Shigeru Miyamoto is the first game creator to get Japan's Order of Culture

Shigeru Miyamoto, the Nintendo designer behind Mario and The Legend of Zelda, has been named a recipient of Japan's Order of Culture, the country's top honour for achievements in art, literature, science and culture. He is the first person from the video game world ever to receive it, The Japan Times reports.

What was announced

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced the eight 2026 recipients on Friday, 23 October. Miyamoto, 73, is on the list alongside figures from more traditional fields. The decoration was created in 1937, and until now no game creator had been chosen.

The order will be presented by Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace on 3 November, a national holiday known as Culture Day.

According to Gamekult and GamesIndustry.biz, Miyamoto said the achievements were not the work of one person but of collaboration with many others, and that he accepts the honour on their behalf.

A career that shaped modern games

Miyamoto joined Nintendo in Kyoto as a junior employee in 1977. His arcade game Donkey Kong (1981) introduced the character who became Mario, and Mario Bros. (1983) helped Nintendo build its presence in North America after the US games market crashed.

The Legend of Zelda (1986), which he co-created, drew on his childhood exploring the countryside around Kyoto. As producer of Ocarina of Time (1998), he oversaw the series' jump from a top-down 2D view to a 3D third-person camera, a design that many games still follow. A remake of Ocarina of Time is due on 5 November; see our rundown of what changes in the Switch 2 version.

In recent years Miyamoto has also led Nintendo's move into film. He produced The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), which grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), which has passed $1 billion, according to The Japan Times. He is also a producer on the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda film.

Why it matters

The honour is a symbolic moment for an industry that Japan's establishment has not always treated as culture. Video games are now one of Japan's biggest cultural exports, and Nintendo remains central to that, from its hardware to its strong commitment to physical game releases. Miyamoto, who remains a Nintendo fellow, has received many international awards before, but this is the first time Japan's highest cultural decoration has gone to someone who makes games.