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Emiko Imai

いまい えみこ

Imai Emiko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1945-07-02 （Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan）
Died
2017-10-08 （Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan） age 72
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan → Tokyo, Japan (attended Seijo University)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Historical novelist, Gallery owner, TV producer
Active Years
2002-2017
Nominations
Finalist, 2nd Chū-Kinsei Literary Prize (2002), Candidate, 21st Nakayama Yoshishū Literary Prize (2015)

Education

Seijo University
Faculty of Literature
Degree: Bachelor's degree
Country: Japan

Awards

Osaka Women's Literary Award
1998
Result: 佳作 (Honorable mention)
North Japan Literary Prize
2000
Work: Mother's Back
Result: 選奨 (Selected)
Chū-Kinsei Literary Prize
2002
Result: 最終候補 (Finalist)
Kyushu Saga Popular Literature Prize (Sasazawa Saho Award)
2003
Category: 大賞 (Grand Prize)
Result: 受賞 (Winner)
Historical Period Writers Club Prize
2015
Work: Tachiba Chaya Oriki series
Category: シリーズ賞 (Series Prize)
Result: 受賞 (Winner)
Nakayama Yoshishū Literary Prize
2015
Work: Gunjō no Toki
Result: 候補作 (Nominated)

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Sotetsu no Hito — Tamamori

2002 Historical novel

Her debut novel, exploring people's destinies and family relationships in a middle-to-early modern Japanese setting.

familyfatepeople and historical setting

Kohinata Gengo no Owaranai Natsu

2003 Historical novel

Award-winning work that interweaves individual lives and period background in a humanistic tale.

humanityseason and memorylocal communities

Sakura Mau

2006 Historical novel (Tachiba Chaya Oriki series)

A volume from the Tachiba Chaya Oriki series depicting the interactions and human bonds of townspeople centered around a teahouse.

townspeople's livescommerce and humanityfamily bonds

Gunj4D no Toki

2014 Historical novel

A historical novel that delves into the inner lives of its characters; selected as a candidate for the Nakayama Yoshish6B Literary Prize.

inner lifehistory and memory

You Were Always by My Side

2016 Essay

An essay collection containing short pieces about her life, including her pet cat Kathy and other personal anecdotes.

everyday lifepets and companionshipreminiscence

Bibliography

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical and careful proseHumanistic storytellingRealistic period detail based on historical research
Recurring Motifs
townspeople and merchants' livesmother-child relationshipswomen's choices and liveshumanity in everyday moments

Health

  • Breast cancer (stage 4)
    2015-2017
    Diagnosed stage 4 in 2015. Continued to write while battling illness; died in 2017.

Legacy

She authored numerous historical novels and series, contributing to regional literature and earning recognition such as the Kyushu Saga Popular Literature Prize.

Museums

  • Fukuyama Literary Museum Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Historical Period Writers Club

Archives

  • Fukuyama Literary Museum - archival holdings
  • National Diet Library - authority records

Quotes

  • I will continue to write even at the cost of my life.
    Source: Yomiuri Shimbun (interview) (2017)

Trivia

  • Graduated from Seijo University, Faculty of Literature.
  • Made her novelist debut in 2002 with 'Sotetsu no Hito — Tamamori'.
  • Won the Kyushu Saga Popular Literature Prize (Sasazawa Saho Award) in 2003 for 'Kohinata Gengo no Owaranai Natsu'.
  • Diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2015 and continued writing while ill.
  • Her pet cat 'Kathy' attracted attention after her death and was taken in by rescue groups.
  • A portrait by photographer Masahiko Taniguchi was used in exhibitions at the Fukuyama Literary Museum.