Japanese Literary Awards

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Ken Shiotani

しおたに けん

Shiotani Ken

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1978-03-29 （Kyoto Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2021-
Affiliations
Mystery Writers of Japan, Henka Mystery Writers Club
Memberships
Mystery Writers of Japan, Henka Mystery Writers Club
Nominations
63rd Mephisto Prize (winner), 46th Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award (nominee), 25th Honkaku Mystery Award (nominee, novel), 78th Mystery Writers of Japan Award (nominee)

Awards

Mephisto Prize (63rd)
2021
Work: Switch: The Experiment of Malice
Organization: Kodansha (Mephisto)
Result: winner
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award (46th)
2025
Work: The Count and the Three Coffins
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Award Committee
Result: nominee
Honkaku Mystery Award (25th, Novel)
2025
Work: The Count and the Three Coffins
Category: 小説部門
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Award Committee
Result: nominee
Mystery Writers of Japan Award (78th, Long Novel / Linked Short Stories)
2025
Work: The Count and the Three Coffins
Category: 長編および連作短編集部門
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: nominee

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Switch: The Experiment of Malice

2021 Mystery

Mephisto Prize-winning debut. A tale of interlinked mysteries and psychological confrontations revolving around a malicious "experiment."

maliceexperimentationpsychological

Jikuhan (Time-Space Offender)

2021 Mystery

Second novel featuring a tricky time-based plot; ranked #1 in RealSound's 2021 domestic mystery top 10.

timetrickparadox

Endroll

2022 Mystery

Published in 2022. A work that unfolds truth through successive events and excavation of the past; appeared in year-end mystery rankings.

memoryendingtruth

For All Roses

2022 Mystery

A collection of short and mid-length stories exploring relationships, guilt, and the symbolism of roses.

human relationshipsguiltsymbolism

The Minotaur Phenomenon

2024 Mystery

A novel treating strange phenomena and labyrinthine motifs; featured in 2025 mystery rankings.

strange phenomenalabyrinthscience

The Count and the Three Coffins

2024 Mystery

A long novel blending gothic elements and classic locked-room motifs; after publication it was shortlisted for multiple literary awards.

locked-roomgothicdetective fiction

The Detective Returns

2025 Mystery

Published in 2025. An ambitious work that reexamines the detective archetype.

detective archetypeparadigmpuzzle-solving

Bibliography

  • Switch: The Experiment of Malice
  • Jikuhan (Time-Space Offender)
  • Endroll
  • For All Roses
  • The Minotaur Phenomenon
  • The Count and the Three Coffins
  • The Detective Returns
  • Started Keeping a Black Cat (contains "Wife's Black Cat")
  • Honkaku King 2023 (contains "Memoirs of 20XX")
  • It Was the First Time I Lied (contains "Invisible Man")
  • This Will Be My Last Job (contains "God's False Charge")
  • But I Told You to Throw It Away (contains "Misunderstanding")
  • A New Law Was Made (contains "Naming")
  • Honkaku King 2025 (contains "Concept Detective")

Style & Themes

Literary Style
plot-driven, classic puzzle-mystery orientationmeasured, restrained prosenon-standard/henka mystery approaches
Recurring Motifs
time/space paradoxeslocked-room and labyrinth structuresmoral ambiguity and malice

Legacy

Since debuting with the Mephisto Prize, he has emerged as a notable new voice in non-standard mystery; his works have appeared in multiple year-end rankings and attracted critical attention.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of Japan

Archives

  • National Diet Library authority (ID: 031440735)
  • VIAF (ID: 27162178710207850280)

In Popular Culture

  • Weekly Bunshun Mystery Best 10 (2024) — 'The Count and the Three Coffins' ranked #18
  • Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! (2023) — 'Endroll' ranked #31
  • Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! (2025) — 'The Count and the Three Coffins' #5; 'The Minotaur Phenomenon' #37
  • Honkaku Mystery Best 10 (2025) — 'The Count and the Three Coffins' ranked #4

Trivia

  • Born 1978-03-29 in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.
  • Debuted in 2021 after winning the 63rd Mephisto Prize.
  • Member of the Mystery Writers of Japan and the Henka Mystery Writers Club.
  • Maintains an official account on X (formerly Twitter) (@siotaniken).