Japan Fantasy Novel Grand Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (1996) nominee
Mitsufumi Asagure
あさぐれ みつふみ
Asagure Mitsufumi
Pen Names:
Mitsufumi Asagure（Pen name derived from the proverb 'Hayoki wa sanmon no toku' ('Early rising brings a small profit')）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1959-03-21 （Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Mystery writer, Science fiction writer, Copywriter, Instructor
- Active Years
- 1998-
- Affiliations
- Mystery Writers of Japan, Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
- Memberships
- Mystery Writers of Japan, Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
- Influenced By
- Patrick Süskind, Donald Barthelme, John Sladek,
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansai University | Faculty of Economics | International Finance (major) | — | — | Japan |
Kansai University
Faculty of Economics
/ International Finance (major)
Country:
Japan
After graduating, he worked as a copywriter before becoming a novelist
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Mephisto Prize | Dub(e)ston Highway | — | Mephisto editorial department (Kodansha) | 受賞 |
| 2003 | Mystery Writers of Japan Award | The Spider in the Stone | — | Mystery Writers of Japan | 受賞 |
Mephisto Prize
1998
Work:
Dub(e)ston Highway
Organization:
Mephisto editorial department (Kodansha)
Result:
受賞
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
2003
Work:
The Spider in the Stone
Organization:
Mystery Writers of Japan
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Mephisto Award
1 appearances
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 56 (2003) award
Works
Major Works
Dub(e)ston Highway
1998 Otherworld fantasy / MetafictionA metafictional otherworld fantasy. His debut work, which won the Mephisto Prize after study in a novel workshop.
metafictionotherworldweird fiction
Heir of Canis' Blood
1999 Weird fiction / MysteryA peculiar novel centered on the sense of smell; critics note influence from Patrick Süskind's 'Perfume'.
smellweird fictioncrime
The Man Who Forgot His Left Eye: I Wanna See You
2002 MysteryA mystery themed around vision; contains experimental elements.
visionmemoryexperimental
The Spider in the Stone
2002 MysteryA mystery work focusing on hearing; one of his representative works and winner of the 56th Mystery Writers of Japan Award.
hearingdetective fictionhuman observation
Needle
2004 Science fictionA science-fiction work that places emphasis on skin sensation (touch).
touchscience fictionbody
Rusty Blue
2006 Weird fictionA peculiar fiction work themed around a notion of the 'sixth sense'.
sixth senseweird fictionfantasy
April in Portugal
2009 Mystery / Weird fictionA collection that includes stories using the sense of taste as a motif.
tastetravelnostalgia
Five Senses Collection
2010 Short story collection / Weird fictionA compendium that gathers works themed on the five senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste.
five sensesseriesexperimental fiction
10-Centimeter Sky
2003 Youth fantasyA coming-of-age fantasy; in 2006 it was adopted for junior high school Japanese language textbooks.
youthfantasyeducation
Bibliography
- Last Hope
- Last Hope Again: Paris and the Villains
- One Hundred Dancing Cats: Detective Division Asaka Makoto Case File 001
- Invincible Criminal: Detective Division Asaka Makoto Case File 101
- Seven: The Girl Who Vanished from Akihabara
- Seven opus2: The Secret Death in an Old Town
- Troublesome Corpse
- The Troublesome Corpse Won't Rest
- Dub(e)ston Highway
- Heir of Canis' Blood
- Boy of the Night Saint
- The Man Who Forgot His Left Eye: I Wanna See You
- The Spider in the Stone
- M Is for Murder and Mackerel
- Pseudo-Jerusalem Chronicle
- 10-Centimeter Sky
- Needle
- Lying Cat
- Nightmares Come in Pairs
- Experimental Novels N: Masterpiece Short Stories
- Rusty Blue
- Pockets for Crime: Musashino Crime Stories
- A Record of Different Peoples
- Let's Buy the Night
- Goodbye on Christmas
- Advertising Wanderings
- Clunker Comedy
- April in Portugal
- Five Senses Collection
- Somewhat Baseball Guys
- Rock, and Then Bullets: Private Policeman Otoba Ryo
- The Kidnapper Is Known by the Crows: Genius Ethologist Shirai Hatao
- Oh My Butt, Sing Loudly a Song of Love
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- speculative/weird fiction tonemetafictionmystery-oriented structurehumor and black humor
- Recurring Motifs
- the five senses (smell, sight, hearing, touch, taste)urban landscapesanimalscrime and observationexperimental narration
Legacy
Asagure Mitsufumi is known for blending weird/speculative fiction with mystery, notably for his five-senses series. After winning the Mephisto Prize and the Mystery Writers of Japan Award, his works have appeared in anthologies and were adopted in school textbooks, broadening his readership.
Academic Societies
- Mystery Writers of Japan
- Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Archives
- National Diet Library author record
- Authority records (VIAF, ISNI, CiNii)
In Popular Culture
- '10-Centimeter Sky' was adopted in junior high school Japanese language textbooks, reflecting influence in education.
Quotes
-
From now on, I want to write novels like Donald Barthelme and John Sladek.
Source: Acceptance speech at the Mystery Writers of Japan Award ceremony (excerpt) (2003)
Trivia
- Pen name derives from the proverb 'Hayoki wa sanmon no toku'.
- Former copywriter with several advertising awards.
- Hobby is fishing and he has published books about fishing.
- Has served as an instructor at the 'Fantasy Novel Workshop' where he once studied.
- Known for a series of works themed on the five senses (collected in 'Five Senses Collection').