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Fuyumi Ono

おの ふゆみ

ono fuyumi

Pen Names: Fuyumi Uno（Pen name used during university years）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1960-12-24 （Nakatsu, Oita, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nakatsu, Oita (birthplace) → Kyoto, Japan (residence)

Career

Occupations
novelist
Active Years
1988-
Influenced By
Dean R. Koontz, Stephen King, Arthur Ransome, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Roger Zelazny
Nominations
Tōkyō Ibun — Finalist, 5th Japan Fantasy Novel Award (1993), Shiki — Candidate, 12th Yamamoto Shugorō Prize (1999), Shiki — Nominee, 52nd Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Long Fiction) (1999), Kuroshi no Shima — Finalist, 2nd Honkaku Mystery Award (2002), Kura no Kami — Finalist, 4th Honkaku Mystery Award (2003), Eizen Karukaya Strange Tales Vol.2 — Nominee, 10th Yamada Fūtarō Prize (2019)

Education

Otani University
Faculty of Letters / Department of Buddhist Studies
Degree: 文学士
Period: 1979-1986
Year of Graduation: 1986
Country: Japan
Member of Kyoto University mystery club while a student; enrolled in graduate school but withdrew for financial reasons.

Awards

Yamamoto Shugorō Prize
2013
Work: The Remainder (Zankoku / Zankai)
Organization: Shinchosha
Result: winner
Yoshikawa Eiji Bunko Prize
2020
Work: The Twelve Kingdoms (series)
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Bunko Prize Committee
Result: winner
Japan Fantasy Novel Award
1993
Work: Tōkyō Ibun
Organization: Japan Fantasy Novel Award Committee
Result: finalist
Yamamoto Shugorō Prize
1999
Work: Shiki
Organization: Shinchosha
Result: nominee
Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Long Fiction)
1999
Work: Shiki
Category: 長編
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan, Inc.
Result: nominee
Honkaku Mystery Award
2002
Work: Kuroshiro no Shima
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result: finalist
Honkaku Mystery Award
2003
Work: Kura no Kami
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result: finalist
Yamada Fūtarō Prize
2019
Work: Eizen Karukaya Strange Tales, Vol. 2
Organization: Yamada Fūtarō Prize Committee
Result: nominee

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Shiki

1998 Horror / Mystery

A long novel set in a rural mountain village where mysterious deaths spread like an epidemic, exploring the presence of "shiki" (undead) and the boundary between humans and the supernatural.

death and absenceinsularity of village societyboundary between humans and the supernatural
Adaptations
  • [TV anime] Shiki (2010)
  • [manga] Shiki (manga) (2007)
Translations
  • English translation available (title: Shiki)

Zankei / The Remainder

2012 Horror / Documentary-style

A documentary-style horror that investigates strange phenomena occurring in ordinary homes, weaving together site testimonies and the author's interviews to build unsettling fear.

traces left in dwellingsrelation between memory and placefolklore
Adaptations
  • [film] Zankei: Do Not Live Here (2016)
  • [radio drama] Zankei (NHK-FM) (2014)

The Twelve Kingdoms (series)

1992 High fantasy

A long-running high-fantasy series inspired by ancient Chinese history and the Shan Hai Jing, depicting stories of kingship, statecraft, duty and individual lives.

relation between ruler and peopleduty and growthfate and politics
Adaptations
  • [TV anime] The Twelve Kingdoms (2002)
  • [musical] The Twelve Kingdoms - Moonshadow, Shadowsea (musical) (2025)

Bibliography

  • Birthday Eve Can't Sleep (debut, 1988)
  • Akuryō / Ghost Hunt series
  • Masho no Ko
  • Tōkyō Ibun
  • Shiki
  • Zankei / The Remainder
  • Eizen Karukaya Strange Tales (volumes)

Adaptations

  • Shiki (TV anime, 2010)
  • Ghost Hunt (anime, 2006)
  • Zankei (film, 2016)
  • The Twelve Kingdoms (NHK anime, 2002)
  • Various manga, stage and radio adaptations

Style & Themes

Literary Style
detailed, weighty descriptiondocumentary-style horror expressionstory-driven narration
Recurring Motifs
supernatural phenomena and ghostsfolklore and popular traditiontraces left in houses and placespower and duty

Legacy

Known for crossing horror, fantasy and mystery, she has broad readership. The Twelve Kingdoms and Shiki have been widely adapted across media; she is regarded as an important contemporary Japanese writer in fantasy and horror literature.

In Popular Culture

  • Numerous anime, manga and film adaptations (Shiki, Ghost Hunt, Zankei, The Twelve Kingdoms, etc.)
  • Fanclub and doujinshi activities with redistributed short works

Quotes

  • Do not omit words unnecessarily. Use words by their dictionary meanings so as to share meaning.
    Source: Interview / lecture (e.g. Otani University lecture, 1999) (1999)

Trivia

  • Since debut she generally avoids public appearances and does not publish photographs.
  • Married to mystery writer Ayatsuji Yukito (married 1986).
  • Reported to be an avid player of the online game Final Fantasy XIV.
  • Founded an animation & manga study club while in high school/university.