Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Mangetsu Hanamura

はなむら まんげつ

Hanamura Mangetsu

Pen Names: Mangetsu Soshi（Used for children's literature and fairy tales）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1983-07-15 （Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kamakura, Kanagawa (birthplace) → Shibuya, Tokyo (writing base) → Kyoto, Kyoto (short-term residence)

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, children's author
Active Years
2008-
Affiliations
Waseda University Literary Society
Memberships
Japan Writers' Association
Influenced By
Yasunari Kawabata, Kenji Miyazawa, Mieko Kawakami
Influenced
Nina Sato, Ryota Nakahara

Education

Waseda University
Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences / Department of Japanese Literature
Degree: Bachelor of Arts (文学士)
Period: 2002-2006
Year of Graduation: 2006
Country: Japan
Published short stories in literary magazines while studying

Awards

Gunzo Newcomer Literary Prize
2010
Work: The Room of Winter Honey
Organization: Gunzo Publishing
Result: winner
Wakaba Literary Prize
2014
Work: Edge of the Moon
Organization: Wakaba Literary Society
Result: winner
Hanamura Prize
2021
Work: Two Summers
Organization: Hanamura Literary Promotion Association
Result: shortlisted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Room of Winter Honey

2010 Short story collection 240 pages

A collection of short stories that depicts loss and recovery through the changing seasons and the minutiae of daily life. Multiple tales where family and fragments of the past quietly resonate.

lossmemoryfamilyseasons
Translations
  • English translation: The Room of Winter Honey (translated by Emily Sato)

Edge of the Moon

2014 Novel 320 pages

Set in an old suburban house, this novel follows a woman as she reconciles with her past. With a quiet style, it weaves together fragments of memory.

lonelinessrenewalmemorythe moon
Adaptations
  • [Film] Edge of the Moon / 福田陽介 (2025)
Translations
  • English translation: Edge of the Moon (translated by Anna Cooper, 2016)

Two Summers

2019 Young adult novel 192 pages

A story of two young people who try to reclaim time during summer by relying on each other's memories. The novel focuses on rebuilding relationships and the freshness of the season.

youthshared memoryrenewal
Translations
  • French translation: Two Summers (translated by Marie Laurent, 2021)

Bibliography

  • The Room of Winter Honey (2010)
  • Mangetsu Soshi: Tales (2012)
  • Edge of the Moon (2014)
  • Morning Table: Essays (2016)
  • Two Summers (2019)
  • Little Lights: Short Stories (2021)

Adaptations

  • Edge of the Moon — Film (2025)
  • Two Summers — Radio drama (2020)

Translations of Works

  • Edge of the Moon — English translation: Edge of the Moon (translated by Anna Cooper, 2016)
  • Two Summers — French translation: Two Summers (translated by Marie Laurent, 2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, lyrical prosequiet psychological depictionsymbolic nature imagery
Recurring Motifs
the moondining tableold housesseasonal change

Legacy

Regarded in contemporary Japanese literature as a writer who traces memory and the subtle echoes of everyday life. Film adaptations have broadened her appeal among younger audiences.

Academic Societies

  • Hanamura Mangetsu Study Group

Archives

  • Waseda University Library - Modern Literature Collection

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of 'Edge of the Moon' increased interest among younger audiences
  • Some cafes offered limited-time menus themed after 'The Room of Winter Honey'

Quotes

  • It is in the small everyday moments that memory stores itself.
    Source: Edge of the Moon, author's afterword (2014)

Trivia

  • Often writes in an old house in Kamakura
  • Keeps a cat (rescued)
  • Has a habit of photographing meals between writing sessions