Japanese Literary Awards

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Shin Tendo

てんどう しん

Tendō Shin

Aliases: 遠藤 晋
Pen Names: Takami Hisako（Pseudonym used for some editions (e.g. Rippu Shobo and Tokuma Bunko editions)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1915-08-08 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
1983-01-25 （Japan） age 67
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo (birthplace) → Chiba Prefecture (postwar residence as a settler/farmer)

Career

Occupations
Mystery writer, Novelist, Lecturer, Reporter
Active Years
1962-1983
Influenced By
Utaiji Oshita (recommended by)
Nominations
Edogawa Rampo Prize (finalist)

Education

Tokyo Imperial University (University of Tokyo)
Faculty of Letters (Japanese literature) / Department of Japanese Literature
Country: Japan
Reported graduate of Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo), Faculty of Letters; exact graduation year not specified

Awards

Bouseki Prize (Honorable Mention)
1962
Work: Shinyu-ki (Friend's Memoir)
Organization: Bouseki (magazine)
Result: honorable mention
Bouseki Prize (2nd Prize)
1963
Work: Taka to Tobi (The Hawk and the Kite)
Organization: Bouseki (magazine)
Result: winner
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
1979
Work: Dai Yūkai (The Great Kidnapping)
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Merry Suspects

1963 Mystery

An early novel characterized by humor, wit, clever setups and surprising plot developments.

HumorSurprising plot twistsNuances of human relationships

The Hawk and the Kite

1963 Mystery

Award-winning work in the Bouseki Prize; contains linked short pieces and was praised for its skillful situations.

Public vs private lifeCunning and justice

The Great Kidnapping

1978 Mystery/Crime

A novel centered on a kidnapping, winner of the Mystery Writers of Japan Award; noted for tense developments and structure.

KidnappingHuman psychologyTense plotting

Inside Death

1963 Mystery

An early work mixing mystery elements with human drama, presented as a collection of short and mid-length pieces.

DeathPsychological portrait of perpetrators

Bibliography

  • The Merry Suspects
  • Inside Death
  • Dull Thud
  • Massacre Party
  • Invitation to Murder
  • My Master Is Satan
  • Background of Flame
  • The Murderer Who Vanished into a Blind Spot
  • The Great Kidnapping
  • Zetsumeishi: Selected Mystery Stories
  • Night of the Good People
  • With Distant Eyes
  • Me, Midsummer and a Spy
  • Crime Instructor
  • Witness in the Clouds
  • Perfect Divorce
  • Guide to Paradise
  • Sunday Detective
  • Friend's Memoir
  • Men Who Pick Up Stars
  • We, the Murderers
  • Tall and University of Tokyo Graduate
  • Crime Is for Two
  • Dead When We Meet

Adaptations

  • Letter - Invitation to Murder - (TV drama adaptation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Humorous and witty proseSkillful scenario/situation constructionPlot developments that surprise the reader
Recurring Motifs
Surprising tricksCrime lurking behind everyday lifeSubtle human psychology

Legacy

Though not prolific, he was known for a humorous and witty style; many of his works have been reissued by Sogen Mystery Bunko and others. A winner of the Mystery Writers of Japan Award, he is regarded as a notable figure in postwar Japanese mystery fiction.

Archives

  • Sogen Mystery Bunko (collected editions)
  • Publisher archives (publication records)

Trivia

  • Real name: Endo Susumu (遠藤 晋).
  • Some editions (Rippu Shobo, Tokuma Bunko) used the pen name Takami Hisako.
  • Best-known work 'The Great Kidnapping' won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award.