Japanese Literary Awards

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Hiroyuki Kurokawa

くろかわ ひろゆき

Kurokawa Hiroyuki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1949-03-04 （Imabari, Ehime, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Imabari, Ehime, Japan → Osaka Prefecture, Japan (moved there as a child) → Habikino, Osaka Prefecture (resident as of 2014)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Mystery writer
Active Years
1984-
Affiliations
Mystery Writers of Japan
Memberships
Mystery Writers of Japan
Influenced By
Seiko Tanabe, Tetsuya Asada
Influenced
Keigo Higashino, Iori Fujiwara
Nominations
41st Mystery Writers of Japan Award nominee (short story) — 'Fugu no Kioku' (1988), 14th Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award nominee — 'Fūin' (1992), 116th Naoki Prize nominee — 'Count Plan' (1996), 117th Naoki Prize nominee — 'Epidemic God' (1997), 121st Naoki Prize nominee — 'Bunfuku Chagama' (1999), 126th Naoki Prize nominee — 'Border' (2001), 138th Naoki Prize nominee — 'Akuka' (2007)

Education

Osaka Prefectural Izuo High School
Country: Japan
Kyoto City University of Arts
Faculty of Fine Arts, Sculpture / Sculpture Department
Country: Japan
Married Masako (a student in the Nihonga department) while at university (student marriage)

Awards

Suntory Mystery Award
1983
Work: Two Farewells
Organization: Suntory
Result: 佳作
Suntory Mystery Award
1984
Work: If You Kill in the Rain
Organization: Suntory
Result: 佳作
Suntory Mystery Award
1986
Work: Cats' Eye Rolled
Organization: Suntory
Result: 受賞
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
1996
Work: Count Plan
Category: 短編および連作短編集部門
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
2014
Work: Hamon (Disgrace)
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Mystery Literature Award
2020
Organization: Japan Mystery Literature Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award
2024
Work: Akugyaku
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Award Selection Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Epidemic God (Yakubyōgami)

1997 Mystery / Noir

A crime novel set in Osaka featuring yakuza-tinged characters. Part of the Yakubyōgami series, it blends humor and human drama with a distinctive Osaka dialect.

crimehuman tiesyakuzaOsaka
Adaptations
  • [Manga] Epidemic God (manga) (2009)

Hamon (Disgrace)

2014 Police novel / Noir

A novel in the Yakubyōgami cycle that mixes yakuza elements and dark humor centered on human relationships. Winner of the Naoki Prize.

policeyakuzafriendship and betrayal
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Hamon (TV series) (2015)
  • [Film] Hamon: The Two Yakubyōgami / 小林聖太郎 (2017)

The Widow Business

2014 Social mystery

A novel about greed and fraud surrounding elderly people and inheritances. Adapted into both film and television, it attracted public attention.

fraudgreedsocial issues
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Widow Business (film) / 鶴橋康夫 (2016)
  • [TV drama] The Widow Business (TV series) (2019)

Two Farewells

1984 Mystery (Osaka Prefectural Police series)

Debut novel and the first entry in the Osaka Prefectural Police series. It was later adapted for screen and marked the author's literary debut.

policeinvestigationhuman drama
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] NHK 'Two Farewells' (TV series) (1985)

Bibliography

  • Two Farewells
  • If You Kill in the Rain
  • Serenade in the Dark
  • Cats' Eye Rolled
  • The Sea's Horizon
  • Disappeared into the No.8 Kofun
  • Severance
  • Beyond the Door
  • The Painting Killed
  • Annie's Cold Morning
  • Tetrodoto Tokishin
  • Epidemic God
  • Border
  • Reef
  • Mole Cricket
  • Hamon (Disgrace)
  • Fight
  • Quagmire
  • Bad Fruit
  • Ryoran
  • Kaiei
  • Yoka
  • Bunfuku Chagama
  • Big Gamble
  • Sealing
  • Jinrai (Thunderbolt)
  • Count Plan
  • Mahjong Debauchery
  • Smolder
  • Left Wrist
  • Blue Radiance
  • The Spider's Thread
  • Smoke and Mist
  • Fallen Blossoms
  • Separate Origami
  • The Widow Business
  • Sturdy Grass
  • Peach Garden
  • Deceive
  • Chain
  • Akugyaku

Adaptations

  • Hamon: The Two Yakubyōgami (film)
  • Hamon (TV series)
  • The Widow Business (film)
  • The Widow Business (TV series)
  • Jinrai: The Boss's Ransom (film)
  • Bunfuku Chagama (film)
  • Enka: Gold Rush (WOWOW TV series)
  • Detective Yoshinaga Seiichi: Casebook of Tears (TV drama series)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Witty narration using Osaka dialectResearch-based realism in depictionHardboiled / noir elements
Recurring Motifs
mahjong and gamblingyakuza and chivalrypolice organizations and investigationshuman ties and obligation

Legacy

A novelist known for police novels and noir written with Osaka dialect. He has received awards including the Suntory Mystery Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, and the Naoki Prize, and many of his works have been adapted for screen. Praised for realism grounded in research and Osaka-flavored humor, he is a significant figure in contemporary Japanese mystery literature.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of Japan

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings)
  • Kyoto City University of Arts (alumni records / related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Numerous TV and film adaptations (e.g., 'Hamon', 'The Widow Business')

Quotes

  • It'd be best never to be nominated again.
    Source: 151st Naoki Prize acceptance press conference (statement) (2014)
  • I'm thinking of going to Macau with the prize money.
    Source: Naoki Prize press conference (2014) (2014)

Trivia

  • Known as a mahjong and gambling enthusiast; reportedly met his wife at a mahjong parlor.
  • Often appears (cameos/roles) in screen adaptations of his own works.
  • A devoted film fan who watches roughly 150 films a year.