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Sanzō Kusaka

くさか さんぞう

Kusaka Sanzou

Pen Names: Sanzō Kusaka（Pen name (real name: Mizobata Yasushi)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1968-02-21 （Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Raised in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan

Career

Occupations
editor, literary critic, SF researcher, anthologist, book collector
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Shuppan Geijutsu-sha (former employee), Freelance (editor / critic)
Memberships
Japan Mystery Writers Association, Honkaku Mystery Writers Club, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
Influenced By
Fūtarō Yamada, Edogawa Rampo

Education

Senshu University
Faculty of Letters
Country: Japan

Awards

Honkaku Mystery Award
2005
Work: Amagi Hajime's Closed-room Criminology Course
Category: 評論・研究部門
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award
2019
Work: Yasutaka Tsutsui: Speaking of His Own Works (interviewer / editor)
Category: ノンフィクション部門
Organization: Japan SF Fan Groups' Association (Seiun Award)
Result: 受賞
Nihon SF Taisho Award (Special Award)
2020
Work: Annual Japanese SF Best Selection (co-edited with Nozomi Omori)
Category: 特別賞
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Amagi Hajime's Closed-room Criminology Course

2004 Criticism / Research

A critical study focusing on locked-room tricks and classical honkaku mystery, including analysis of Amagi Hajime's works and locked-room theory.

locked-room mysterieshonkaku mystery studiestrick analysis

Yasutaka Tsutsui: Speaking of His Own Works (interviewer / editor)

2018 Non-fiction / Interview collection

An interview collection exploring the works and ideas of Yasutaka Tsutsui, compiled with Kusaka as interviewer and editor.

author studiescreative processinterview

Annual Japanese SF Best Selection (co-edited)

2008 Anthology

An annual anthology series of Japanese SF short stories co-edited with Nozomi Omori, collecting notable works and contributing to their reevaluation.

Japanese SFshort fictionanthology / reissues

Danshari Kettfūroku: How I Disposed of 25,000 Books in 3 Years

2025 Reportage / Essay

A reportage on the disposal and organization of a personal collection amassed over some 40 years, including a roundtable with collaborators in the appendix.

book collection managementdeclutteringbibliographic record

Bibliography

  • Amagi Hajime's Closed-room Criminology Course (Nihon Hyoronsha, 2004)
  • Yasutaka Tsutsui: Speaking of His Own Works (interviewer / editor, Hayakawa Publishing, 2018)
  • Annual Japanese SF Best Selection (co-edited, Sogen SF Bunko, 2008- )
  • Danshari Kettfūroku: How I Disposed of 25,000 Books in 3 Years (Hon no Zasshi-sha, 2025)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly, research-driven proseexplanatory style with emphasis on editing and annotation
Recurring Motifs
revival and reevaluation of Showa-era mysterieslocked-room tricks and honkaku mystery theorybibliophilic perspective based on book collecting

Legacy

Known as an editor and researcher who helped revive and reevaluate Showa-era mystery and SF works, contributing to genre studies through anthology editing and reissue projects. Also notable as a major book collector; his efforts to manage and dispose of his collection have attracted attention.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Mystery Writers Association
  • Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)

Trivia

  • Raised in Yokosuka; a childhood classmate was manga artist Koji Kumeta.
  • Known as a prolific book collector, referring to his stacked volumes as a kind of 'den of books'.
  • While at Shuppan Geijutsu-sha he was responsible for many reissue and editorial projects.