Japanese Literary Awards

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Reisuke Kaneko

かねこ れいすけ

Kaneko Reisuke

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1993 （Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Certified Public Accountant
Active Years
2023-
Affiliations
Worked at an audit firm
Influenced By
Otaro Maijo
Nominations
Bungei Prize — finalist (3 times), Booksellers Award — nominated (22nd edition, 9th place)

Education

Toko Gakuen Elementary School
Country: Japan
Toko Gakuen Junior High School
Country: Japan
Keio Shiki High School
Country: Japan
Keio University, Faculty of Commerce
Faculty of Commerce
Country: Japan
After graduation, worked at an audit firm as a certified public accountant.

Awards

Mephisto Prize
2023
Work: Dead Yamada and the Classroom
Organization: Kodansha
Result: Winner
Selected by 'Hon no Zasshi' as Best 1 (first half)
2024
Work: Dead Yamada and the Classroom
Organization: Hon no Zasshi (The Book Magazine)
Result: Selected as Best 1 (first half of 2024)
Booksellers Award (Honya Taisho)
2025
Work: Dead Yamada and the Classroom
Organization: Booksellers Award Committee
Result: Nominated (9th place)
MRC Award
2024
Work: Dead Yamada and the Classroom
Organization: MRC
Result: Ranked 8th

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Dead Yamada and the Classroom

2023 Mystery / Entertainment

A mystery set in a high-school classroom that revolves around death and hidden truths. First appeared in Mephisto magazine, later revised and published in book form by Kodansha.

deathschoolhuman relationshipsmysterytwist endings

The Swarm of Dead Ishii

2024 Mystery / Entertainment

A collection centered on a recurring motif of dead figures, published by Kodansha.

deathgroupsmadnessmystery

Staging the Dead Kimura

2024 Mystery / Entertainment

A novel that intertwines themes of death and theatricality, published by Kodansha.

deaththeatreidentitymystery

Meteor and Nausea

2025 Short story collection / Entertainment fiction

A short-story collection including pieces such as "Meteor and Nausea," "The Call of the Living Dead," "Seed," "That Which Does Not Disappear," and "Planetarium." Published by Kodansha.

short storiesdeathabsurditycontemporary society

Bibliography

  • Dead Yamada and the Classroom (May 2024, Kodansha)
  • The Swarm of Dead Ishii (Aug 2024, Kodansha)
  • Staging the Dead Kimura (Nov 2024, Kodansha)
  • Meteor and Nausea (May 2025, Kodansha)
  • "You're Still in Time" — in 'This Will Be the Last Job' (Aug 2024, Kodansha)
  • "Love Letter" — in 'So I Told You to Throw It Away' (Jan 2025, Kodansha)
  • "Rupa-chan" — in 'A New Law Was Enacted' (May 2025, Kodansha)
  • "If the Earth Disappeared Tomorrow" — Shosetsu Maru (Nov 2024)
  • "Queen, Murder and Alice" — Mephisto (2025 Spring, serialized)
  • "Weekend Rules" — Da Vinci (June 2025 issue)
  • "Hell-Eared Detective: Nanto Itta's Missed Eavesdropping" — Shosetsu Shincho (June 2025 issue)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Intricate plottingFrequent use of twist endingsEntertainment-oriented proseDialogue-driven depiction
Recurring Motifs
the dead/deathschools/classroomsthe underside of everyday lifeabsurd occurrencestwist endings

Legacy

A debut author who gained attention after winning the Mephisto Prize. After several finalist appearances in literary competitions, he shifted toward entertainment fiction and quickly received recognition through magazine best-of selections and award nominations.

Trivia

  • Born in 1993 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
  • Graduated from Keio University, Faculty of Commerce.
  • Worked at an audit firm as a certified public accountant while continuing to write.
  • Debuted after winning the 65th Mephisto Prize (2023) for 'Dead Yamada and the Classroom'.
  • Maintains an official X (formerly Twitter) account (@rsk_knk).