (1899–1972). A novelist who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968.
1990s
1992 Masaru Ibuka (1908–1997). Co-founder, President and Chairman of Sony Corporation."Sony Global-Press Release-Masaru Ibuka 1908-1997" , Sony Press Release Archive, Retrieved November 11, 2014.
1994 Takashi Asahina (1908–2001). Orchestral conductor."Takashi Asahina, 93; Musical Director of Orchestra in Japan", Los Angeles Times, 31 December 2001. Tadao Umesao (1920–2010). Ethnologist.NEC (2 October 2002). "Brief Summary of Recipients' Careers" . Press release. Retrieved 18 April 2010. Hideo Shima (1901–1998). Railway engineer.
1995 Shigemitsu Dandō (1913–2012). Criminologist.Rockefeller University (October 26, 1995). "Japanese Government Honors Rockefeller University Professor for Cancer Research" . Press release. Retrieved 18 April 2010. Shūsaku Endō (1923–1996). Writer.
1996 Hanae Mori (1926–2022). Fashion designer."Hanae Mori" , Japan Times Online, 23 October 2007. Rizō Takeuchi (1907–1997). Historian of Japan.
1997 Masatoshi Koshiba (1926–2020). Nobel Prize-winning physicist."Order of Culture Awarded", Japan Foundation Newsletter, Vol. XXV, No. 6, March, 1998, page 6. (PDF) Hirofumi Uzawa (1928–2014). Economist.
1998 Ikuo Hirayama (1930–2009). Nihonga artist."Order of Culture", Japan Foundation Newsletter, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, February, 1999, page 7. (PDF) Tadamitsu Kishimoto (born 1939). Immunologist.
1999 Hiroyuki Agawa (1920–2015). Writer."Prime Minister Attends Order of Culture Award Ceremony" , Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet (official website), November 3, 1999. Fuku Akino (1908–2001). Nihonga artist. Takeshi Umehara (1925–2019). Scholar of Japanese cultural studies.
2000s
2000 Ryōji Noyori (born 1938). Nobel Prize-winning chemist."Nobel chemist to get Order of Culture" , Japan Times Online, 25 October 2000. Hideki Shirakawa (born 1936). Nobel Prize-winning chemist. Isuzu Yamada (1917–2012). Actress.
2001 Chie Nakane (1926–2021). Social anthropologist."Five pioneers to receive Order of Culture awards" , Japan Times Online, October 31, 2001. Toshio Yodoi (1911–2005). Sculptor. Hiroo Inokuchi (1927–2014). Chemist.
2002 Kyōhei Fujita (1921–2004). Glass artist."Emperor honors six in culture, science" , Japan Times Online, November 4, 2002. Kaneto Shindō. Film director. Kōichi Tanaka. Nobel Prize-winning scientist.
2003 Kazuhiko Nishijima (1926–2009). Physicist."Ogata, Ooka and others to receive Order of Culture" , Japan Times Online, October 29, 2003. Sadako Ogata. Political scientist and diplomat. Makoto Ōoka. Poet and literary critic.
2004 Yōji Totsuka (1942–2008). Physicist."Seal engraver, kabuki actor among honored cultural contributors" , Forum Japon, October 29, 2004. Nakamura Jakuemon, Kabuki actor. Toan Kobayashi, Seal carver. Shizuka Shirakawa, Scholar of Chinese-language literature. Horin Fukuoji, Nihonga painter.
2005 Mitsuko Mori. Actress."Five honored with Order of Culture" , Japan Times Online, November 4, 2005. Makoto Saitō (1921–2008). Political scientist, specializing in American diplomatic and political history. Ryuzan Aoki, Ceramic artist. Toshio Sawada, Civil engineer. Shigeaki Hinohara, Doctor.
2006 Yoshiaki Arata. A pioneer of nuclear fusion research.Arata receives award from Emperor of Japan on ISCMNS Jakuchō Setouchi. Writer/Buddhist nun."Writing nun gets culture award" , Japan Times Weekly Online, November 11, 2006. Hidekazu Yoshida. Music critic. Chusaku Oyama, Nihonga painter. Miyohei Shinohara, Economist.
