Japanese Literary Awards

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Yoko Kaji

かじ ようこ

Kaji Yōko

Pen Names: Suō Yōko（Name used when submitting works）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Adachi, Tokyo, Japan
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Jidai (historical) novelist, Freelance writer
Active Years
2008-
Affiliations
Mystery Writers of Japan
Memberships
Mystery Writers of Japan

Awards

Kyushu Saga Popular Literature Prize (Grand Prize / Sasazawa Saho Award)
2005
Work: Igusa no Hana
Organization: Kyushu Saga Popular Literature Prize
Result: 受賞
Matsumoto Seicho Prize
2008
Work: Ichichō no Yume
Organization: Matsumoto Seicho Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Historical/Jidai Fiction Writers Club Award
2016
Work: Yoi Toyo
Category: 作品賞
Organization: Historical Jidai Writers Club
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
2016
Work: Yoi Toyo
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 候補
Bookstores' Choice Jidai Novel Award
2016
Work: Yoi Toyo
Organization: Bookstores' Choice Jidai Novel Award
Result: 候補
Bookstores' Choice Jidai Novel Award
2022
Work: Hiroshige Burū
Organization: Bookstores' Choice Jidai Novel Award
Result: 候補
Nitta Jiro Literary Award
2023
Work: Hiroshige Burū
Organization: Nitta Jiro Literary Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ichichō no Yume

2008 Jidai (historical) novel

First work in the Asagao Doshin series. A story of human compassion and mystery set in Edo.

HumanityEdo customsMystery

Igusa no Hana

2005 Jidai (historical) novel

Prize-winning work that received the Kyushu Saga Popular Literature Prize. A short/novella that carefully depicts the lives of local people.

RegionHuman relationshipsFamily

Yoi Toyo

2015 Jidai (historical) novel

A novel about people surrounding ukiyo-e artists and prints. Using figures such as Utagawa Toyokuni and Toyohara Kunichika, it explores characters' conflicts and the artistic process.

Ukiyo-eArtCharacter study

Hiroshige Burū

2022 Jidai (historical) novel

A work centered on Utagawa Hiroshige, portraying Edo's landscapes and people from the perspectives of color (blue) and travel. Winner of the Nitta Jiro Literary Award.

Ukiyo-eTravelLandscape depiction

Bibliography

  • Ichichō no Yume
  • Yume no Hana, Saku
  • Kikka no Adauchi
  • Kotoriya Okei: Tanchō Sōshi
  • Yakeno no Kiji
  • Gohasan de Negaimashite wa: Mitoya Oei Shiire-chō
  • Gobenten no Akika: Mitoya Oei Shiire-chō
  • Hashi kara Hashi made: Mitoya Oei Shiire-chō
  • Takara no Yama: Akinai Doshin Otashibe-chō
  • Akinai Doshin: Senkyakubanrai Jiken-chō
  • Michinoku Chūshingura
  • Iroawase: Suri-shi Anjiro Ninjō-banashi
  • Maigo Ishi
  • Kaki no Heta: Oyakuen Doshin Mizukami Sōsuke
  • Fukuro
  • Oise Monogatari: Oyako Sandaidōchūki
  • Momo no Hikobae: Oyakuen Doshin Mizukami Sōsuke
  • Risshin Itashitaku Sō
  • Renzuru
  • Aoi no Tsuki
  • Katsushika Hokusai Mandala
  • Hanashigure: Oyakuen Doshin Mizukami Sōsuke
  • Sumi no Kaori
  • Chichioyue: Suri-shi Anjiro Ninjō Goyomi
  • Akai Kaze
  • Banzukiya Shinjiro Yonaoshi Tsuzuri
  • Ochatsubo Dōchū
  • Tomuraiya Sōta
  • Sannen Nagaya
  • Sazanami no Yukue: Tomuraiya Sōta
  • Honjitsu mo Seiten Nari: Teppō Dōshin Tsutsuji Goyomi
  • Uwasa o Uru Otoko: Fujiokaya Yuzō
  • Azuma Omokage
  • Hiroshige Burū
  • Sora o Kakeru
  • Ware, Tetsuro o Hirakan

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic depiction based on historical researchCharacter-driven narrationUse of ukiyo-e and Edo customs in descriptions
Recurring Motifs
Ukiyo-eEdo craftsmen and merchantsHuman feelingArt and creation

Legacy

She is recognized for jidai novels that draw on Edo customs and ukiyo-e, with multiple prize wins and nominations. Considered a notable contemporary author in historical fiction.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (NDL) holdings / authority data

Trivia

  • She submitted works under the name Suō Yōko at the time of application.
  • Born in Adachi, Tokyo.
  • Worked as a freelance writer before becoming a novelist.
  • Made her novelist debut with Ichichō no Yume, which won the Matsumoto Seicho Prize.