Mario Bros. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto to Receive Japan’s Highest Honor
Shigeru Miyamoto, the Nintendo designer behind Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, F-Zero, Pikmin and Nintendogs, who has also contributed to the development of numerous other franchises, has been selected to receive Japan’s Order of Culture, the country’s highest honor for cultural achievement. The Japanese government announced on Oct. 23 […]
Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of iconic games like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong, will become the first individual from the video game industry to receive Japan's highest honor, the Order of Culture. The prestigious award, presented to eight individuals in 2026, will be given to Miyamoto on November 3, 2026, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo by Emperor Naruhito.
Miyamoto, 73, joins an esteemed group that includes architect Toyo Ito and immunologist Shigekazu Nagata among others. The Order of Culture, established in 1937, celebrates cultural achievements in art, literature, science, and technology. Miyamoto previously received the Person of Cultural Merit award in 2019, which qualified him for the Order of Culture.
At a press conference, Miyamoto expressed both embarrassment and deep honor for the recognition, emphasizing that the award represents the collective efforts of all those who contributed to the games. As Nintendo's current figurehead, Miyamoto spends more time on projects beyond game development, such as the Super Nintendo World theme park areas and films like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
His selection highlights the growing cultural impact of video games and Nintendo's contributions to the industry, signaling an important moment for the sector that now extends to various forms of media.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
