Named in memory of Juzo Itami (1933-1997), actor, translator, essayist, editor and well-known director since the great success of his first work Osoushiki (Funeral). His last work Shizukana Seikatsu (Quiet Life) is based on the novel written by Kenzaburo Oe, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1994 and brother-in-law of Itami.