Edogawa Ranpo Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 36 (1990) award
Ryo Toba
とば りょう
Toba Ryo
Aliases:
鳥羽 貴徳
Pen Names:
Ryo Toba（Pen name used for fiction）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1946-08-31 （Nogami, Chichibu District, Saitama Prefecture, Japan (now Nagatoro)）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Nogami, Chichibu District (now Nagatoro), Saitama Prefecture, Japan → Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, Japan (worked as elementary school teacher)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Writer, Former elementary school teacher
- Active Years
- 1990-
- Affiliations
- Japan PEN Club, Mystery Writers of Japan
- Memberships
- Japan PEN Club, Mystery Writers of Japan
- Influenced By
- Edogawa Rampo, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Seicho Matsumoto, Tsutomu Mizukami, Shinpei Kusano, Ellery Queen, S. S. Van Dine
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saitama University | Faculty of Education | Department of Education | — | 1964-1968 | Japan |
Saitama University
Faculty of Education
/ Department of Education
Period:
1964-1968
Year of Graduation:
1968
Country:
Japan
Graduated
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Edogawa Rampo Prize | The Murder Case of the Way of the Sword | — | — | Joint winner |
| 2012 | Historical/Jidai Writers Club Award (Series Award) | Series award | シリーズ賞 | — | Winner |
Edogawa Rampo Prize
1990
Work:
The Murder Case of the Way of the Sword
Result:
Joint winner
Historical/Jidai Writers Club Award (Series Award)
2012
Work:
Series award
Category:
シリーズ賞
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Historical Period Writers Club Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2012) award
Works
Major Works
The Murder Case of the Way of the Sword
1990 Mystery/Detective fictionA mystery novel centered on kendo; the work with which Toba made his debut, winning the Edogawa Rampo Prize.
kendomysteryhuman bonds
The Sword of the Three Demons
1994 Historical fiction (jidaigeki)A swordsman novel that incorporates mystery elements; one of the key works in a series depicting historical and fictional swordsmen.
swordsmanshipmysteryEdo period
Detective Agency
1993 Suspense/MysteryA series featuring a private detective; published by Kadokawa and later adapted into a TV drama.
detectivelocked-roomsuspense
Adaptations
- [TV drama] Detective Agency (1994)
Swordsmen of Sekigahara
2007 Historical fictionPublished to mark the author's 100th book; contains short stories and essays depicting the Battle of Sekigahara and its swordsmen.
Sengoku periodswordsmenhistory
Bibliography
- The Murder Case of the Way of the Sword
- The Murder Sword of Isshinkan
- Detective Agency (series)
- The Sword of the Three Demons
- Swordsmen of Sekigahara
- Kenkaku Shunjū (series)
- Yami no Yōjinbō (series)
- Marohoshi Ginji Investigations (series)
- Kenkaku Dōshin: Oni Hayato (series)
- Swordsmen of Sekigahara
Adaptations
- Detective Agency (TV drama, starring Yutaka Mizutani, Asahi's Saturday Wide Theater)
- Keishicho Nanpei-han: Seven Detectives (TV drama, TBS)
- Akatsuki no Inu (manga adaptation; original: Hissatsu-ken Sōdō)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- blend of historical fiction and mysteryrealistic depictions of swordsmanshipnarrative emphasizing human bonds
- Recurring Motifs
- swords and swordsmanshipties within Edo-period townspeople and samurai societyrevenge, ghosts, fatementor–pupil relationships
Legacy
A prolific writer who moves between historical fiction and mystery, known for detailed swordsmanship scenes and stories of human bonds. He won the Edogawa Rampo Prize and other awards; by 2017 his bibliography exceeded 300 titles.
Academic Societies
- Japan PEN Club
- Mystery Writers of Japan
- Japan Artists' Association (Bungei)
Archives
- National Diet Library - author record (NDL ID: 00201222)
- VIAF (VIAF ID: 259585063)
In Popular Culture
- TV drama adaptations (e.g. 'Detective Agency')
- Manga adaptations (e.g. 'Akatsuki no Inu', based on 'Hissatsu-ken Sōdō')
Quotes
-
If you can still stand, you can do it.
Source: Words of his high-school kendo coach (recounted by the author) (1996) -
He does not strictly distinguish between mystery novels and period novels.
Source: Author remark (biography/interviews) (1990)
Trivia
- He began writing while working as an elementary school teacher.
- Won the 36th Edogawa Rampo Prize in 1990 for 'The Murder Case of the Way of the Sword' (joint winner with Yoichi Abe).
- Has kendo experience and attained 3rd dan while at university.
- By 2017 his bibliography exceeded 300 works.
- Started writing in his 40s to practice using a word processor.