Japanese Literary Awards

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Mitsuo Yamazaki

やまざき みつお

Mitsuo Yamazaki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-03-20 （Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Non-fiction writer, Journalist, TV writer
Active Years
1984-
Affiliations
Fukui 'Hometown' Ambassador
Nominations
Naoki Prize nominee (1985, 'Silent Southpaw'), Naoki Prize nominee (1986, 'Feigning Illness'), Naoki Prize nominee (1987, 'Jenner's Testament')

Education

Waseda University, Faculty of Education
Faculty of Education / Department of Education
Country: Japan

Awards

Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Award
1985
Work: Anraku Shohosen
Organization: Shosetsu Gendai (magazine)
Result: winner
Naoki Prize
1985
Work: Silent Southpaw
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: nominee
Naoki Prize
1986
Work: Feigning Illness
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: nominee
Naoki Prize
1987
Work: Jenner's Testament
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: nominee
Nitta Jirō Literary Prize
1998
Work: The House in the Grove
Organization: Nitta Jirō Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Anraku Shohosen

1986 Novel (medical mystery)

A collection including stories set in medical contexts. Explores medical ethics, death, and relationships between patients and doctors.

medical ethicsdeathhuman relationships

Jenner's Testament

1986 Historical mystery / novel incorporating medical history

A novel that weaves the history of vaccination and medical history into a narrative that pursues a historical mystery.

medical historyquest for truthethics

The House in the Grove: Solving the Mystery of Akutagawa's Death

1997 Non-fiction / literary investigation

A non-fiction investigation that reexamines Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's death and argues for the possibility of poisoning. Combines literary history with medical analysis.

literary historyreexamination of cause of deathforensic analysis

Tokyo Coroner: The Man Who Spoke with Three Thousand Unexplained Corpses

2000 Non-fiction / reportage

A reportage-style non-fiction focusing on autopsies and unexplained deaths. Through professional forensic scenes it examines the relationship between forensic medicine and society.

forensic medicinedeathsocial issues

Japan's Top 661 Doctors: Nationwide Guide by Specialty

1984 Practical guide / reference

A practical guidebook introducing medical specialists, organized by region and specialty.

medical informationhospital guidespecialist introduction

Bibliography

  • Japan's Top 661 Doctors: Nationwide Guide by Specialty
  • Jenner's Testament
  • Anraku Shohosen
  • Reliable Specialists & Specialist Hospitals
  • Japan Allergy Club
  • Red Line Karte
  • Tokyo Marble Club
  • Hippocrates' Cipher
  • Seven Coincidences
  • Psychiatric Surgeon
  • Red Kingdom
  • Madonna's Bath: Dr. Onsen Tour
  • Medical Personnel Office
  • Siren of Life: Emergency Physician Fumiko Gojō
  • Strains Resurrected
  • Champion of the Rush: The Tale of 'Piston' Horiguchi
  • Distant Ripples
  • Misbuttoning
  • Master's Biography: Living Long and Strong — Health, Absorption, and Cheerfulness
  • The House in the Grove: Solving the Mystery of Akutagawa's Death
  • Master of Vitality: Answering All Health Concerns
  • Refusal Body: Casebook of Insurance Medical Examiners — Linked Medical Mysteries
  • Tokyo Coroner: The Man Who Spoke with Three Thousand Unexplained Corpses
  • Country of the Samurai
  • Japan's Famous Medicines
  • The World of the 'Red Book': The Bible of Folk Remedies
  • What to Read When You Can't Trust Hospitals
  • The Reverse Coroner
  • The Donnell Man: Shibasaburō Kitasato
  • Health Lessons of Sengoku Warlords
  • Man of Storms: A Novel — Shigenobu Ōkuma's Youth
  • Geniuses of Health
  • Enjoying Aging More and More: The Secrets of Kaibara Ekiken
  • Two Stars: Tamako Yokoi and Shizu Satō — The Founding of Joshibi University of Art and Design
  • June 3, Meiji 21: Solving the Mystery of Mori Ōgai's 'Berlin Photograph'
  • I Have a Secret Medicine: Ieyasu's Rise and the Shōsōin's Famous Medicine 'Shisetsu'
  • The Man of Blooming: Arinobu Fukuhara and the Story of Shiseido
  • Reading Edo's Case History Through Medicine
  • Weak Stomach, Temper, Natsume Sōseki: Interpreting a Writer's Life Through His Ailments
  • Novel: Manase Dōsan — The Physician Who Healed a Turbulent Era

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clear, readable prose grounded in reportingBlend of non-fictional description and novelistic structureIncorporates medical and scientific knowledge with precision
Recurring Motifs
medicine and deathforensic medicine and autopsyreexamination of historical factsportraits of professionals

Legacy

A writer noted for deep knowledge of medical fields, known for medical mysteries and non-fiction grounded in medicine. Conducted literary-historical reexaminations such as the case of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's death, and has served in honorary local roles (Fukui 'Hometown' Ambassador).

Trivia

  • Born in Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture.
  • Graduated from Waseda University, Faculty of Education.
  • Worked as a TV program writer and magazine reporter before becoming an author.
  • Won the Shosetsu Gendai Newcomer Award in 1985 for 'Anraku Shohosen'.
  • Won the Nitta Jirō Literary Prize in 1998 for 'The House in the Grove'.
  • Was a three-time Naoki Prize nominee.
  • Has deep knowledge of medical fields and often writes about medicine and forensic topics.
  • Served as a Fukui 'Hometown' Ambassador.