Art Encouragement Newcomer Award of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 29 (1979) award
Kentaro Ikeda
いけだ けんたろう
Ikeda Kentarō
Pen Names:
Ken Ichiki（Pen name used for short stories and essays）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1978-03-12 （Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, English
- Residence History
- Tokyo, Japan (birth–present) → Kyoto Prefecture (residency for writing)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Essayist
- Active Years
- 2001-2025
- Influenced By
- Yasunari Kawabata, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
- Influenced
- Several emerging contemporary writers
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tokyo | Faculty of Letters | Department of Japanese Literature | 文学士 | 1996-2000 | Japan |
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Degree:
文学士
Period:
1996-2000
Year of Graduation:
2000
Country:
Japan
Published short stories in doujinshi while a student
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Sakura Literary Prize | The Garden of Funeral Fires | — | Sakura Literary Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2005 | New Writers' Novel Award | Map of the Night Line | — | Japan Literature Promotion Society | 受賞 |
Sakura Literary Prize
2019
Work:
The Garden of Funeral Fires
Organization:
Sakura Literary Foundation
Result:
受賞
New Writers' Novel Award
2005
Work:
Map of the Night Line
Organization:
Japan Literature Promotion Society
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Garden of Funeral Fires
2018 Contemporary novel 312 pagesA contemplative novel about family memory and loss. The protagonist returns to his hometown garden and, confronting a past fire, reconciles with his roots.
memorylossfamily
Adaptations
- [Film] The Garden of Funeral Fires / 森 聡 (2021)
Translations
- English edition: The Garden of Funeral Fires (trans. Anna Sato)
Map of the Night Line
2005 Short story collection 184 pagesA collection of short stories themed around night and travel, portraying urban loneliness and chance encounters.
lonelinessmovementchance
Bibliography
- Map of the Night Line (2005)
- Poems of the Brief Night (2009)
- The Garden of Funeral Fires (2018)
- Edges of Memory (2022)
Adaptations
- The Garden of Funeral Fires (film, 2021)
Translations of Works
- The Garden of Funeral Fires — English edition (trans. Anna Sato)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Quiet, lyrical prosePsychological描写 based on keen observation of details
- Recurring Motifs
- gardensfireroutes and travel
Health
-
Major depressive disorder2015-2016Experienced temporary slowdown in productivity; after recovery, work became more introspective
Legacy
Recognized for introspective and poetic writing within contemporary Japanese literature. Influential among younger writers; several works adapted for screen.
Quotes
-
I believe memory does not vanish; it remains, transformed in shape.
Source: The Garden of Funeral Fires (Author's note) (2018)
Trivia
- Was a member of the university mountaineering club
- Favorite foods: yakisoba and green tea