Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto makes gaming history with Japanese government honor

GamingbyJames BusbyPublished: Oct 23, 2026, 10:18NintendoAdd as a preferred source on GoogleFollow on Google News

Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has made gaming history after being selected to receive Japan’s Order of Culture, becoming the first person from the industry to earn the Japanese government honor.

Nintendo’s characters are some of the most recognizable in the industry, and while Link, Kirby, and Samus are popular, Shigeru Miyamoto’s Mario has become the standout symbol of the Japanese video game company. 

The Italian plumber has starred in numerous video games and films, and even has his own theme park experience. Now, his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has been selected to receive Japan’s Order of Culture, a Japanese government honor recognizing exceptional contributions to the arts and sciences.

Miyamoto credits fellow creators after historic recognition

Speaking at Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters on October 22, Miyamoto said he would accept the award on behalf of his colleagues.

“I feel incredibly self-conscious, but I’m truly honored to have been selected for such a prestigious award. As I always say, I don’t make games by myself. This award is the result of making them together with many people, so I intend to accept it as their representative,” he said, via quotes provided by Denfaminicogamer. 

“Recently, in particular, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many people outside games, through projects such as Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and our film business. I’d like to share the joy of this award with all of them.”

Having joined Nintendo in 1977, Miyamoto has seen how the audiences for games have drastically changed over the years. 

“When I started making games, at around 26, people my age around me didn’t play them all that much. Gradually, fathers became part of the generation that had grown up playing games. Before I knew it, I was a grandfather, and grandfathers were now part of a generation that had played games too,” Miyamoto explained.