Japanese Literary Awards

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Hahakigi Hosei

ははきぎ ほうせい

Hahakigi Hosei

Aliases: 森山 成彬 / Moriyama Nariakira
Pen Names: Hahakigi Hosei（Pen name taken from chapter names (Hahakigi, Yomogiu) in The Tale of Genji）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947 （Ogori, Fukuoka, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Ogori, Fukuoka, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Nakama, Fukuoka, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Psychiatrist, Private practitioner (retired clinician), Broadcasting staff (former)
Active Years
1975-
Affiliations
Yahata Kosei Hospital (Director of Clinical Services), Private clinic in Nakama (private practitioner)
Influenced By
The Tale of Genji (Murasaki Shikibu), French literature

Education

Fukuoka Prefectural Meizen High School
Country: Japan
University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of French Literature
Country: Japan
Worked at TBS after graduation
Kyushu University, Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine / School of Medicine
Country: Japan
Graduated from the medical school; worked as a psychiatrist

Awards

Kyushu-Okinawa Arts Festival Literary Prize
1976
Work: Flag Standing on the Skull
Organization: Kyushu-Okinawa Arts Festival
Result: 受賞
Japan Mystery & Suspense Award (Honorable Mention)
1990
Work: The Coffin of the Prize
Organization: Japan Mystery & Suspense Award
Result: 佳作
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
1993
Work: Again the Strait
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
Result: 受賞
Yamamoto Shugoro Prize
1995
Work: Closed Ward
Organization: Yamamoto Shugoro Prize
Result: 受賞
Fukuoka Prefecture Cultural Award
1995
Organization: Fukuoka Prefecture
Result: 受賞
Shibata Renzaburo Prize
1997
Work: Escape
Organization: Shibata Renzaburo Prize
Result: 受賞
Nitta Jiro Literary Prize
2010
Work: Water God
Organization: Nitta Jiro Literary Prize
Result: 受賞
Shogakukan Children’s Publishing Culture Award
2011
Work: Solha
Organization: Shogakukan Children’s Publishing Culture Award
Result: 受賞
Japan Medical Novel Award
2012
Work: The Empire of Flies / Flight Path of Fireflies
Organization: Japan Medical Novel Award
Result: 受賞
Historical Fiction Writers Club Prize (Work Award)
2013
Work: Himiko (Nichiko)
Category: 作品賞
Organization: Historical Fiction Writers Club
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize
2018
Work: Shukyo
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize
Result: 受賞
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
2018
Work: Shukyo
Organization: Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Closed Ward

1994 Medical fiction / Suspense

An ensemble novel set in a psychiatric ward that explores relationships between patients and doctors, medical ethics, and conflicts with society.

MedicinePsychiatryEthicsInterpersonal relationships
Adaptations
  • [Film] Inochi no Umi / Closed Ward / 福原進 (2001)
  • [Film] Closed Ward: Each Morning / 平山秀幸 (2019)

Again the Strait

1992 Adventure / Human drama

A novel portraying a strait and the lives of people around it; through family and journeys it explores characters' inner lives.

FamilyJourneyRenewal
Adaptations
  • [Film] Again the Strait / 神山征二郎 (1995)

Water God

2009 Historical fiction

A long historical novel depicting human relations and aspects of power against a historical backdrop; regional history and faith are also depicted.

HistoryFaithPower

Shukyo

2017 Historical fiction

A large-scale historical narrative carefully rendered; an award-winning work and one of the author's major novels.

HistoryReligionPower

Embryo

2002 Medical fiction with speculative elements

A novel that addresses reproduction and bioethics, combining medical knowledge with suspenseful elements.

BioethicsMedicineTechnology and ethics

The Empire of Flies: Military Doctors' Apocalypse

2011 War / Medical fiction

Part of a series that depicts the clashes between war and medicine through the perspectives of military doctors.

WarMedicineMoral conflict

Solha

2010 Children's / Youth literature

A story intended for children and young readers, dealing with family, growth, and overcoming hardships.

Coming-of-ageFamilyAdventure

Himiko (Nichiko)

2012 Historical fiction

A long historical novel set in ancient times; an award-winning work.

Ancient historyPoliticsCharacter study

Bibliography

  • White Summer's Tombstone
  • Images of the Twelfth Year
  • Dance of Cassis
  • Ku's Shikishi
  • The Coffin of the Prize
  • Hooves of Africa
  • Again the Strait
  • Organ Farm
  • Closed Ward
  • Night of Emptiness
  • Hitler's Armour
  • Escape
  • Fertilization
  • Comfort Ward
  • Sky Mountain
  • Rose Window
  • Embryo
  • Kokudō
  • Eyes of Africa
  • Lover of the Everlasting Flower
  • The Calling
  • The Cipher of Sacred Ash
  • Intersex
  • Windflower Ward
  • Water God
  • Solha
  • The Empire of Flies: Military Doctors' Apocalypse
  • Flight Path of Fireflies: Military Doctors' Apocalypse
  • Himiko (Nichiko)
  • Stars in the Sky, Flowers on Earth
  • Hisu
  • Passion
  • Shukyo
  • The Invasion
  • Sarin: The False Kingdom
  • Ward of the Village Where Flowers Fall
  • Koko: The Tale of Murasaki Shikibu

Adaptations

  • Again the Strait (1995, film)
  • Closed Ward (2001 & 2019, films)
  • Hooves of Africa (2002, TV drama)

Translations by Author

  • The Twentieth Century of Psychiatry (co-translator, 1999)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clinical, detail-oriented depiction informed by medical expertiseEnsemble structure with ethical inquiry
Recurring Motifs
Hospitals and clinicsMedical ethics and addictionHistory and faithWar and the perspective of military doctors

Health

  • Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
    2008年（約半年の入院）
    Detected during a routine check in 2008; hospitalized for about six months for treatment, recovered and resumed writing.

Legacy

Drawing on his experience as a psychiatrist, he has published numerous novels and short stories focused on medicine and ethics; many works have been adapted for film and television. He is regarded as a leading author of medical fiction in Japan, a multiple literary prize winner, and has been active in promoting regional culture.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (author records)
  • Kyushu University Archives (related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Closed Ward has been adapted to film multiple times and is widely known through screen adaptations.
  • Again the Strait and Hooves of Africa have also been adapted for screen and television.

Trivia

  • His pen name was taken from chapter names in The Tale of Genji (Hahakigi, Yomogiu).
  • After graduating from the University of Tokyo (Department of French Literature) he worked at TBS, later studied medicine and became a psychiatrist.
  • Opened a psychiatric/psychosomatic clinic in Nakama in 2005 and retired as a practicing clinician in 2023 to concentrate on writing.
  • Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2008; after about six months of hospitalization and treatment he returned to writing.
  • Winner of several major literary prizes including the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize.
  • Appointed Ogori City’s cultural ambassador (furusato ambassador) in 2019.