Japanese Literary Awards

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Ken Nishimura

にしむら けん

Nishimura Ken

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1965-07-11 （Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Ōmuta, Fukuoka, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Freelance writer, Former Ministry of Labour official
Active Years
1996-
Nominations
61st Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Short Story) nominee — 'Ten to En', 65th Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Long Novel/Collection) nominee — 'Chi no Soko no Yama'

Education

La Salle High School
High School
Country: Japan
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Engineering
Degree: 学士（工学）
Country: Japan
After graduation he entered the Ministry of Labour (now Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Awards

Japan Adventure Fiction Association Award
1996
Work: Bingo
Category: 特別部門大賞
Organization: Japan Adventure Fiction Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Adventure Fiction Association Award
2005
Work: Gouka
Category: 国内部門
Organization: Japan Adventure Fiction Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Adventure Fiction Association Award
2010
Work: Zanka
Category: 国内部門
Organization: Japan Adventure Fiction Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Adventure Fiction Association Award
2011
Work: Chi no Soko no Yama
Category: 国内部門
Organization: Japan Adventure Fiction Association
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Prize
2011
Work: Chi no Soko no Yama
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Fukuoka Prefecture Cultural Award (Encouragement Category)
2012
Work: Chi no Soko no Yama
Category: 奨励部門
Organization: Fukuoka Prefecture
Result: 受賞
Haruhiko Oyabu Prize
2014
Work: Yama no Shippu
Organization: Haruhiko Oyabu Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Bingo

1996 Adventure / Crime

Debut novel. A long-form adventure and crime story.

adventurecrimehuman drama

Zanka

2010 Adventure / Mystery

An adventure novel with mystery elements focusing on characters confronting their pasts.

the pastatonementfamily

Chi no Soko no Yama

2011 Adventure / Mystery

Set in a coal-mining region, this novel follows characters pursuing the mystery of a father's past and intertwines local history and human relationships.

coal minesfamily secretsregional society

Yama no Shippu

2013 Action / Adventure

An action-driven novel set in mountainous terrain.

man vs natureadventurejustice

Koin no Yaiba

2016 Suspense / Mystery

A suspense novel that explores time and memory.

timememoryrevenge

Bibliography

  • Bingo (1996)
  • Dasshutsu / Escape (1997)
  • Gyappu / Gap (1998)
  • Toppa / Breakthrough (1999)
  • Abukuzeni (2001)
  • Kasumigaseki Cruel Stories (2002)
  • Kyakka (2005)
  • Waraidog (2006)
  • Yugefuku: Hakata Detective Case File (2009)
  • Zanka (2010)
  • Ninkyō Staff Service (2010)
  • Chi no Soko no Yama (2011)
  • Yama no Shippu (2013)
  • Koin no Yaiba (2016)
  • Man Waiting for a Bus (2017)
  • The Farthest Town (2017)
  • Witness (2019)
  • Man Who Invites to the Bus (2020)
  • Seismic Shock (2021)
  • People Gather at the Bus (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
adventure fiction elementscontemporary mysteryhard-boiled elements
Recurring Motifs
coal mines and labor communitiesfamily pasts and secretsregional towns and interpersonal tiesbuses and transit lines

Legacy

An author awarded multiple major prizes in adventure and mystery fiction, noted for works that draw on local history and labor settings.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Adventure Fiction Association

Trivia

  • Born July 11, 1965. From Fukuoka City.
  • Raised from age six in Ōmuta.
  • Attended La Salle High School and graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Engineering (Bachelor of Engineering).
  • After university he entered the Ministry of Labour and resigned after four years; he became a freelance writer and debuted in 1996 with 'Bingo'.
  • While at university he frequented the Shinjuku Golden Gai bar 'Shinya Plus One'.