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Hazuki Saisho

さいしょう はづき

Saisho Hazuki

Pen Names: Saisho（Pen name using her mother's maiden name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1963-11-26 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kobe (raised) → Tokyo (birthplace)

Career

Occupations
Non-fiction writer, Editor
Active Years
1994-

Education

Kwansei Gakuin University
Faculty of Law / Department of Law (major in International Law)
Country: Japan

Awards

Shogakukan Nonfiction Award (4th)
1998
Work: Absolute Pitch
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: Winner
Daibutsu Jiro Prize (34th)
2007
Work: Hoshi Shinichi: The Person Who Created 1001 Stories
Organization: Daibutsu Jiro Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Kodansha Nonfiction Prize (29th)
2007
Work: Hoshi Shinichi: The Person Who Created 1001 Stories
Organization: Kodansha
Result: Winner
Japan SF Grand Prize (28th)
2007
Work: Hoshi Shinichi: The Person Who Created 1001 Stories
Organization: Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan (organization)
Result: Winner
Mystery Writers of Japan Award (61st) — Criticism/Other
2007
Work: Hoshi Shinichi: The Person Who Created 1001 Stories
Category: 評論その他
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: Winner
Seiun Award (39th) — Nonfiction
2008
Work: Hoshi Shinichi: The Person Who Created 1001 Stories
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Absolute Pitch

1998 Non-fiction (science / music)

A nonfiction investigation of absolute pitch, interviewing people and examining the phenomenon from scientific, educational, and musical perspectives.

musiccognitive scienceeducation

Hoshi Shinichi: The Person Who Created 1001 Stories

2007 Non-fiction (biography / literary criticism)

A detailed nonfiction study reconstructing Hoshi Shinichi's creative world and biography based on extensive interviews and archival research.

biographyJapanese SFtheory of creation

Nantoifu Sora

2001 Non-fiction / short pieces (reportage)

A collection of reportage and essays. One piece, 'Waga-machi Osaka', served as the basis for a film.

local communitieshuman dramamemory
Adaptations
  • [Film] Coconi Irukoto / 長澤雅彦 (2001)

Bibliography

  • Eigo Takahara: "He Lived Running!" The Wind Man — 35 Years of Bank of Dreams
  • Absolute Pitch
  • Nantoifu Sora
  • Blue Rose
  • The Future Back Then: Hoshi Shinichi's Prophecies
  • Hoshi Shinichi: The Person Who Created 1001 Stories
  • Beyond Edison: Twelve Scientists Looking at the Future
  • Therapist
  • Hazuki Saisho — Work Notebook
  • Research and Write
  • Rerurareru
  • Nagune: Friends in the Chinese Korean Community and Japan
  • Lectures at Tokyo Tech: How to Choose a Lifelong Theme
  • Saisho's Tough-Life Advice
  • Testimony: Japanese Christians
  • Hisao Nakai: Person and Work
  • My Mother's Final Lecture

Adaptations

  • Coconi Irukoto (film based on a piece from 'Nantoifu Sora')

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed reportage-based nonfictionStructure emphasizing interviews and dialoguesClear and readable prose
Recurring Motifs
human-technology relationshipsmusic and perceptual phenomenasports and educationmemory and transmission

Legacy

As a contemporary Japanese nonfiction writer, she is praised for careful reporting across diverse themes including science, music, and education. Her work on Hoshi Shinichi has won multiple literary awards, earning her high standing in nonfiction.

Trivia

  • "Saisho" is a pen name taken from her mother's maiden name.
  • Her grandfather's family had ties to officials who worked for the Taiwan Governor-General's Office and to Soja City in Okayama Prefecture.
  • She served as a judge for the Kitakyushu City Children's Nonfiction Literary Prize.