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Ito Keikaku

いとう けいかく

Itō Keikaku

Pen Names: Ito Keikaku（Pen name used for literary works (legal name: Satoshi Ito)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1974-10-14 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2009-03-20 （Tokyo, Japan） age 34
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
novelist, film/SF critic, web director, novelization writer
Active Years
2007-2009
Influenced By
Hideo Kojima, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Influenced
Tō Enjō (Enjō Tō), Banno Ren, Shibata Katsuie, Fushimi Kan, Yoshiue Ryo, Fuyuno Yozora
Nominations
Komatsu Sakyō Award (finalist)

Education

Yachiyo Shoin High School
Country: Japan
Attended high school in Chiba Prefecture
Musashino Art University
Faculty of Art, Department of Image/Video / Department of Imaging
Country: Japan
Undergraduate degree (department information available; graduation year not specified)

Awards

Afternoon Shiki Prize (Winter Contest, Honorable Mention)
1999
Work: Naked
Organization: Kodansha (Afternoon magazine)
Result: 佳作
Seiun Award (Japanese Long Form)
2009
Work: Harmony
Category: 日本長編部門
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan SF Grand Prize
2009
Work: Harmony
Organization: Science Fiction Writers of Japan (SF Writers Club)
Result: 受賞（故人受賞）
Philip K. Dick Award (Special Citation)
2011
Work: Harmony (English translation)
Organization: Philip K. Dick Award Committee
Result: 特別賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Genocidal Organ

2007 Science fiction

Debut novel published in 2007. A near-future story addressing surveillance, language and organized violence; regarded as one of the notable Japanese SF works of the 2000s.

surveillancelanguage and violencetechnology and ethics
Adaptations
  • [animated film] Genocidal Organ (film adaptation)
Translations
  • Genocidal Organ

Harmony

2008 Science fiction

A posthumously prominent novel dealing with medicine, ethics, and a managed society. It won the Japan SF Grand Prize and the Seiun Award (Japanese Long Form).

medicineethicsmanaged society
Adaptations
  • [animated film] Harmony (film adaptation)
Translations
  • Harmony

The Empire of Corpses

2012 alternate-history SF

A posthumous co-authored novel completed by Tō Enjō from Ito's unfinished manuscript. It depicts an alternate history where Frankenstein-like technologies are widespread.

alternate historyethics of science and technologybody and identity
Adaptations
  • [animated film] The Empire of Corpses (film adaptation)
Translations
  • The Empire of Corpses

Bibliography

  • Genocidal Organ (2007)
  • Harmony (2008)
  • METAL GEAR SOLID GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS (novelization, 2008)
  • The Empire of Corpses (posthumous co-authored, 2012)
  • The Indifference Engine (short story collection, 2012)
  • Project Itoh Record (2010)

Adaptations

  • Genocidal Organ (animated film adaptation)
  • Harmony (animated film adaptation)
  • The Empire of Corpses (animated film adaptation)

Translations of Works

  • Genocidal Organ — translated into English, Korean, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, French, etc.
  • Harmony — translated into English, Hungarian, French, Korean, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, etc.
  • The Empire of Corpses — translated into Korean, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, French, etc.

Style & Themes

Literary Style
first-person narrationmetafictional structurescinematic, image-focused description
Recurring Motifs
body and illnesscontrol/surveillancetechnology and ethics

Health

  • Ewing sarcoma
    2001-2009
    Diagnosed in 2001; metastasized to lungs and other sites, leading to death in 2009. Had major impact on his life and writing.

Legacy

Despite a brief career, he left a significant mark on Japanese SF. Works such as Genocidal Organ and Harmony are regarded as major 2000s SF works and have been translated and adapted internationally.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction Writers of Japan (related)

Archives

  • Unfinished manuscripts collected in KAWADE Bunko's NOVA1, edited by Nozomi Omori

In Popular Culture

  • Notable relationship with game creator Hideo Kojima and involvement in Metal Gear novelizations

Quotes

  • I won't die until the game is finished.
    Source: Anecdote with Hideo Kojima (said while viewing cutscene during hospitalization) (2001)
  • I'm probably the only one who would rejoice at a work like this!
    Source: Ito's comment on his website regarding Metal Gear Solid 2 (summarized) (1998)

Trivia

  • Legal name was Satoshi Ito.
  • Ran a blog ('Project Itoh: Phase Two') with many film and SF reviews.
  • Had a long-term relationship with Hideo Kojima and later handled a Metal Gear novelization.
  • About 30 pages of unfinished manuscripts were collected and edited posthumously.