Naoki Sanjugo Award
1 appearances
Ryuzo Saki
さき りゅうぞう
Saki Ryuzo
Aliases:
小先 良三
Pen Names:
Ryuzo Saki（Pen name used for published works）,
Ryōzō Kosaki（Birth / legal name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1937-04-15 （Onseong-gun, Hamgyŏngbuk-do, Korea (then under Japanese rule)）
- Died
- 2015-10-31 （Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan） age 78
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Oda village, Takata District, Hiroshima (now Kōda, Akitakata City) → Yahata City (now Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka) → Higashi-Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo (began literary life in Tokyo) → Koza City (now Okinawa City), Okinawa Prefecture → Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture → Mojiku (Mojiko), Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Non-fiction writer, Essayist, Visiting / specially appointed professor, Honorary museum director
- Active Years
- 1961-2015
- Affiliations
- Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Literature (Director → Honorary Director), Kyushu International University (Visiting Professor), University of Kitakyushu (Specially appointed Professor)
- Memberships
- Japanese Communist Party (joined and later left), Yahata Steel Labor Union (union activist)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fukuoka Prefectural Yahata Chuo High School | — | — | — | 〜1956 | Japan |
Fukuoka Prefectural Yahata Chuo High School
Period:
〜1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
Japan
High school graduate; no university degree listed in available sources
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | New Japan Literary Prize | Jankenpon Kyōtei | — | Shobunsha | 受賞 |
| 1976 | Naoki Prize | Vengeance Is Mine | — | Naoki Prize selection committee | 受賞 |
| 1991 | Ito Sei Literary Prize | Mibunchō | — | Ito Sei Prize selection committee | 受賞 |
New Japan Literary Prize
1963
Work:
Jankenpon Kyōtei
Organization:
Shobunsha
Result:
受賞
Naoki Prize
1976
Work:
Vengeance Is Mine
Organization:
Naoki Prize selection committee
Result:
受賞
Ito Sei Literary Prize
1991
Work:
Mibunchō
Organization:
Ito Sei Prize selection committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Ito Sei Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1991) award
Works
Major Works
Vengeance Is Mine
1975 Novel (crime fiction)A crime novel based on real serial murders. Adapted into a film and awarded the Naoki Prize; one of his best-known works.
CrimeRevengeLaw and human nature
Adaptations
- [Film] Vengeance Is Mine / 今村昌平 (1979)
Mibunchō
1990 NovelA novel dealing with identity and personal/social status; recipient of the Ito Sei Literary Prize.
IdentityPersonal historySociety
Adaptations
- [Film (original idea)] A Wonderful World / 西川美和 (2021)
First and Second Instance Death Sentence, Remaining Questions: The Beppu 300 Million Yen Insurance Murder Case
1985 Non-fiction (reportage)A reportage-style non-fiction book on the Beppu 300 million yen insurance murder case, examining unresolved questions using court materials.
True crime reportingJusticeDeath penalty
The Miracle of Joe the Tern
1980 NovelA character-driven novel that was later adapted into a film.
Human dramaFate
Adaptations
- [Film] The Miracle of Joe the Tern / 藤田敏八 (1984)
Bibliography
- Jankenpon Kyōtei (1965)
- The Great Strike (1976)
- Vengeance Is Mine (1975)
- To the Wasteland (1979)
- One Hundred Scenes of Crime (1979)
- The Miracle of Joe the Tern (1980)
- First and Second Instance Death Sentence, Remaining Questions (1985)
- A Man's Responsibility: The High School Girl / OL Serial Kidnapping-Murder Case (1987)
- Mibunchō (1990)
- Reading the Aum Trials (1996)
- Lives Inside the Courtroom (1997)
- The Murderers I Met (2012)
Adaptations
- Vengeance Is Mine (film, 1979)
- The Miracle of Joe the Tern (film, 1984)
- Run South, the Sea Road! (film, 1986)
- A Wonderful World (based on Mibunchō; film released 2021)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Reportage-like, fact-focused proseConcise, hard-edged writingField-oriented, research-driven approach
- Recurring Motifs
- Crime and the humanity of defendantsCourtroom and trialsRevenge and grudgesLabor and social contradictions
Health
-
Hypopharyngeal cancer〜2015年（末期、2015年死去）He died of hypopharyngeal cancer in 2015; the illness ended his creative activities.
Legacy
A socially engaged writer known for crime reportage and courtroom reportage. His works were adapted into films and he frequently appeared as a commentator on trials, influencing public discussion of legal and criminal matters.
Museums
- Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Literature Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
Archives
- NHK Archives (profile and interviews)
- National Diet Library (holds his publications)
In Popular Culture
- Film 'Vengeance Is Mine' (1979)
- Film 'A Wonderful World' (based on Mibunchō; released 2021)
Trivia
- Born in Onseong-gun, Hamgyongbuk-do, Korea (then under Japanese rule).
- Reportedly witnessed the mushroom cloud over Hiroshima at the end of WWII.
- Arrest and detention in Okinawa (1972) influenced his turn toward crime writing.
- His novel 'Vengeance Is Mine' was adapted to film and brought him wide recognition.
- 'The High School Girl / OL Serial Kidnapping-Murder Case' led to a libel lawsuit; he and the publisher ultimately lost in court.
- His ashes were scattered in the Kanmon Straits.