Subaru Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (1980) honorable mention
Akira Sasakura
ささくら あきら
Sasakura Akira
Pen Names:
Pra Akira Amaro（Used for Buddhist-related works after ordination）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1948-11-14 （Nishiwaki, Hyōgo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Theravada Buddhism Baptized in 2016 （Baptismal Name: Pra Akira Amaro）
- Residence History
- Nishiwaki, Hyōgo, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Chiang Mai, Thailand
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Singer-songwriter, Recording engineer, Studio/cafe owner, Buddhist monk (bhikkhu)
- Active Years
- 1980-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junshin Gakuin High School | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Waseda University, Faculty of Letters (First Department) | Faculty of Letters, First Department | Department of Literary Arts | — | — | Japan |
Junshin Gakuin High School
Country:
Japan
Waseda University, Faculty of Letters (First Department)
Faculty of Letters, First Department
/ Department of Literary Arts
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Subaru Literary Prize (Honorable Mention) | Those Who Crossed the Sea | 佳作 | Shueisha (Subaru Literary Prize) | 佳作入選 |
| 1988 | Suntory Mystery Award | Drift Trial | — | Suntory Mystery Award Selection Committee | 受賞 |
| 1989 | Naoki Prize | Murderer From a Distant Land | — | Naoki Prize Selection Committee | 受賞 |
Subaru Literary Prize (Honorable Mention)
1980
Work:
Those Who Crossed the Sea
Category:
佳作
Organization:
Shueisha (Subaru Literary Prize)
Result:
佳作入選
Suntory Mystery Award
1988
Work:
Drift Trial
Organization:
Suntory Mystery Award Selection Committee
Result:
受賞
Naoki Prize
1989
Work:
Murderer From a Distant Land
Organization:
Naoki Prize Selection Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Suntory Mystery Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (1988) grand prize
Naoki Sanjugo Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 101 (1989) award
Works
Major Works
Those Who Crossed the Sea
1981 NovelDebut novel depicting Japanese youths wandering abroad; originally recognized in the Subaru Literary Prize selection.
travelforeign landsyouth
Drift Trial
1988 MysteryA social mystery dealing with judicial and societal issues. Winner of the 6th Suntory Mystery Award.
crimejudiciarysocial issues
Murderer From a Distant Land
1989 Novel / MysteryA novel centered on a murder related to the 'Japan-yuki' phenomenon. Winner of the 101st Naoki Prize.
crimesocial backgroundinternational dynamics
Shin Yukiguni (New Snow Country)
1999 Novel (original) / ScreenplayWork for which he wrote the original and screenplay and was involved in production; a film adaptation was released in 2002. He also documented the production in 'Shin Yukiguni Production Notes'.
adaptationproductionliterature and film
Adaptations
- [Film] Shin Yukiguni (2002)
The Path to Ordination: Thai Buddhism I Met at the End of Suffering
2019 Non-fiction / EssayA memoir of his ordination experience in Chiang Mai (2016), published under the name Pra Akira Amaro.
Buddhismordinationspiritual questThailand
Old Writer Monk's Chiang Mai Alms-Begging Scenes
2024 EssayAn essay collection depicting alms rounds and daily life as a monk in Chiang Mai.
alms roundsmonastic lifeThailand
Bibliography
- Those Who Crossed the Sea
- Tokyo Refugee Incident
- Someone in Heaven Liked (later retitled 'Showa Champ: The Story of Tako Hachiro')
- Drift Trial
- Amsterdam Red-Light District
- Retaliation Connection
- Sad Homeland
- Murderer From a Distant Land
- Conditions of Separation
- Street Happy Man: The Case Files of Lawyer Koichi Nakamachi
- Female Victims
- Martel of a Foreign Land (retitled 'The Man Who Killed Me')
- The Straits of Women
- Nippon Learning
- Love Cases of Nippon
- Events at the White Mansion
- Bloom on the Desert Shore
- Boat Carrying Love
- On Ultra Romance: Toward an Era When Women Change Men
- How SMEs Succeed in the Philippines: 'The Pearl of the Orient' Is Hot and Delicious
- Presumed Guilty
- Sea of the Asian Mandala: Frank Words from a Changing Foreign Land
- The Final Truth: Into the Darkness of the 'Yamashita Treasure'
- 1998 World Cup: Soccer Drift Chronicle
- Great Roundtable: W University Faculty of Letters Creative Workshop Extra
- Shin Yukiguni (New Snow Country)
- Luang: The Years
- Traveler's Cape
- Biographies of Japanese Entrepreneurs (5 volumes)
- Flame Nursery Story: The Footsteps and Life of Kimie Hirooka
- Murder of the Shanghai Sham Marriage
- Shin Yukiguni Production Notes
- Rehabilitation: Masaaki Ikenaga — The Truth Behind 35 Years of Silence
- Love Dark Murder
- The Sorrow I Couldn't Tell Him
- See You Again, My Friend, My Homeland: The Essay World of Akira Sasakura
- The Path to Ordination: Thai Buddhism I Met at the End of Suffering
- Buddha's Teachings on Conquering the Two Major Dental Diseases (Periodontitis & Cavities)
- Buddha's Disciples: Nippon Grief and Joy Pilgrimage from Thailand — Two Shadows in Nara and Kyoto
- Old Writer Monk's Chiang Mai Alms-Begging Scenes
Adaptations
- Film 'Shin Yukiguni' (2002)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist social depictionsPlot construction incorporating mystery elementsStrong depiction of travel and foreign localesPlain, introspective tone in essays
- Recurring Motifs
- foreign landsjourneycrime and the judiciaryordination and Buddhismadaptation and production
Legacy
Active across multiple genres with a Naoki Prize-winning novel among his achievements. In later years he moved to Thailand and was ordained; he is also known for works about Buddhism and experiences abroad.
Trivia
- His bhikkhu name is Pra Akira Amaro.
- He moved to Thailand in 2005 and was ordained at Pan On Temple in Chiang Mai in 2016.
- 'Murderer From a Distant Land' won the 101st Naoki Prize.
- 'Drift Trial' won the 6th Suntory Mystery Award.
- He wrote the original and screenplay for 'Shin Yukiguni' and was heavily involved in its film production.