Japanese Literary Awards

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Izumi Sakagami

さかがみ いずみ

Sakagami Izumi

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Born
1990-04-00 （Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2019-
Nominations
Naoki Prize nominee (164th, 2021)

Education

University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese History
Country: Japan
Specialized in modern Japanese history

Awards

Matsumoto Seichō Prize
2019
Work: Meiji Osaka Hebo Samurai: Chronicle of Guerrilla Soldiers in the Seinan War
Organization: Japan Literary Promotion Foundation
Result: winner
Japan Historical Fiction Writers Association Prize (Newcomer)
2020
Work: Hebo Samurai
Category: 新人賞
Organization: Japan Historical Fiction Writers Association
Result: winner
Naoki Prize
2021
Work: Invisible
Organization: Japan Literary Promotion Foundation
Result: nominated
Haruhiko Oyabu Prize
2021
Work: Invisible
Organization: Tokuma Shoten
Result: winner
Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Long Novel/Linked Short Stories)
2021
Work: Invisible
Category: 長編及び連作短編集部門
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hebo Samurai

2019 Historical novel / Period fiction

A historical novel set in Meiji-era Osaka that portrays events around the Seinan War from the perspectives of ordinary people and small guerrilla units. Debut work and Matsumoto Seichō Prize winner.

Post-Meiji turbulencePerspective of common peopleIntersection of history and fiction
Adaptations
  • [Stage] Hebo Samurai — Seinan War Story / OSK日本歌劇団 (2023)
  • [Manga] Hebo Samurai / みもり（作画） (2023)

Invisible

2020 Mystery / Police procedural

A police novel about detectives of the short-lived 'Osaka City Police Headquarters' in postwar Osaka. It was a Naoki Prize candidate and won several awards.

Postwar social upheavalJustice and disciplineCity and crime

Fireflies of the Shore

2022 Contemporary fiction

A novel exploring nostalgia and human relationships. Adapted as a TV drama by WOWOW scheduled for autumn 2025.

NostalgiaFamily and the pastMemory
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] 1972: Fireflies of the Shore / 平山秀幸 (2025)

Bibliography

  • Hebo Samurai
  • Invisible
  • Fireflies of the Shore

Adaptations

  • Hebo Samurai (Stage, OSK Nippon Kagekidan, 2023)
  • Hebo Samurai (Manga, Bungei Shunjū Online serial, art by Mimori, 2023-)
  • 1972: Fireflies of the Shore (WOWOW TV drama, 2025 scheduled)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Careful historical research integrated into fictionMulti-perspective narrationAccessible narrative voice
Recurring Motifs
Echoes of memory and the pastSensory depictions of urban (especially Osaka) landscapesGreat history seen from ordinary people's perspectives

Legacy

A rising young writer noted for blending historical fact and fiction. Winner of several major literary awards, with multiple adaptations for stage, manga, and television.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of Japan
  • Japan Historical Fiction Writers Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library of Japan (holdings/authority)

In Popular Culture

  • Hebo Samurai stage adaptation (OSK Nippon Kagekidan, 2023)
  • Hebo Samurai manga adaptation (Bunshun Online, 2023-)
  • Fireflies of the Shore TV drama (WOWOW, 2025 scheduled)

Quotes

  • I won't let people call it 'Hebo Samurai' anymore!
    Source: Kadokawa Bunshun interview (Matsumoto Seichō Prize acceptance) (2019)

Trivia

  • Active in ASCII art creation during university
  • Has an X (formerly Twitter) account (@calpistime)
  • Debuted with 'Hebo Samurai', winning the Matsumoto Seichō Prize