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Riku Onda

おんだ りく

Onda Riku

Aliases: 熊谷 奈苗
Pen Names: Riku Onda（Used as pen name / author name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1964-10-25 （Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan → Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan → Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan → Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan → Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan → Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan → Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Playwright
Active Years
1992-
Memberships
Edogawa Rampo Prize Selection Committee Member, Mystery Writers of Japan
Influenced By
Roald Dahl, Moto Hagio, Hideo Nakai, Agatha Christie, Ken'ichi Sakemi
Nominations
3rd Japan Fantasy Novel Award — Finalist

Education

Waseda University, Faculty of Education
Faculty of Education / Japanese Language and Literature
Period: 1983-1987
Year of Graduation: 1987
Country: Japan
Graduation thesis: 'Kafu and Tokyo'

Awards

Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
2004
Work: Night Picnic
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Award Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Hon'ya Taisho (Booksellers Award)
2005
Work: Night Picnic
Organization: Booksellers Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
2006
Work: Eugenia
Category: 長編及び連作短編集部門
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞
Yamamoto Shugorō Prize
2007
Work: Incidents in the Courtyard
Organization: Yamamoto Shugorō Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Miyagi Prefecture Arts Award (Literature)
2016
Organization: Miyagi Prefecture
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
2017
Work: Honeybees and Distant Thunder
Organization: Japan Literature Promotion Society / Bungei Shunju
Result: 受賞
Hon'ya Taisho (Booksellers Award)
2017
Work: Honeybees and Distant Thunder
Organization: Booksellers Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Sixth Sayoko

1992 Fantasy

Debut novel. A fantastical story set in a school, notable as the author's first published work.

YouthFantasyNostalgia
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Rokubanme no Sayoko (TV adaptation) (2000)

Night Picnic

2004 Coming-of-age novel

Set during an all-night school walking event, it depicts the emotions and growth of young people.

FriendshipComing of ageNight
Adaptations
  • [Film] Night Picnic (film) / 長澤雅彦 (2006)

Honeybees and Distant Thunder

2016 Music novel / Literary fiction

A novel centered on an international piano competition, portraying the contest and inner lives of musicians. Winner of major literary awards.

MusicTalentCompetition
Adaptations
  • [Film] Honeybees and Distant Thunder (film) / 石川慶 (2019)
Translations
  • English: Honeybees and Distant Thunder (approx.)

Eugenia

2005 Mystery

A mystery novel that includes episodes inspired by human-interest newspaper stories and other real-life incidents.

WhodunitHuman drama

Incidents in the Courtyard

2006 Literary fiction

A collection/novel with linked short stories that explores the boundary between everyday life and the uncanny.

Everyday vs uncannyNostalgia

Bibliography

  • The Sixth Sayoko
  • Season of the Sphere
  • Night Picnic
  • Eugenia
  • Incidents in the Courtyard
  • Honeybees and Distant Thunder
  • March: The Deep Crimson Abyss
  • The Empire of Light (Tsuneno Stories)
  • Elephants and Tinnitus
  • Thursday Suite
  • Brother Sun Sister Moon
  • Neverland
  • The Soft Illusion Beneath the Night
  • The Theatre of Ash
  • Dull-Colored Phantasmagoria

Adaptations

  • Rokubanme no Sayoko — TV drama (2000)
  • Neverland — TV drama (2001)
  • Night Picnic — Film (2006)
  • Honeybees and Distant Thunder — Film (2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Nostalgic, imagery-rich proseCross-genre storytellingPrecise structure with mystery elements
Recurring Motifs
MusicTrains and views from windowsDreams and memoryNostalgia

Health

  • Aviophobia (fear of flying)
    幼年期〜2003年（かつて徴候あり、2003年に克服を試み取材旅行）
    Previously limited overseas travel due to fear of flying; after 2003 undertook travel for research.
  • Hospitalization due to overwork (past)
    1980年代後半（就職後間もなく）
    Hospitalized after episodes of overwork early in career; contributed to later decision to pursue writing.

Legacy

Known for nostalgic descriptive prose and a cross-genre oeuvre. Winner of major literary prizes such as the Naoki Prize and the Booksellers Award, she is one of contemporary Japan's prominent and popular writers.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of Japan
  • Japan Writers' Association (related)

In Popular Culture

  • Rokubanme no Sayoko (TV drama adaptation)
  • Night Picnic (film adaptation)
  • Honeybees and Distant Thunder (film adaptation)

Quotes

  • I decide the title at the plot stage before writing; I cannot write unless the title is decided.
    Source: Riku Onda long interview (included in 'Riku Onda: The White Theatre') (2021)
  • Listening to the piano is what I like most.
    Source: Interview / conversation (2017)

Trivia

  • Real name: Nanae Kumagai.
  • The pen name 'Onda' derives from the 'Onda sisters' on a TV show and a senior's surname from her company days.
  • Won the Booksellers Award twice (2005 and 2017); in 2017 also won the Naoki Prize, achieving a notable double award.
  • In university she played alto saxophone in a big band.