September 17 , 2026
'The Stripper Goddess of Japan' Shortlisted for the 2026 Medal for Excellence in Translation
Trans Pacific Press is delighted to announce that The Stripper Goddess of Japan: The Life and Afterlives of Ame no Uzume, the English translation of Shunsuke Tsurumi’s Ameno Uzume-den, has been shortlisted for the Australian Academy of the Humanities’ 2026 Medal for Excellence in Translation.
The shortlist, announced by the Australian Academy of the Humanities on 17 September 2026, comprises just three works. The Stripper Goddess of Japan is one of the three works selected for this year’s award.
Translated by Tomoko Aoyama and Penny Bailey, the book brings one of the most distinctive works by the influential Japanese philosopher and cultural critic Shunsuke Tsurumi (1922–2015) to English-language readers for the first time.
Originally published in Japanese as Ameno Uzume-den (The Life of Ame no Uzume), the book takes the mythical figure of Ame no Uzume—whose laughter and dance famously brought the sun goddess Amaterasu out of her cave—as a starting point for an unconventional exploration of Japanese culture and history.
Moving freely across periods, genres, and cultural forms, Tsurumi traces the figure of the “Uzume” through Japanese history, exploring the role of humour, performance, irreverence, and unconventional forms of communication in challenging authority and social conventions.
The Australian Academy of the Humanities describes the translation as bringing “a major work of cultural history by one of postwar Japan’s leading intellectuals” to English-speaking readers.
About the Medal for Excellence in Translation
The Australian Academy of the Humanities’ Medal for Excellence in Translation recognises outstanding translations that demonstrate exceptional literary or scholarly achievement and contribute to cross-cultural understanding.
The 2026 medal will be awarded to one of the three shortlisted works. The winner will be announced on 30 September 2026, International Translation Day.
About the Translation
Tomoko Aoyama and Penny Bailey’s translation makes Tsurumi’s highly distinctive voice and wide-ranging cultural references accessible to readers beyond Japan. Their work opens a new path for international readers to engage with one of the major figures of postwar Japanese thought.
“We are thrilled that The Stripper Goddess of Japan has been recognised by the Australian Academy of the Humanities,” said Trans Pacific Press. “We hope that this shortlist recognition will introduce Tsurumi Shunsuke’s work—and the remarkable figure of Ame no Uzume—to an even wider readership.”
Further information:
Australian Academy of the Humanities — Shortlist for the 2026 Medal for Excellence in Translation
About the book:
The Stripper Goddess of Japan