Japanese Literary Awards

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Yo Henmi

へんみ よう

Henmi Yō

Pen Names: （Legal name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1944-09-27 （Minamihama, Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Journalist, Poet
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
Kyodo News (former)

Education

Waseda University, Second Faculty of Letters
Second Faculty of Letters / Social Studies
Country: Japan
Graduated from Waseda University, Second Faculty of Letters (Social Studies)

Awards

Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association Award
1979
Work: Reporting on China's Modernization
Organization: Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association
Result: 受賞
Akutagawa Prize (105th)
1991
Work: Automatic Wake-up Device
Organization: Bungeishunjū / Bungeki-kai (published work)
Result: 受賞
Kodansha Non-Fiction Award (16th)
1994
Work: People Who Eat
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞
Chūya Nakahara Prize (16th)
2011
Work: Sekub (Poetry collection)
Organization: Chūya Nakahara Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Takami Jun Prize (42nd)
2012
Work: The Sea of Eyes (Poetry collection)
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Shiroyama Saburō Prize (3rd)
2016
Work: Expanded Edition 1★9★3★7
Organization: Shiroyama Saburō Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Automatic Wake-up Device

1991 Fiction (novel/short story)

A story inspired by workplace experiences, depicting the realities and perspectives of a reporter.

workplacejournalismindividual vs institution

Warm Water Under the Red Bridge

1992 Novel

A novel portraying people living on the margins of society. Adapted into a film by director Masahiro Imamura.

marginspovertysocial critique
Adaptations
  • [Film] Warm Water Under the Red Bridge / 今村昌平 (2001)

People Who Eat

1994 Non-fiction / Reportage

A reportage about extreme lives and food. Documents people in severe conditions such as poverty and contamination.

foodpovertyradiationreportage

Sekub

2010 Poetry

Debut poetry collection that won the Chūya Nakahara Prize.

deathlosssearch for language

The Sea of Eyes

2011 Poetry

A poetry collection containing critique of disaster discourse and society; recipient of the Takami Jun Prize.

disasterlanguageresistance

Moon

2017 Novel

A novel adapted into a film directed by Yuya Ishii (released 2023).

lonelinessmemoryexistence
Adaptations
  • [Film] Moon / 石井裕也 (2023)

Bibliography

  • People Who Eat
  • Rebellious Landscapes
  • Automatic Wake-up Device
  • Warm Water Under the Red Bridge
  • Sekub
  • The Sea of Eyes
  • Moon
  • Expanded Edition 1★9★3★7

Adaptations

  • Warm Water Under the Red Bridge (film: Masahiro Imamura, 2001)
  • Moon (film: Yuya Ishii, 2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A blend of journalistic prose and literary imaginationDirect and critical dictionFragmentary and episodic narration
Recurring Motifs
deathresistancemargins/borderlandsfood

Health

  • Cerebral hemorrhage
    2004
    Suffered a cerebral hemorrhage during a lecture in 2004; affected health but later returned to writing.
  • Colorectal cancer
    2005
    Announced diagnosis in 2005, underwent treatment and later resumed publishing.

Legacy

Known for a distinctive style combining journalism and literature, drawing on experience as a foreign correspondent at Kyodo News. He has persistently addressed themes of societal margins, death, and resistance, earning recognition in poetry and nonfiction as well.

In Popular Culture

  • Warm Water Under the Red Bridge adapted into film (Masahiro Imamura, 2001)
  • Moon adapted into film (Yuya Ishii, 2023)

Quotes

  • In tragedy it is not superficial kindness that saves people. Only words with depth that correspond to the essence of the tragedy can do so. I am still searching for them.
    Source: Nihon Keizai Shimbun (2011) (2011)

Trivia

  • Worked as a foreign correspondent for Kyodo News, including postings in Beijing and Hanoi.
  • Was expelled from China by authorities after reporting sensitive documents.
  • 'People Who Eat' was adapted into an educational manga for elementary and junior high students and placed in school libraries.