Japanese Literary Awards

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Kaori Ekuni

えくに かおり

Ekuni Kaori

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1964-03-21 （Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Shinjuku (birthplace), Tokyo, Japan → Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Translator, Poet
Active Years
1985-
Influenced By
Momoko Ishii

Education

Mejiro Gakuen Junior College
Japanese Literature / Japanese Literature
Country: Japan
Completed studies in Japanese literature (year unknown)
Junshin Girls' School (now Hiroo Gakuen Junior & Senior High School)
Country: Japan
Attended during junior high and high school years
University of Delaware
Country: United States
Studied abroad (exchange/study period)

Awards

'Chiisana Dowa' Grand Prize
1987
Work: Kusunojō's Story
Organization: Editorial Committee of 'Chiisana Dowa'
Result: 受賞
Femina Prize (Japan)
1989
Work: 409 Radcliffe
Organization: Gakushū-Kenkyūsha (Quarterly 'Femina')
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1991
Work: Fragrant Days
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Tsubota Jōji Literary Award
1992
Work: Fragrant Days
Organization: Tsubota Jōji Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize
1992
Work: Kirakira Hikaru
Organization: Murasaki Shikibu Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Robō no Ishi Literary Prize
1999
Work: My Little Bird
Organization: Robō no Ishi Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yamamoto Shugorō Prize
2002
Work: Neither Safe Nor Appropriate to Swim
Organization: Yamamoto Shugorō Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
2004
Work: I Was Ready to Cry
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Shima Kiyoshi Romance Literature Prize
2007
Work: Junk
Organization: Shima Kiyoshi Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Chuokoron Literary Prize
2010
Work: A Dark Room at Noon
Organization: Chuokoron-Shinsha (Chuokoron Literary Prize)
Result: 受賞
Yasunari Kawabata Literary Prize
2012
Work: Dog and the Harmonica
Organization: Yasunari Kawabata Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki Prize
2015
Work: Gecko, Frog, and Shijimi Butterfly
Organization: Tanizaki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kirakira Hikaru

1991 Novel

A novel that delicately depicts family and love through the life of a wife with alcohol-use disorder and her gay husband. One of Ekuni's representative works and adapted for film.

FamilyLoveAddictionTolerance
Adaptations
  • [Film] Kirakira Hikaru (film) / 松岡錠司 (1992)

Falling Evening

1996 Novel

A novel that sensitively explores ordinary setbacks, recovery, and characters' inner lives.

LossRebirthHuman relationships
Adaptations
  • [Film] Falling Evening (film) / 合津直枝 (1998)

I Was Ready to Cry

2003 Short story collection

A collection of short stories that capture everyday life and subtle emotions. Winner of the Naoki Prize.

Everyday lifeEmotional nuanceLoss and recovery

A Dark Room at Noon

2010 Novel

A work depicting shifting human relationships and memory. Winner of the Chuokoron Literary Prize.

MemoryLonelinessFamily

Gecko, Frog, and Shijimi Butterfly

2014 Novel

A recent work containing short pieces and variations. Winner of the Jun'ichirō Tanizaki Prize.

Observation of natureMemoryDetails of everyday life

Mamiya Brothers

2004 Novel

A warm, humorous story about the daily lives and relationship of two brothers. Adapted into film.

BrotherhoodEveryday lifeHumor
Adaptations
  • [Film] Mamiya Brothers (film) / 森田芳光 (2006)

Tokyo Tower

2001 Novel

A work set in Tokyo that portrays life and love. One of her representative works adapted to film and TV.

Urban lifeFamilyLove
Adaptations
  • [Film] Tokyo Tower (film) / 源孝志 (2005)

Neither Safe Nor Appropriate to Swim

2002 Short story collection

A newly written collection of short stories. Winner of the Yamamoto Shugorō Prize.

Short fictionHuman dramasDelicate psychological depiction

Bibliography

  • On a Cold Night
  • Fragrant Days
  • Cotton Candy
  • Kirakira Hikaru
  • Falling Evening
  • 409 Radcliffe
  • My Little Bird
  • God's Boat
  • Between Calmness and Passion
  • Tokyo Tower
  • I Was Ready to Cry
  • Junk
  • A Dark Room at Noon
  • Gecko, Frog, and Shijimi Butterfly
  • Mamiya Brothers
  • Neither Safe Nor Appropriate to Swim

Adaptations

  • Kirakira Hikaru (film)
  • Falling Evening (film)
  • Between Calmness and Passion (film)
  • Tokyo Tower (film/TV)
  • Mamiya Brothers (film)
  • Sweet Little Lies (film)

Translations by Author

  • The Angel's Christmas (translation)
  • Winnie-the-Pooh's Christmas (translation)
  • The Wizard of Oz (modern Japanese translation)
  • The Stretchy Little One (translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical and delicate psychological depictionA style that captures subtleties of everyday lifeConcise, poetic metaphors
Recurring Motifs
RainFragments of familyFood and everyday objectsAnimals (dogs, etc.)

Legacy

Kaori Ekuni is one of the notable Japanese female writers since the 1990s, known for lyrical portrayals of everyday life and significant influence on screen adaptations. She has received numerous literary awards and is active across novels, children's literature, and translations.

In Popular Culture

  • Several major works have been adapted into films and TV dramas, influencing a wide audience.
  • Her essays and many interviews have made her authorial persona familiar through media appearances.

Trivia

  • Her husband is a banker.
  • She is a fan of the Hanshin Tigers and has cited player Nakano Sasuke as a favorite.
  • Loves chocolate; reportedly made her husband promise not to give chocolate to other women when they married.
  • Known for taking very long baths; her husband once jokingly described this as a 'siege.'
  • Keeps an American Cocker Spaniel named 'Ame' (Rain).