Kaiko Takeshi Nonfiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 23 (2025) award
Yuka Komatsu
こまつ ゆか
Komatsu Yuka
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1982-09-22 （Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Resident of Tokyo, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- Mountaineer, Photographer, Non-fiction writer, Journalist
- Active Years
- 1999-2025
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokai University | Faculty of Letters | — | — | — | Japan |
Tokai University
Faculty of Letters
Year of Graduation:
2006
Country:
Japan
Joined the university mountaineering club and began serious mountaineering while a student
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Naoki Uemura Adventure Award | K2 ascent | — | Naoki Uemura Adventure Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 2006 | Akita Prefecture Civic Honor | — | — | Akita Prefecture | 受章 |
| 2021 | Yamamoto Mika Memorial International Journalist Award | To the Land of Humans | — | Yamamoto Mika Memorial Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 2025 | Kaikō Ken Nonfiction Prize | The Syrian Family | — | Kaikō Ken Nonfiction Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Naoki Uemura Adventure Award
2006
Work:
K2 ascent
Organization:
Naoki Uemura Adventure Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Akita Prefecture Civic Honor
2006
Organization:
Akita Prefecture
Result:
受章
Yamamoto Mika Memorial International Journalist Award
2021
Work:
To the Land of Humans
Organization:
Yamamoto Mika Memorial Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Kaikō Ken Nonfiction Prize
2025
Work:
The Syrian Family
Organization:
Kaikō Ken Nonfiction Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
On Syrian Paths to the Olive Hills: Days of Refugees Who Lost Their Homeland
2016 Non-fiction / Photo essayA photo-essay documenting the daily lives of Syrian refugees, combining photography and text to sensitively portray those who have lost their homeland.
RefugeesMigrationMemory and lossHuman livelihoods
People Living with the Land: Photo-and-Text Collection on Living with Creatures
2017 Photobook / EssayA photobook documenting natural environments and human livelihoods across East and West Asia, exploring life lived in relation to local landscapes.
Land/terrainDaily lifeCoexistence with nature
To the Land of Humans
2020 Non-fictionA nonfiction account following the lives of people under the Syrian civil war, portraying everyday details uncovered through reporting and the transformations caused by conflict.
War and civiliansRefugeesField reporting
The Syrian Family
2025 Non-fictionA nonfiction work tracing the lives of families encountered during reporting on the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis, using personal stories to illuminate broader history.
FamilyRefugeesImpact of war
Bibliography
- On Syrian Paths to the Olive Hills: Days of Refugees Who Lost Their Homeland (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2016)
- People Living with the Land: Photo-and-Text Collection on Living with Creatures (e-book, 2017)
- To the Land of Humans (Shueisha International, 2020)
- The Syrian Family (2025)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Documentary-style narrationIntegration of photography and proseOn-the-ground reportage
- Recurring Motifs
- Stories of refugees and familiesLand and livelihoodsScenes of life, death, and loss
Legacy
In addition to achievements as a mountaineer, her work as a photographer and nonfiction writer—especially reporting on Syrian refugees—has been recognized for conveying contemporary conflict and human livelihoods.
Trivia
- Summited K2 in 2006; counted among the relatively few female climbers to reach the summit and reported as the first Japanese woman to do so.
- Married to a Syrian man and is a mother of two.
- Has long documented the lives of nomads and refugees in Syria and the Middle East as a photographer.
- Since 2012 has continued reporting on Syrian refugees and won multiple awards for related books.