Japanese Literary Awards

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Jun Ito

いとう じゅん

Ito Jun

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1960-06-24 （Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Non-fiction writer
Active Years
2002-
Memberships
Mystery Writers of Japan
Nominations
Nominated for the 32nd Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers (for 'Sengoku Kitan: San'), Nominated for the 146th Naoki Prize (for 'Shiro o Kamase Ta Otoko'), Nominated for the 148th Naoki Prize (for 'Kuni o Ketta Otoko'), Nominated for the 149th Naoki Prize (for 'Kyo-gei no Umi'), Nominated for the 150th Naoki Prize (for 'Ou ni Narou to Shita Otoko'), Nominated for the 155th Naoki Prize (for 'Tenka-bito no Cha')

Education

Asano Junior & Senior High School
Country: Japan
Waseda University
School of Social Sciences
Degree: 学士（社会科学）
Country: Japan
Alma mater

Awards

Bookstores' Choice Historical Novel Award
2011
Work: The Black South Wind Sea
Organization: PHP Institute
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers
2013
Work: The Man Who Kicked the Country
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞
Historical Fiction Writers Club Award
2013
Work: Giretsu Chishū — The Tengu Party Goes West
Category: 作品賞
Organization: Historical Fiction Writers Club
Result: 受賞
Yamada Futaro Award
2013
Work: Sea of the Giant Whale
Organization: Yamada Futaro Award Committee
Result: 受賞
High School Naoki Prize
2014
Work: Sea of the Giant Whale
Organization: High School Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
2014
Work: Crossing the Pass
Organization: Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers
2011
Work: Sengoku Kitan: San
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Prize Committee
Result: 候補
Naoki Prize
2012
Work: The Man Who Bit the Castle
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 候補
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
2012
Work: The Black South Wind Sea
Organization: Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize Committee
Result: 候補
Naoki Prize
2013
Work: The Man Who Kicked the Country
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 候補
Naoki Prize
2013
Work: Sea of the Giant Whale
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 候補
Naoki Prize
2014
Work: The Man Who Tried to Become King
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 候補
Naoki Prize
2016
Work: Tea of the Ruler
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 候補

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Fall of the Takeda Clan

2007 Historical novel

Ito Jun's debut novel. A historical novel depicting the fall of the Takeda clan during the Sengoku period.

Sengoku periodfall of a housesamurai rise and fall

The Black South Wind Sea — A Different Account of Katō Kiyomasa and the Imjin War

2011 Historical novel

A historical novel that reimagines the Imjin War (Tensho–Keicho invasions) from a different perspective centered on Katō Kiyomasa.

warwarrior commandersJapan-Korea relations

The Man Who Kicked the Country

2012 Historical novel

A historical novel exploring the conflict between the individual and the nation. Winner of the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers.

individual vs. statepolitical conflicthistorical character study

Sea of the Giant Whale

2013 Historical novel

An ensemble historical novel set on the sea, combining adventure and human drama. Winner of the Yamada Futaro Award and the High School Naoki Prize.

seaadventurehuman drama

Crossing the Pass

2014 Historical novel

A historical novel about human hardship and resilience. Winner of the Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize.

hardshipresiliencelocal history

Tea of the Ruler

2015 Historical novel

A historical work exploring the relationship between a ruler and tea culture, examining the intersection of power and culture.

power and cultureteawarrior history

Bibliography

  • Utsuroke no Mai: Oda Nobukatsu and Hōjō Ujinori
  • The Fall of the Takeda Clan
  • Even If Rivers and Mountains End
  • Like Swift Clouds: Sōun and the Men of the Sengoku Dawn
  • Sengoku Kitan: The Head
  • Hōjō Ujitomo: The Loyal General Who Challenged Hideyoshi
  • The Ruler's Study of Failures
  • Sengoku Kitan: San
  • Genkai: The Legend of Ocean
  • Sengoku Kamakura Bitan: Koku
  • Northern Sky Blue Star: Uesugi Saburō Kagetora Battle Chronicle
  • The Black South Wind Sea
  • The Man Who Bit the Castle
  • Giretsu Chishū — The Tengu Party Goes West
  • Hanki
  • The Man Who Kicked the Country
  • Sea of the Giant Whale
  • The Man Who Tried to Become King
  • Rising at Dawn
  • Crossing the Pass
  • Documentary History of the Hojo in Sengoku: War History Document
  • Heaven and Earth Tremble
  • Possessed by Ambition
  • Ikedaya's Bloody Blades
  • I'll Not Die: The Man Who Fought the Restoration — Ōtori Keisuke
  • Monument of the Samurai
  • Whale Fortune
  • Tea of the Ruler
  • Blow, Wind; Call, Storm
  • Chronicles of the Defeated
  • Yokohama 1963
  • The Man Who Built Edo
  • Running Dog
  • One Castle
  • The Woman of the Wicked Governor
  • Saigo's Head
  • City of Carnage
  • Light My Fire
  • Men's Voyage
  • Trail of Truth
  • The Assassination of Ieyasu
  • The Inn Waiting for the Tide
  • The Tea Saint
  • Captive Mountain
  • The Stubborn Castle: The Making of Kumamoto Castle
  • Five Generations of the Hojo
  • Temple of the Overlord: The Man Who Made Japan — Soga no Umako
  • Ryukyu Police
  • City of the Yaksha
  • Magnificent and Majestic
  • The Woman Who Bought the Realm
  • Night of Raging Carnage
  • Great Turmoil of the Realm
  • A Brief Dream: Ieyasu and Yodo-dono

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed, research-based historical descriptionAccessible narrative voice and character-focused depiction
Recurring Motifs
military chronicles of the Sengoku erasamurai honor and internal conflictintersection of power and culture

Legacy

One of the notable contemporary authors of historical and period fiction in Japan. He combines detailed source-based research with entertainment, bringing historical figures and events closer to modern readers. He has won multiple literary awards and exerts influence in the field of historical fiction.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of Japan
  • Historical Fiction Writers Club

Archives

  • VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/254228214
  • WorldCat: https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJccdTVRbCmvm4JbmQBdcP
  • Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/no2014041336
  • National Diet Library (NDL): https://id.ndl.go.jp/auth/ndlna/00929770
  • IdRef: https://www.idref.fr/164814434

In Popular Culture

  • Appeared as a commentator on BS11 historical program 'Lessons from Great People's Defeats'

Trivia

  • Previously worked at Toshiba Tec and IBM Japan; became a consultant in 2003 and a full-time writer in 2010.
  • Debuted with the standalone book 'The Fall of the Takeda Clan' in 2007.
  • Completed the unfinished work 'Five Generations of the Hojo' left by the late Masashi Hisaka.
  • Active on social media (official account on X/Twitter).