Japanese Literary Awards

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Shun Akasegawa

あかせがわ しゅん

Akasegawa Shun

Aliases: 赤瀬川 隼彦
Pen Names: Shun Akasegawa（Pen name used for publications (legal name Hayahiko Akasegawa)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-11-05 （Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan）
Died
2015-01-26 age 83
Nationality
Japanese
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Yokkaichi, Mie (born) → Oita City (ages 10–18; youth)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer, Former bank employee, Public relations staff
Active Years
1982-2015
Affiliations
Sumitomo Bank (former employer), Labo Education Center (Tech) / Language Exchange Institute (worked), Affiliated organization of Hippo Family Club (worked)
Influenced By
Yao Nakano, Yō Sakakibara
Influenced
Yuka Fujimura (daughter; author)
Nominations
Naoki Prize nominee (88th): 'Has the Catcher Arrived Yet?', Naoki Prize nominee (90th): 'Shio mo Kanahinu', Naoki Prize nominee (92nd): 'The Shadow Player', Naoki Prize nominee (98th): 'Old Rookie', 'Kajikawa Ichigo's Crime', 'Various Scorecards'

Education

Oita Daiichi High School (now Oita Uenogaoka High School)
Country: Japan

Awards

Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Prize
1983
Work: The Ball Wanders Through Space
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Prize selection committee
Result: winner
Naoki Prize (Naoki Sanjūsanshō)
1995
Work: Afterimage of the White Ball
Organization: Naoki Prize selection committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Ball Wanders Through Space

1982 Novel / Sports fiction

A collection of short stories/linked tales centered on baseball. It depicts human dramas around ballparks and players and marks an important starting point of his career.

BaseballHuman dramaYouth

Shio mo Kanahinu

1985 Novel (mystery) with historical elements

A novel developed from the short story 'Shio mo Kanahinu'. It incorporates the idea of interpreting the Man'yōshū through Korean, blending linguistic concepts with a historical mystery.

MysteryLinguisticsHistorical interpretation

The Shadow Player

1985 Novel / Sports fiction

A novel portraying a cast of characters around teams and players. Including short works such as 'Has the Catcher Arrived Yet?', it explores inner lives and conflicts through baseball.

BaseballInterpersonal relationshipsConflict

Afterimage of the White Ball

1995 Novel / Sports fiction

A long novel on baseball that portrays players' lives and memories. Winner of the 113th Naoki Prize.

BaseballMemoryLife

Bibliography

  • When I Left the Cinema, It Was a Burned-Out Area
  • The Ball Wanders Through Space
  • The Disappeared Overcoat
  • The Shadow Player
  • The Wandering Beer-Barrel Baseball Team
  • Shio mo Kanahinu
  • Black Japan
  • The Celadon Person
  • Hanako at Thirty, Even the Tea Blooms
  • Phantoms of Meiji Village
  • Dream Stadium: Sports Short Novellas
  • The Kingdom Burns: A Novel on Ōtomo Sōrin
  • The Crimes of the Kajikawa Group
  • Journeys of a Relief Player
  • City of Phantoms
  • Afternoon of Lovers
  • Four Seasons of the Diamond
  • Beaten by the Rain
  • Smell and Sound of Baseball
  • Trails of the Lions
  • Talking Baseball Over a Beer
  • Beyond the Radio Days
  • Dawn's Song: A Novel of Murata Shinpachi
  • Go Mysteries!
  • Women Challenge, Men Are Bewildered: Rediscovering 'Women' in Akasegawa Shun
  • The Rainbow Scoreboard
  • Proof of a Dream
  • Ah, It's the Cinema Comet Again
  • Feast of Shadows: Standing Room at the Art House
  • Afterimage of the White Ball
  • The Muse's Goddess
  • Table for Four
  • Solo Journey Together
  • The Boy Aiming for the Major Leagues
  • Heavenly Paper, Wind Brush
  • House of Ripples: A Long Romance
  • Leisurely Strolls: Paths of Everyday Life
  • People Live by Taking Detours
  • A Clear Winter Town
  • An Autumn Day
  • Alternate Tales of Jingorō

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic descriptionNarrative centered on sports (especially baseball)A voice that moves between short and long forms
Recurring Motifs
Ballparks and the white ballPlayers' lives and memoriesPostwar life and human scenes

Health

  • Pneumonia
    2015-01
    Died of pneumonia in January 2015

Legacy

A writer known for novels focused on baseball. He won the Yoshikawa Eiji Newcomer Prize (1983) and the 113th Naoki Prize (1995), gaining recognition later in life. His short story 'Ichiru-te no Seikan' has been included in junior high school Japanese language textbooks.

In Popular Culture

  • 'Ichiru-te no Seikan' (The First Baseman's Return) included in junior high school Japanese language textbooks

Trivia

  • Born 1931, died 2015 (aged 83)
  • Worked 16 years at Sumitomo Bank
  • Younger brother: Haruhira Akasegawa; sister: Haruko Akasegawa
  • Elder daughter: author Yuka Fujimura
  • Won the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Prize for 'The Ball Wanders Through Space' (1983)
  • Won the 113th Naoki Prize for 'Afterimage of the White Ball' (1995)
  • Many works focus on baseball