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Reiko Morota

もろた れいこ

Morota Reiko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1954-03-07 (Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan)
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Shizuoka City → Tokyo

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Translator, Novelization writer, Former freelance announcer
Active Years
1996-
Nominations
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award nominee (2000, '誰そ彼れ心中'), Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize nominee (2000, '幽恋舟'), Naoki Prize nominee (2002, 'あくじゃれ瓢六'), Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award nominee (2002, '笠雲'), Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize nominee (2002, '源内狂恋'), Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize nominee (2003, '犬吉'), Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize nominee (2005, '山流し、さればこそ')

Education

Faculty of Letters, Sophia University
Faculty of Letters / Department of English Literature
Degree: 学士(文学)
Country: Japan
Graduated

Awards

Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
2000
Result: 候補
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
2000
Result: 候補
Naoki Prize
2002
Result: 候補
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
2002
Result: 候補
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
2002
Result: 候補
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
2003
Result: 受賞
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
2003
Result: 候補
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
2005
Result: 候補
Nitta Jirō Literary Award
2007
Result: 受賞
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
2009
Result: 候補
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
2011
Result: 候補
Historical Period Fiction Writers Club Award (Work Award)
2012
Category: 作品賞
Result: 受賞
Booksellers' Choice Period Novel Award
2013
Result: 候補
Shinran Prize
2018
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Genwaku

1996 Short story collection

Debut short story collection by Reiko Morota, containing a number of short works that mark her literary debut.

Human relationshipsWomen's perspectives

Otorimi Nyōbō

2001 Period novel (jidaigeki)

First entry in a series set in the Edo period, portraying daily life and relationships from a woman's perspective.

Women's livesHuman feelingEveryday life

Akujare Hyōroku

2001 Period detective novel

A period detective novel in the classic 'torimono' style, following investigations and life among swordsmen and townspeople.

JusticeHuman sympathyCrime and resolution

Tennyo-yu Oren

2005 Period novel

A retitled work from a serialized piece, centered on a public bathhouse and the ensemble of people who gather there.

CommunitySubtleties of daily lifePortrayals of women

Sono Ichinichi

2002 Short story collection

A collection of short stories that includes the work for which she received the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award in 2003.

Subtleties of short fictionHuman portraiture

The Forty-Eighth Loyal Retainer

2011 Historical novel

A historical novel based on the Chūshingura story, depicting the dramas of figures around the incident with careful historical research.

LoyaltyRevenge and atonementHuman figures in history

Kanpu ni Arazu

2006 Historical novel

A historical novel that reconsiders women's lives and societal judgments; recipient of the Nitta Jirō Literary Award in 2007.

Women and societyReevaluation of reputations

Imahitotabi no, Izumi Shikibu

2017 Historical/biographical novel

A historical novel about the Heian-period poet Izumi Shikibu, focusing on psychological portraiture; awarded the Shinran Prize.

Inner lifeReinterpretation of classical literature

Bibliography

  • Genwaku
  • Karakuri Midarechō
  • Mayakashi Sōshi
  • Karakkaze
  • Shakunren
  • Oni Azami
  • Hyōsō
  • At Horai Bridge
  • Kasagumo
  • Higemaro
  • Sono Ichinichi
  • Inukichi
  • Adabana
  • Keiko
  • Kanpu ni Arazu
  • Seiran
  • Koinui
  • Kirikiri Mai
  • The Forty-Eighth Loyal Retainer
  • Imahitotabi no, Izumi Shikibu
  • Tozan Daimyō

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Narration based on meticulous historical researchDepictions that empathize with women's inner livesA voice that alternates between short stories and long-form novels
Recurring Motifs
Women's lives and social evaluationLoyalty and human sympathyConflicts hidden in everyday life

Legacy

Reiko Morota, a Sophia University graduate, is known as a writer of historical period novels that emphasize women's perspectives. She has received awards such as the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award, the Nitta Jirō Literary Award, the Historical Period Fiction Writers Club Award and the Shinran Prize, earning steady recognition in contemporary historical fiction.

Trivia

  • Her father was the poet Masaichi Morota.
  • She debuted as a novelist in 1996 with the short story collection 'Genwaku'.
  • After graduating from Sophia University (Department of English), she worked as a freelance announcer and at a cosmetics company before becoming a novelist and translator.
  • She has multiple award wins and nominations and is known for works in the jidaigeki and historical novel genres.
  • She serialized 'Tozan Daimyō' in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun from 2024 to 2025 (through March 2025).