Japanese Literary Awards

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Tow Ubukata

うぶかた とう

Ubukata Tow

Aliases: 藤野 峰男
Pen Names: Tow Ubukata（Primary pen name used for novels and screenplays）, Rui Kumoi（Alternative pen name used for some works (e.g., 'Harei' published under this name)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1977-02-14 （Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan (birthplace) → Singapore (aged 4–9) → Nepal (aged 10–14) → Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (current residence)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Screenwriter
Active Years
1996-
Affiliations
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
Memberships
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
Influenced By
Baku Yumemakura, Kaoru Kurimoto
Influenced
Ryo Yoshikami
Nominations
Sense of Gender Award (nominee), Naoki Prize (nominee), Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Award (nominee)

Education

Waseda University
School of Letters, Arts and Sciences I
Period: 在学中に中退
Country: Japan
Started writing while enrolled and withdrew from the university after debuting.

Awards

Sneaker Awards (1st)
1996
Work: Black Season
Category: 金賞
Organization: Kadokawa Shoten
Result: winner
Japan SF Award (24th)
2003
Work: Mardock Scramble
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
Result: winner
Sense of Gender Award (nominee)
2004
Work: Mardock Scramble
Result: nominated
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award (31st)
2010
Work: Tenchi Meisatsu
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award Committee
Result: winner
Booksellers Award (Hon'ya Taisho)
2010
Work: Tenchi Meisatsu
Organization: Hon'ya Taisho Committee
Result: winner
Hokuto Literary Award
2010
Work: Tenchi Meisatsu
Organization: Hokuto Literary Award Committee
Result: winner
Funahashi Seiichi Literary Award (4th)
2010
Work: Tenchi Meisatsu
Organization: Funahashi Seiichi Literary Award Committee
Result: winner
University Readers' Award (4th)
2011
Work: Tenchi Meisatsu
Organization: University Readers' Award Committee
Result: winner
Yamada Fūtarō Award (3rd)
2012
Work: Mitsukuni-den
Organization: Yamada Fūtarō Award Committee
Result: winner
Naoki Prize (nominee)
2010
Work: Tenchi Meisatsu
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: nominated
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Award (nominee)
2010
Work: Tenchi Meisatsu
Organization: Nakayama Yoshihide Award Committee
Result: nominated
Booksellers Award (nominee)
2013
Work: Mitsukuni-den
Organization: Hon'ya Taisho Committee
Result: nominated
Naoki Prize (nominee)
2017
Work: 12 Suicidal Teens
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: nominated
High School Naoki Prize (nominee)
2017
Work: 12 Suicidal Teens
Organization: High School Naoki Prize Committee
Result: nominated
Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Award (nominee)
2019
Work: Kirinji
Organization: Nakayama Yoshihide Award Committee
Result: nominated
Naoki Prize (nominee)
2023
Work: Kokkai
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: nominated

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Black Season

1996 Novel (light novel category)

Debut novel; won the Sneaker Awards top prize.

debut workcoming-of-age

Bye-Bye, Earth

2000 Science Fiction

A science-fiction novel notable for inventive coinages and distinctive world-building.

language and expressionworld-building
Adaptations
  • [Manga] Bye-Bye, Earth / 麻日隆 (2020)

Mardock Scramble

2003 Science Fiction

A hard-SF thriller dealing with technology and crime; highly acclaimed by critics and readers.

cyborgsethicscrime
Adaptations
  • [Theatrical animation] Mardock Scramble (2010)

Tenchi Meisatsu

2009 Historical fiction

A historical novel about calendar-making in the Edo period; won multiple literary awards.

historyastronomycraftsmanship
Adaptations
  • [Live-action film] Tenchi Meisatsu (2012)

Mitsukuni-den

2012 Historical fiction

A major historical novel centered on Tokugawa Mitsukuni; winner of the Yamada Fūtarō Award.

historypowerbiographical fiction
Adaptations
  • [Manga] Mitsukuni-den / 三宅乱丈 (2012)

12 Suicidal Teens

2016 Contemporary fiction

An ensemble novel about youths planning a mass suicide; adapted into a live-action film.

deathyouthsocial issues
Adaptations
  • [Live-action film] 12 Suicidal Teens (2019)

Bibliography

  • Black Season
  • Bye-Bye, Earth
  • Mardock Scramble
  • Tenchi Meisatsu
  • Mitsukuni-den
  • Hana to Yume
  • 12 Suicidal Teens
  • Kenju-sho
  • Moonrise
  • Kirinji
  • Kokkai

Adaptations

  • Mardock Scramble (Theatrical anime, 2010)
  • Tenchi Meisatsu (Live-action film, 2012)
  • 12 Suicidal Teens (Live-action film, 2019)
  • Bye-Bye, Earth (Manga adaptation, 2020–)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Inventive orthography and frequent coinagesExperimental, sometimes symbolic prose using unusual punctuation
Recurring Motifs
battle-ready young heroinesfocus on language and orthographyfusion of history and science

Legacy

A writer active across science fiction and historical fiction, recognized through multiple awards and screen adaptations.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)

In Popular Culture

  • Many works have been adapted into manga, anime, and live-action films
  • Known to general readers through paperback editions and book awards

Quotes

  • The nine days I was confined
    Source: Weekly Playboy (detention memoir) (2016)

Trivia

  • Also published under the pen name Rui Kumoi
  • Debuted with 'Black Season', winning the Sneaker Awards top prize
  • Spent childhood years in Singapore and Nepal
  • Resides in Fukushima City
  • Likes Red Bull
  • Arrested in 2015 on an allegation but later not prosecuted