Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, will receive Japan’s Order of Culture (Bunka Kunsho), the government announced on October 23, 2026. He is the first person from the video game industry to get the honor, and Emperor Naruhito will present it at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on November 3, Japan’s Culture Day.
Miyamoto, 73, is a Representative Director and Fellow at Nintendo. He is one of eight people chosen for the Order of Culture this year, according to Jiji Press and Nikkei. Nikkei adds that two fields are on the list for the first time: lighting design and media arts (games).
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, one of Miyamoto's best-known productions, returns on Switch 2 on November 5. Image: Nintendo
Table of Contents
What is Japan’s Order of Culture?
The Order of Culture was created in 1937 for people who made especially outstanding contributions to the development of Japanese culture: art, literature, science and technology. It is widely described as Japan’s highest cultural honor. Recipients are announced each autumn, and the Emperor confers the medal in person on November 3. Famitsu notes earlier recipients include film director Akira Kurosawa, novelist Yasunari Kawabata and, in 2024, manga artist Tetsuya Chiba. Famitsu also says this is the first pick from games or digital entertainment.
Who else is receiving the Order of Culture in 2026?
Jiji and Nikkei list the same eight recipients:
| Recipient | Field | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Shigeru Miyamoto | Games (Nintendo) | 73 |
| Motoko Ishii | Lighting design | 88 |
| Toyo Ito | Architecture | 85 |
| Tsuneyoshi Kuroiwa | Cell biology | 84 |
| Tetsuya Shiokawa | French literature | 81 |
| Shunichi Tokura | Composer, former Agency for Cultural Affairs commissioner | 78 |
| Shigekazu Nagata | Immunology | 77 |
| Kenso Soai | Organic chemistry, 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry | 76 |
The government also named 21 Persons of Cultural Merit. They include jazz saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, golfer Ayako Okamoto and Rintaro, the anime director of Galaxy Express 999. That ceremony is on November 4 at a Tokyo hotel.
Miyamoto’s earlier honors
The new award follows Miyamoto’s selection as a Person of Cultural Merit in 2019. He was the first game creator to get that honor too, as GamesIndustry.biz and Famitsu both note. Abroad, France made him a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2006, and he received a BAFTA honor in 2010. Miyamoto was born in 1952 in Sonobe, Kyoto Prefecture, and joined Nintendo in 1977 after studying industrial design. His work runs from Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. to Zelda, Pikmin, Wii Sports and the Super Mario movies. The latest Zelda launch is Ocarina of Time on Switch 2, due November 5.
Pikmin, a series Miyamoto created, reached its fourth main game in 2023. Image: Nintendo
What Miyamoto said
Miyamoto spoke at a press conference at Nintendo’s headquarters in Kyoto on October 22, the day before the announcement. Denfaminicogamer and Famitsu published the full Q&A in Japanese. The quotes below are our own translations from those transcripts, so the wording may differ slightly from other English versions:
- “I feel very embarrassed, but I am truly honored to be chosen for such a prestigious award.”
- “I don’t make games on my own. This award is the result of making them together with a great many people, so I intend to accept it as their representative.”
- On games as culture: “Games becoming culture probably means that games have become an ordinary part of life.” He noted that three generations of families now know games, and said he hopes to “keep making things that are always at the center of the living room.”
- On generative AI (Famitsu): “AI may evolve to the point where it does everything, but I think there is still a lot left for us to do.”
He also counted his career: he joined Nintendo in 1977 and started on games almost right away, so he now calls it 50 years of making games. Apart from that press conference, we found no separate statement on Nintendo’s news pages at the time of writing.
What’s next
Miyamoto receives the medal from the Emperor on November 3. Two days later, Nintendo releases Ocarina of Time on Switch 2, right after the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 bundle on October 29. For more on the remake, see our look at the Ocarina of Time ad that reveals Dark Link and Nintendo’s update on Zelda Switch 2 restocks. We’ll add any official Nintendo statement or ceremony coverage when it comes.
Sources: Jiji Press, Nikkei, Denfaminicogamer, Famitsu, GamesIndustry.biz, Nintendo Life.
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