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Satoshi Ogawa

おがわ さとし

Ogawa Satoshi

Pen Names: Satoshi Ogawa（Pen name used for his fiction）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1986-12-25 （Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Chiba City (birthplace) → Tokyo (residence)

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2015-
Influenced By
Alan Turing, Project Itoh (Itō Keikaku), Philip K. Dick
Nominations
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award nominee (The Kingdom of Games), 162nd Naoki Prize nominee (Lies and Canon), Honya Taisho (Booksellers' Award) nominee ('Your Quiz'), ranked 6th

Education

Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen Makuhari Junior High & Senior High School
Country: Japan
College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree: 学士
Country: Japan
Entered via the science track (Rika-1) and later transferred to the humanities track
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Degree: 博士課程中退
Period: 在学（博士課程在籍・中退）
Country: Japan
Researched Alan Turing while enrolled in the doctoral program; later withdrew

Awards

Hayakawa SF Contest
2015
Work: Utronica: This Side
Organization: Hayakawa Publishing
Result: 大賞 (Grand Prize)
Japan SF Award
2017
Work: The Kingdom of Games
Organization: Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞 (Winner)
Yamamoto Shugoro Award
2017
Work: The Kingdom of Games
Organization: Yamamoto Shugoro Award Committee
Result: 受賞 (Winner)
Xingyun Award (China)
2020
Work: The Magician (short story)
Organization: Xingyun Awards Committee
Result: 銀賞 (Silver Prize)
Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story)
2022
Work: How to Defeat an SF Writer
Category: 日本短編部門
Organization: Japan SF Fan Groups' Association
Result: 受賞 (Winner)
Yamada Futarō Award
2022
Work: Map and Fist
Organization: Yamada Futarō Award Committee
Result: 受賞 (Winner)
Naoki Prize
2023
Work: Map and Fist
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞 (Winner)
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
2023
Work: Your Quiz
Category: 長編および連作短編集部門
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞 (Winner)
Naoki Prize
2020
Work: Lies and Canon
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: 候補 (Nominee)
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
2018
Work: The Kingdom of Games
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Foundation
Result: 候補 (Nominee)

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Utronica: This Side

2015 SF (short story collection)

Debut collection published while in graduate school. Comprises short and mid-length stories that explore the boundary between technology and humanity, memory, and identity.

Technology vs. humanityMemoryIdentity

The Kingdom of Games

2017 SF (novel)

A science-fiction novel that interweaves modern Cambodian history. It addresses issues of nationhood, memory, and the legacy of violence and received broad critical recognition.

History and memoryNationhoodViolencePost-colonial themes

Lies and Canon

2019 Short story collection (including SF)

A collection centered on short stories. One story, 'The Magician', received recognition in China through a translated edition.

Lies and truthBoundaries between literary genresMemory and narration
Translations
  • The Magician — Chinese translation (translator: Ding Dingchong, etc.)

Map and Fist

2022 SF / Mystery

A novel serialized prior to publication that examines maps, cities, violence, and memory, combining elements of mystery and literary fiction.

MapsUrban spaceViolenceMemory

Your Quiz

2022 Mystery / Contemporary fiction

A novel using a quiz show as its setting to illuminate human relationships and social dynamics; it attracted attention in bookseller rankings and was a Honya Taisho nominee.

Media and humanityCompetitionDeceit and honesty

About the Gold You Were Supposed to Hold

2023 Short story collection

A collection of new short stories, including newly written pieces and previously magazine-published works, thematically exploring personal history and imagination.

Personal historyImaginationLoss and renewal

Sumeramishing

2024 Short fiction / Contemporary literature & SF

A recent collection of short fiction that incorporates mythic motifs and social commentary across diverse stories.

Myth and the contemporaryTranslation and the otherImagination

Bibliography

  • Utronica: This Side (2015)
  • The Kingdom of Games (2017)
  • Lies and Canon (2019)
  • Map and Fist (2022)
  • Your Quiz (2022)
  • About the Gold You Were Supposed to Hold (2023)
  • Sumeramishing (2024)

Adaptations

  • NHK TV drama 'The Queen of Mars' (based on work by Satoshi Ogawa, scheduled broadcast: Dec 2025)

Translations of Works

  • The Magician — Chinese translation (translator: Ding Dingchong)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Cool, analytical proseFusion of historical research and speculative SF imagination
Recurring Motifs
Maps / urban spacesMemoryGame-like structuresViolence and the state

Legacy

Recognized as a writer who crosses SF and mystery genres; recipient of multiple major literary awards as an emerging author. Noted for his treatment of history and memory; his works have attracted interest for screen adaptations.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan (related)
  • Mystery Writers of Japan (related)

Archives

  • VIAF: 6145066477866591674
  • GND (German National Library): 1217036687
  • Library of Congress ID: no2018141790
  • National Diet Library ID: 001218893
  • IdRef: 236662716

In Popular Culture

  • NHK TV drama 'The Queen of Mars' (based on Ogawa Satoshi's work, scheduled 2025)
  • Appearance on Fuji TV's 'World SF Writers Conference' (2020, 2021)

Quotes

  • When I write novels, I write without outlining a plot.
    Source: WEB Hon no Zasshi interview (2022) (2022)
  • Feeling that I had not read books systematically, I began reading one Iwanami Bunko volume every day.
    Source: WEB Hon no Zasshi (interview series) (2022)

Trivia

  • Researched Alan Turing while enrolled in graduate school.
  • Debuted in 2015 with 'Utronica: This Side' (Hayakawa SF Contest Grand Prize).
  • Says he writes without outlining a plot in advance.
  • Has mentioned a habit of reading one Iwanami Bunko volume each day.
  • Married manga artist Saho Yamamoto in 2023.
  • Published an AI-written short story 'Frozen Heart' in S-F Magazine.