Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Haruna Terachi

てらち はるな

Terachi Haruna

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1977-01-01 （Karatsu, Saga, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Karatsu, Saga, Japan (birthplace) → Kadoma, Osaka, Japan (residence)

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2015-
Influenced By
Seiko Tanabe, Kaoruko Himeno, Kō Machida
Nominations
33rd Yamamoto Shūgorō Award (nominated) - Night Is Not Necessarily Dark (2020), 42nd Yoshikawa Eiji New Author Prize (nominated) - Sewing Water (2021), 10th Japan Love Story & Entertainment Award (finalist), 29th & 30th Dazai Osamu Prize (finalist, submitted under a pen name), Haruhiko Oyabu Prize (nominated) - We Don't Need Wings (2023)

Awards

Poplar Publishing Newcomer Novel Award
2014
Work: Violeta
Organization: Poplar Publishing
Result: Winner
Sakuya Konohana Prize (Literature - Other)
2020
Work: Night Is Not Necessarily Dark
Category: 文芸その他部門
Organization: City of Osaka
Result: Winner
Kawai Hayao Monogatari Prize
2021
Work: Sewing Water
Organization: Kawai Hayao Monogatari Award Committee
Result: Winner
Yoshikawa Eiji New Author Prize
2021
Work: Sewing Water
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize Committee
Result: Nominated
Yamamoto Shūgorō Award
2020
Work: Night Is Not Necessarily Dark
Organization: Yamamoto Shūgorō Award Committee
Result: Nominated
Booksellers Award (Honya Taisho)
2023
Work: Those Who Stand by the River
Organization: Booksellers Award Executive Committee
Result: 9th place
Haruhiko Oyabu Prize
2023
Work: We Don't Need Wings
Organization: Haruhiko Oyabu Prize Committee
Result: Nominated
Osaka Honma Hon Award
2024
Work: Hotaruishi Magical Land
Organization: Osaka Honma Hon Award Committee
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Violeta

2015 Fiction

Debut novel. An ensemble work addressing relationships and personal renewal.

renewalhuman relationshipsloneliness

Night Is Not Necessarily Dark

2019 Fiction

A novel depicting the shadows and recoveries of everyday life through multiple characters; shortlisted for the Yamamoto Shūgorō Award.

everyday liferenewalfamily

Sewing Water

2020 Fiction

A story of six families set in Neyagawa; received the Kawai Hayao Monogatari Prize and was nominated for the Yoshikawa Eiji New Author Prize.

familycommunitymemory

Hotaruishi Magical Land

2021 Fiction

After being released in paperback, this book won the Osaka Honma Hon Award. It blends fantastical elements with human drama.

fantasyeveryday lifeconnection

Those Who Stand by the River

2022 Fiction

A novel focused on locality and human relationships; ranked 9th in the Booksellers Award.

placeconnectionsgrowth

Bibliography

  • Violeta
  • In the Backyard of the Minato Hotel
  • Grapes of the Moon
  • Today's Honey, Tomorrow's Me
  • Even If I Have a Companion, I'm Alone
  • The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat
  • I Thought Adults Don't Cry
  • Right Love and an Ideal Son
  • Night Is Not Necessarily Dark
  • My Good Child
  • Where Hope Goes
  • Sewing Water
  • On Soft Sand
  • The Day She Stops Being an Angel
  • Why Am I Not That Child?
  • Hotaruishi Magical Land
  • Where the Voice Is
  • Stars of the Rainy Night
  • The Boat That Crosses a Glass Sea
  • We Who Can't Ride a Time Machine
  • Curry Time
  • Those Who Stand by the River
  • White Snow, Red Roses
  • We Don't Need Wings
  • If the Robins Were to Sing

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic prose that carefully depicts everyday detailsWarm and approachable narrative voice
Recurring Motifs
familylonelinessrenewalfragments of everyday life

Legacy

As a contemporary Japanese female novelist, she is known for carefully depicting family and community everyday life and has received multiple literary awards.

Quotes

  • After marrying I moved from Saga to Osaka and didn't have acquaintances; with small children and few people to talk to, I wanted to release the words that were accumulating inside me.
    Source: SankeiBiz (interview) (2015)

Trivia

  • Hobby: embroidery.
  • Began writing fiction at age 35 while working and managing household duties, later debuting as a novelist.
  • Under a pen name she had works reach the final selection for the Dazai Osamu Prize.
  • Official social accounts: X @terachi0109, Instagram @harunaterachi