Industry

Shigeru Miyamoto becomes the first game creator to receive Japan's Order of Culture

By PPRGaming · October 23, 2026

Shigeru Miyamoto smiling while speaking into a microphone at a press event in Kyoto
Image: via The Japan Times

A first for games. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto has been selected for Japan’s Order of Culture, the country’s highest honor for contributions to art, literature, science and technology. Japan’s government announced the 2026 recipients on Friday, and Miyamoto, 73, is the first person from the video game industry ever chosen, per The Japan Times.

The details:

  • Eight recipients this year: Miyamoto joins lighting designer Motoko Ishii, architect Toyo Ito, and Nobel chemistry laureate Kenso Soai, among others, according to Jiji Press via Nippon.com.
  • The ceremony: Emperor Naruhito will present the medal at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on November 3, Japan’s Culture Day.
  • Also honored: the government named 21 Persons of Cultural Merit, including Galaxy Express 999 director Rintaro and jazz saxophonist Sadao Watanabe. NHK carried the full list.

Miyamoto joined Nintendo in 1977 and went on to create Donkey Kong, Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Lately he’s been producing films too: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has grossed more than $1 billion since April, and he’s a producer on the live-action Legend of Zelda movie due April 30, 2027. Speaking to reporters in Kyoto, he credited the teams he’s worked with over nearly 50 years at the company.

PPR take: This is Japan formally putting games next to film, literature and science as culture. Fitting timing, too, with the Ocarina of Time remake out November 5, two days after the ceremony.

Sources