Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Kazuya Sugawara

すがはら かずや

Sugawara Kazuya

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1988-01-01 （Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Mystery writer
Active Years
2012-
Influenced By
Seishu Hase, Masayuki Shuno

Awards

Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award
2012
Work: Now, Fall into Hell
Organization: Kadokawa Shoten
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Now, Fall into Hell

2012 Noir / Mystery

A dark noir novel dealing with transgressive themes such as SM and body modification. It won the 32nd Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award and served as Sugawara's debut.

SMBody modificationViolenceNoirUrban darkness

CUT

2013 Mystery / Noir

A novel centered on dark human dramas and depictions of violence; contains elements akin to a collection of short and mid-length stories.

ViolenceRevengeCrime

Ruckus in the Coffin

2014 Mystery

An unusual mystery depicting the frenzy surrounding death and corpses. Later republished in paperback under the title 'No Living Person Needed in the Coffin.'

DeathMadnessRitual

Blood and Chocolate

2016 Mystery

A mystery novel containing dark and grotesque elements, exploring human desire and violence.

DesireViolenceHuman relationships

You Cannot See Through Lies

2017 Mystery

A psychological suspense about lies and truth, focusing on character psychology.

LiesPsychologyTrust

Let's Count Your Sins

2018 Mystery

A work with elements of a short-story collection, themed around sin and atonement.

SinAtonementMorality

Bibliography

  • Now, Fall into Hell
  • CUT
  • Ruckus in the Coffin
  • Blood and Chocolate
  • You Cannot See Through Lies
  • Let's Count Your Sins

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Dark, cool noir-style proseDirect and transgressive descriptions
Recurring Motifs
SMBody modificationViolenceUrban darkness

Legacy

Debuted after winning the Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award at a young age; known for strong noir tendencies and transgressive subject matter. His 2012 award drew attention as one of the youngest winners of the prize at the time.

Trivia

  • After dropping out of high school he worked at a Japanese restaurant, as a bartender in a piano bar, and as a cabaret boy.
  • Won the 32nd Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award in 2012; at age 24 was the youngest recipient of the prize at that time.
  • Has said that reading Masayuki Shuno's 'Hasami Otoko' (The Scissor Man) prompted him to start writing novels.