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Naka Saijo

さいじょう なか

Saijo Naka

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1964-11-09 （Ikeda, Nakagawa District, Hokkaido, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Otofuke, Hokkaido, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2005-
Nominations
5th 'Booksellers' Choice Historical Novel Award' nominee (Rikka Furufuru / '六花落々'), 5th Historical-Jidai Authors Club Prize (Work Award) nominee ('Gontakure'), 8th 'Booksellers' Choice Historical Novel Award' nominee ('Mugyō no Suzu'), 7th Okinawa Bookstore Award nominee ('Kokoroshimishi-gawa'), 8th High School Students' Naoki Prize nominee ('Kokoroshimishi-gawa')

Education

Tokyo English College
Country: Japan
Graduated from Tokyo English College. After graduation she worked at a trading company before debuting as a writer.

Awards

17th Japan Fantasy Novel Award (Grand Prize)
2005
Work: Konparuya Gomesu
Category: 大賞
Organization: Shinchosha
Result: Winner
18th Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize
2012
Work: Nehan no Yuki
Organization: Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize Selection Committee
Result: Winner
36th Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
2015
Work: Marumaru no Mari
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award Selection Committee
Result: Winner
1st Masamitsu Hosoya Prize
2018
Work: Mugyō no Suzu
Organization: Masamitsu Hosoya Prize Selection Committee
Result: Winner
164th Naoki Prize
2021
Work: Kokoroshimishi-gawa
Organization: Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Konparuya Gomesu

2005 Historical fiction / Fantasy

Set in an Edo-style town, the novel blends human drama with fantastical elements. This debut work won the 17th Japan Fantasy Novel Award (Grand Prize).

Human dramaEdo-period customsFantasy elements

Nehan no Yuki

2011 Historical fiction

A work using Buddhist motifs and reflections on life and death to portray human karma and redemption. Winner of the 18th Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize.

Life and deathBuddhist motifsHuman drama

善人長屋

2010 Historical fiction

A linked short-story collection depicting residents of an Edo-era tenement, notable for its compassionate character portrayals and subtle everyday details. Adapted into a TV drama.

Tenement lifeHuman compassionCommunity
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Zen'nin Nagaya (2022)

Marumaru no Mari

2014 Historical fiction

A collection centered on the Nanseiya setting, focusing on merchant households and delicately portraying human frailty and warmth.

FamilyHuman sympathyMerchant households

Mugyō no Suzu

2018 Historical fiction

A quietly written novel exploring mysterious events and the characters' subsequent renewal. Winner of the 1st Masamitsu Hosoya Prize.

MysteryRebirthSubtle eeriness

Kokoroshimishi-gawa

2020 Historical fiction

A novel set against the flow of a river, depicting loneliness, human connection, and forgiveness. Winner of the 164th Naoki Prize.

LonelinessForgivenessCommunity

Bibliography

  • Konparuya Gomesu
  • Akeboshi no Hana (Konparuya Gomesu)
  • Konparuya Gomesu: Inga no Katana
  • Zen'nin Nagaya
  • Enma no Yonaoshi: Zen'nin Nagaya
  • Okawa Chigiri: Zen'nin Nagaya
  • Mokkei no Saru: Zen'nin Nagaya
  • Muka no Mi no Naru Koro ni (Otsuta's Kagurazaka Diary)
  • Itsumo ga Kieta Hi (Otsuta's Kagurazaka Diary)
  • Miyako Sawagi (Otsuta's Kagurazaka Diary)
  • Yorozu o Hiku Mono (Otsuta's Kagurazaka Diary)
  • Marumaru no Mari
  • Inoko Korokoro
  • Usagi-dama Horohoro
  • Wakare-en (Manekeya O-Shimatsu Nikki)
  • Hatsuseya no Kyaku
  • Ugané (Karasugane)
  • Koi Zaiku
  • Hamu / Hataru
  • Oshi Yagorō: O-Ise Mairi Dōchūki
  • Yoshiki no Ai
  • Shuryū Naku: Benten Kannon Yorozu Shimatsu
  • Sennen Oni
  • Mitsu no Kawa de Otoshimono
  • Ueno Ikenohata: Uroko-ya Hanjōki
  • Rikka Furufuru
  • Mutsuki Dō
  • Gontakure
  • Akihabara Sai-Ryū Koban Yūrei-tsuki
  • Tsukumofuj
  • Keibatsu 0-gō
  • Neko no Kugutsu
  • Ichō Tenarai
  • Mugyō no Suzu
  • Ameagari Tsuki Kasumu Yoru
  • Nagatachō Komachi Battle
  • Inkyo Sugoroku
  • Seki Koenu
  • Kokoroshimishi-gawa
  • Kyokutei no Ie
  • Mukudono Aiau-seki
  • Across Six Villages, A Man with a Flowing Beard
  • Kubitore Monogatari
  • Toridori Midori
  • Inkyo Otedama
  • Uba-dama Mittsu
  • Batan Island Drift Record

Adaptations

  • NHK BS Premium TV drama adaptation of 'Zen'nin Nagaya' (2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed description grounded in historical fictionA humane, empathetic narrative voiceCalm, restrained proseSkilled in short stories and linked short-story collections
Recurring Motifs
Communities such as tenements and merchant householdsRiver and water imagerySmall supernatural elements like cats and ghostsFamily and human sympathy

Legacy

Since debuting in 2005, Naka Saijo has worked across historical fiction that includes fantasy elements and more traditional jidai-shosetsu, winning several literary awards (including the Japan Fantasy Novel Award, Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize, Yoshikawa Eiji Newcomer Award, Masamitsu Hosoya Prize and the Naoki Prize). With adaptations such as the TV drama of 'Zen'nin Nagaya', she is regarded as a prominent contemporary writer in the historical fiction field.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (NDL) ID: 01023577
  • VIAF: 256317561
  • ISNI: 0000000378386807

In Popular Culture

  • 'Zen'nin Nagaya' adapted as a television series on NHK BS Premium (broadcast 2022; lead: Aonagi Nakata)

Trivia

  • She debuted by winning the 17th Japan Fantasy Novel Award with 'Konparuya Gomesu'.
  • Worked at a trading company before becoming a novelist.
  • Born in Ikeda, Nakagawa District, Hokkaido and spent elementary and junior high years in Otofuke.
  • 'Zen'nin Nagaya' was adapted into a TV drama on NHK BS Premium in 2022.