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Koshirou Ikawa

いかわ こうしろう

Ikawa Koshirou

Pen Names: Shibayama Ryūji（Pen name used for some early works (e.g., used for 'Tsuyu no Gorobei')）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1957-01-01 （Niihama, Ehime, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Niihama, Ehime, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
novelist, screenwriter
Active Years
1980-

Education

Chuo University
Country: Japan

Awards

Shosetsu CLUB Newcomer Award
1995
Work: Tsuyu no Gorobei
Organization: Shosetsu CLUB
Result: 受賞
Historical/Jidaigeki Writers Club Prize
2016
Organization: Historical/Jidaigeki Writers Club
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Fuyu no Chō (Winter Butterfly)

2006 Jidaigeki / Period novel

A work in the 'Fukuro Yori Ki Ginmichō' series. Set in Edo, it depicts compassion and mysteries surrounding a yoriki (assistant magistrate) and those involved in investigations, presented in interconnected stories.

humanityjusticeeveryday life in Edo
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Otokomae! (2008)

Kuragari Dōshin Saikyōchō

2004 Jidaigeki / Period novel

A representative work in the 'Kuragari Dōshin' series. Through town incidents, it portrays human drama and adjudication in intertwined stories.

human dramajudgmentcommunity

Hichō Gensatsuken

2003 Jidaigeki / Period novel

A volume in the 'Ottori Seishirō' series. Strong elements of period action mixed with human drama.

swordplayhumanityduty and feeling

Nigashite Sōrō

2004 Jidaigeki / Period novel

A book in the 'Arai-ya Jūbei Edo Biyori' series. The compassionate protagonist unravels incidents in Edo.

servicehumanitysolving mysteries

Meshi-mori Samurai

2014 Jidaigeki / Period novel

A series work portraying human relations against the backdrop of occupations and social ranks, focusing on interactions between commoners and samurai.

social rankhumanityeveryday life

Goinkyo wa Fuku no Kami 1

2019 Jidaigeki / Period novel

The first volume of a light-hearted human drama series starring an elder townsman; small-town incidents and warm human relationships are depicted.

humanitytown lifewarmth

Bibliography

  • Hichō Gensatsuken
  • Hien Zan Nin Ken
  • Ayame Saku
  • Otoshi Mizu
  • Taka no Tsume
  • Tengu Hime
  • Kanro no Ame
  • Nanohana Zuki
  • Kuragari Dōshin Saikyōchō
  • Hare Onna
  • Enkiri Bashi
  • Munenzaka
  • Nigashite Sōrō
  • Koishi Nobu
  • Tooi Kagerō
  • Fuyu no Chō
  • Hideri Kusa
  • Nintō
  • Hyakunen no Kataki
  • Yasashii Uso
  • Kekka no Ichinen
  • Bansho-i Hachikin Sensei Kyūshinroku
  • Meshi-mori Samurai
  • Momotarō Hime
  • Shimazu Sangokushi
  • Besshi Taiheiki: The Story of Besshi Copper Mine, Niihama

Adaptations

  • Original work for NHK Saturday period drama 'Otokomae!'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
realistic, detailed descriptionswarm, humanistic narrative voicecareful depiction of historical settings
Recurring Motifs
humanity and dutyportrayal of commoner lifeEdo occupations and customs

Legacy

A prolific writer of period novels known for realistic Edo depictions informed by experience as a TV screenwriter. His works are held and valued in local libraries and among fans of jidaigeki fiction.

Museums

  • Niihama Besshi Copper Mine Memorial Library (holds works) Niihama, Ehime, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Historical/Jidaigeki Writers Club

Archives

  • Collections at Niihama Besshi Copper Mine Memorial Library
  • National Diet Library (holds works)

In Popular Culture

  • Adapted as NHK Saturday period drama 'Otokomae!' (2008)

Trivia

  • Graduate of Chuo University.
  • Has worked as a television screenwriter; credited on productions such as 'Abarenbō Shōgun' and 'Hatchōbori no Shichinin'.
  • Won the Shosetsu CLUB Newcomer Award for a work published under the pen name Shibayama Ryūji.