2007 Akira Mikazuki. Former justice minister and professor emeritus. Shinya Nakamura. Sculptor."Kyogen actor, four others accept top culture awards" , Japan Times Online, November 4, 2007. Kōji Nakanishi. Organic chemist. Tokindo Okada, Developmental biologist. Shigeyama Sensaku, Kyogen performer.
2008 Hironoshin Furuhashi (1928–2009). Sportsman and sports bureaucrat."Gov't decorates 3 Nobel winners, Seiji Ozawa, Donald Keene, 3 others", Japan Today, October 29, 2008. Kiyoshi Itō. A mathematician whose work is now called Itō calculus.Honor awarded 2008 -- "Donald Keene, 7 others win Order of Culture," Yomiuri Shimbun. October 29, 2008. Donald Keene. A Japanologist, scholar, teacher, writer, translator and interpreter of Japanese literature and culture. Makoto Kobayashi. A physicist who was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics. Toshihide Masukawa. A theoretical physicist who was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics. Seiji Ozawa. A conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. Osamu Shimomura. An organic chemist and marine biologist who was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Seiko Tanabe. Author.
2009 Sumio Iijima. Physicist."Beicho, Tojuro among 5 recipients of year's top culture award" , Seek Japan, October 27, 2009. Tōjūrō Sakata IV. Kabuki actor. Katsura Beicho, Rakugo performer. Akira Hayami, Economist, Historian. Yorio Hinuma, Virologist.
2010s
2010 Tadao Ando. Architect."Nobelists Suzuki, Negishi get Order of Culture," Japan Times. October 27, 2010, retrieved 2011-04-20. Akito Arima. Nuclear physicist. Issei Miyake. Fashion designer. Eiichi Negishi. Chemistry Nobel Prize laureate. Yukio Ninagawa. Stage director. Akira Suzuki. Chemistry Nobel Prize laureate. Haruko Wakita. Medieval historian.
2011 Isamu Akasaki, Engineer. Ohi Chozaemon, potter. Saiichi Maruya, Author. Taichiro Mitani, Political and history scholar. Mitsuhiro Yanagida, Molecular biologist.
2012 Shigeru Oda, Jurist, a judge on the International Court of Justice from 1976 to 2003. Yoji Yamada, Film Director. Shinya Yamanaka, Physiology Nobel Prize laureate, biologist. Shuji Takashina, art critic. Toshio Matsuo, nihonga painter. Yashuyuki Yamada, agronomist.
2013 Ken Takakura, noted Japanese actor. Susumu Nakanishi, noted scholar of Japanese literature. Shunichi Iwasaki, noted scholar of electrical engineering. Seikaku Takagi, noted Japanese calligrapher. Tasuku Honjo, noted immunologist
2014 Hiroshi Amano, Physics Nobel Prize laureate in 2014. Shuji Nakamura, Physics Nobel Prize laureate in 2014. Takemoto Sumitayu, narrator of Japanese bunraku, also known as a “ningyo joruri” (puppet theater). Taeko Kōno, writer and critic and is considered one of the most important contemporary writers of modern Japanese literature. Toyoki Kunitake, researcher in molecular architecture. Takashi Negishi, economist. Gyoji Nomiyama, Western-style painter.
2020s
2021 Syukuro Manabe, Nobel Prize winning climatologist. Shigeo Nagashima, noted former Japanese baseball player. Onoe Kikugoro VII, Kabuki actor. Tsuneko Okazaki, Molecular biology researcher. Hirohiko Okano, Japanese tanka poet. Junzo Kawada, Anthropologist. Koji Kinutani, Painter. Shigefumi Mori, Mathematician. Asami Maki, Ballet dancer.
2022 Atsushi Uemura, nihonga painter. Hiroyuki Sakaki, electronic engineer. Teruhiko Beppu, microbiologist. Matsumoto Hakuō II, kabuki player. Yamase Shōin III, koto player. Tadao Yoshikawa, Oriental historian.
2023 Nomura Mansaku II, kyogen player. Keidō Ishige, calligrapher. Katsuhito Iwai, economist.