Japanese Literary Awards

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Shin Iyohara

いよはら しん

Iyohara Shin

Aliases: 吉原 新 / Yoshihara Shin
Pen Names: Shin Iyohara（Pen name used for publishing novels）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1972-10-26 （Suita, Osaka, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Suita, Osaka, Japan → Toyama Prefecture (worked at University of Toyama) → Tokyo (Graduate School, University of Tokyo)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Mystery writer, Earth scientist, University lecturer
Active Years
2010-
Affiliations
Faculty of Science, University of Toyama (served as assistant professor)
Influenced By
Kenji Miyazawa
Nominations
Edogawa Rampo Prize (55th) finalist (Nidome no Mangetsu), Edogawa Rampo Prize (56th) finalist (Luca's Ark), Naoki Prize (164th) shortlisted (August's Silver Snow), Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize (34th) shortlisted (August's Silver Snow), Hon'ya Taishō (Bookseller Award, 18th) 6th place (August's Silver Snow)

Education

Kobe University
Faculty of Science / Department of Earth Sciences (now Planetary Sciences)
Degree: 学士（理学）
Country: Japan
Undergraduate studies in earth sciences (planetary science)
Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Science / Department of Earth and Planetary Science
Degree: 博士（理学）
Year of Graduation: 2001
Country: Japan
Completed doctoral program; conducted research on Earth's magnetic field during graduate studies.
Osaka Kyoiku University Affiliated High School (Tennoji)
Country: Japan
Attended secondary schools affiliated with Osaka Kyoiku University.

Awards

Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award
2010
Work: Odaiba Island Baby
Organization: Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award Committee
Result: Winner
Nitta Jirō Literary Prize
2019
Work: Three Kilometers to the Moon
Organization: Nitta Jirō Literary Prize Committee (Shinchosha)
Result: Winner
MIRAIYA Novel Award
2019
Work: Three Kilometers to the Moon
Organization: MIRAIYA Bookstores
Result: Winner
Naoki Prize
2025
Work: The Sea that Inherits Indigo
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Odaiba Island Baby

2010 Mystery fiction / near-future elements

A mystery set in the near future after a major earthquake beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area, depicting the cityscape and people affected by the disaster. The author's geoscientific knowledge informs many descriptions.

earthquakepost-disaster societynear-futurehuman dramamystery

Luca's Ark

2013 Mystery fiction

A full-length mystery that weaves scientific elements into the narrative. It portrays riddles and human relationships intertwined with researchers and scientific logic.

scienceworld of researcherspuzzle-solvingethics

Magnetic Pole Reversal

2014 Science suspense / speculative fiction

A suspense novel that takes the Earth's magnetic field and pole reversal as core themes. Scientific subject matter connects with social drama and human conflicts.

geomagnetismscientific crisissocietal impact

The Owl's Siesta

2015 Short story collection / Mystery

A short story collection set among museums, specimens, and researchers. Scientific motifs mingle with uncanny events.

museumspecimensscholars' human dramashort stories

Three Kilometers to the Moon

2018 Linked short stories / literary science fiction

A linked short story collection depicting characters' connections and growth through episodes about nature and science. The book received literary awards.

natural historyscience and humanitymemory and journeys

August's Silver Snow

2020 Ensemble mystery / literary fiction

An ensemble novel in which mysteries around nature and memory reveal relationships among people. The work was shortlisted for several prizes.

ensemble dramamemorynaturemystery elements

Sora Wataru Kyoshitsu (The Classroom that Crosses the Sky)

2023 Youth / human drama / with mystery elements

A linked novel about a science teacher at a night school and his students. Incorporates science education and social context while exploring interpersonal mysteries. Adapted into an NHK television drama.

educationscience educationhigh schoolhuman relationships
Adaptations
  • [Television drama] Sora Wataru Kyoshitsu (2024)

The Sea that Inherits Indigo

2024 Literary fiction / novel

A novel about family, tradition, and the sea. Set against island and oceanic backdrops, it explores memory and inheritance; it won the Naoki Prize.

seatradition and inheritancefamily dramamemory

Bibliography

  • Odaiba Island Baby
  • Petit Professeur (retitled: Rikejo!)
  • Luca's Ark
  • Phantom of the Museum
  • Magnetic Pole Reversal
  • The Owl's Siesta (retitled: Associate Professor Owl's Nap)
  • When the Butterfly Dances, Mystery Clears: Meteorologist Choko's Deductions
  • Blueness
  • Contami: Scientific Contamination
  • Three Kilometers to the Moon
  • Ao no Hate: Summer of the Hanamaki Agricultural High School Earth Science Club
  • August's Silver Snow
  • Blue-and-white Flycatcher Meteor Shower
  • Sora Wataru Kyoshitsu (The Classroom that Crosses the Sky)
  • The Sea that Inherits Indigo

Adaptations

  • Sora Wataru Kyoshitsu (TV drama adaptation by NHK, 2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scientific and geoscientific detail in descriptionsPrecise plotting often supported by scientific rationaleA narrative voice that connects real science and fiction
Recurring Motifs
geoscience and astronomy motifsdisaster and recoveryspecimens, museums, and researchersmemory and inheritance

Legacy

Drawing on a PhD background in earth sciences, he has been praised for blending scientific detail with mystery fiction. After debuting with the Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award, he has won several literary prizes and seen his works adapted for screen, gaining broad recognition.

Academic Societies

  • Geological Society of Japan

In Popular Culture

  • NHK 'Drama 10' adapted 'Sora Wataru Kyoshitsu' into a TV drama (2024), starring Masataka Kubota

Quotes

  • The depiction of near-future Japan's social conditions (specifically after a major earthquake beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area) is constructed with a brisk realism, making it exceedingly enjoyable to read.
    Source: Yukito Ayatsuji (Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award judge) (2010)

Trivia

  • His real name is Yoshihara Shin.
  • He earned a Ph.D. in Science from the University of Tokyo (2001).
  • He worked as an assistant professor at the University of Toyama (from 2003).
  • Debuted as a novelist after winning the Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award in 2010 for 'Odaiba Island Baby'.
  • 'Sora Wataru Kyoshitsu' was adapted by NHK into a TV drama in 2024.
  • Won the Naoki Prize in 2025 for 'The Sea that Inherits Indigo'.