Japanese Literary Awards

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Usami Makoto

うさみ まこと

Usami Makoto

Pen Names: Usami Makoto（Pen name used for publishing）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1957-05-27 （Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Horror writer, Mystery writer
Active Years
2007-
Memberships
Mystery Writers of Japan
Influenced By
Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Thomas H. Cook, Mariko Koike, Tomihiko Morimi, Hiroshi Ogiwara, Shion Miura, Shūsuke Michio
Nominations
Nominated for the 33rd Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize (Tenbōtō no Rapunzel)

Education

Matsuyama University (formerly Matsuyama University of Commerce)
Faculty of Humanities
Country: Japan

Awards

Yoo (Yū) Kaidan Literary Prize — Short Story Grand Prize
2006
Work: Runbini no Kodomo
Category: 短編部門大賞
Organization: Media Factory (Yoo Books)
Result: 受賞
Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Long-form & Linked Short Stories)
2017
Work: Gusha no Doku
Category: 長編および連作短編集部門
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
2020
Work: Tenbōtō no Rapunzel
Organization: Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
Result: 候補

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Runbini no Kodomo

2007 Horror / Short story collection

A short-story collection including the award-winning piece, featuring uncanny occurrences lurking within everyday life and the darker sides of human nature.

the uncannyrural settingsfamily

Gusha no Doku

2016 Mystery

A mystery novel intertwining distorted human psychology with incidents and uncanny elements.

human psychologyrevengesecrets

Black Swan Lake

2019 Mystery / Suspense

A suspenseful story set around a grand residence and human relationships, carefully depicting characters' psyches and their darker sides.

class differencesecretsmadness
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Black Swan Lake (2021)

Tenbōtō no Rapunzel

2019 Novel (Mystery / Literary)

A novel about mysteries tied to family and the past. It was nominated for the 33rd Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize.

familysecrets of the pastatonement

Bibliography

  • Runbini no Kodomo
  • Nijiiro no Dōwa
  • Irarazu no Mori
  • Gusha no Doku
  • The Hat with Horns
  • Ripe Moon
  • Mourning the Bones
  • Black Swan Lake
  • Tenbōtō no Rapunzel
  • Yumedai
  • Dragon's Tongue

Adaptations

  • Black Swan Lake — TV drama adaptation (WOWOW, 2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Depicts the dark sides of ordinary people through horror and mysteryQuiet yet tension-filled prose
Recurring Motifs
rural landscapesponds and watersideshome and familynight and darkness

Legacy

Known for horror and mystery works rooted in rural settings and ordinary people's psyches, she is an award-winning author lauded for revealing the unsettling elements hidden in everyday life.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of Japan

Archives

  • Holdings at the National Diet Library of Japan

In Popular Culture

  • Black Swan Lake adapted into a TV drama on WOWOW

Quotes

  • The hallmark of her style is the careful depiction of the process by which the uncanny creeps in and finds a place in the gaps created by distortions in human psychology.
    Source: Akuyuki Senga (critic) (2017)

Trivia

  • Real name is Murakami Kaori.
  • Began writing in her 40s and debuted after winning a prize around age 50.
  • Lives in Matsuyama and has handled household duties and bookkeeping for the family business.