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Prolific Japanese voice actress Masako Nozawa received the 71st Kikuchi Kan Prize for her cultural contributions and long-standing career in the anime industry. Nozawa is well known for her roles as Son Goku, Son Gohan, and Son Goten in the Dragon Ball anime franchise, as well as Tetsurō Hoshino in Galaxy Express 999, and Kitarō in the GeGeGe no Kitaro and Hakaba Kitarō anime series.
Nozawa made her debut as a voice actor providing support voices in the original 1963 Astro Boy anime, and has been a recurring figure in the industry ever since. The actress, aged 86, continues to work in the anime industry to this day. Her most recent work is the 2022 anime movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
The Kikuchi Kan Prize is one of the many awards that Masako Nozawa has received, as the actress also holds two Guinness World Records, one for the longest time voicing a character in video games, as well as for the longest voice acting career in video games. Both of are for her work voicing Goku in video games.
The Kikuchi Kan Prize was established in 1938 as a literary award by novelist Kan Kikuchi, and was originally awarded to figures of particular notoriety in the literary arts. After Kikuchi’s death in 1952, the range of recipients was widened to honor achievements in other contemporary cultural fields.
