Art Encouragement Prize for Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 19 (1969) award
Ken'yuki Ushijima
うしじま けんゆき
Ushijima Kenyuki
Pen Names:
Ken Ushijima（Used for short stories and columns）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1982-04-07 （Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Non-religious
- Residence History
- Fukuoka City (birth–2000) → Tokyo (2000–present)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Playwright, Essayist
- Active Years
- 2006-
- Affiliations
- Japan Writers' Club
- Memberships
- Japan Writers Association
- Influenced By
- Yasunari Kawabata, Haruki Murakami
- Influenced
- Several younger writers
- Nominations
- Naoki Prize nomination (2024)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tokyo | Faculty of Letters | Department of Japanese Literature | Bachelor of Arts | 2000–2004 | Japan |
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Period:
2000–2004
Year of Graduation:
2004
Country:
Japan
Began literary activities while an undergraduate
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | New Writers' Literary Prize | Memory of the Wind | — | Japan Literary Promotion Association | Winner |
| 2023 | Contemporary Literature Prize | House by the Sea | — | Contemporary Literature Prize Committee | Winner |
| 2017 | Short Story Prize | Door of the Night | — | Short Story Prize Committee | Finalist |
New Writers' Literary Prize
2019
Work:
Memory of the Wind
Organization:
Japan Literary Promotion Association
Result:
Winner
Contemporary Literature Prize
2023
Work:
House by the Sea
Organization:
Contemporary Literature Prize Committee
Result:
Winner
Short Story Prize
2017
Work:
Door of the Night
Organization:
Short Story Prize Committee
Result:
Finalist
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Memory of the Wind
2018 Novel 320 pagesA novel about a protagonist who left his hometown and confronts past memories on a path to renewal. Fragments of family life and seaside landscapes are depicted in layered prose.
MemoryLossFamily
Adaptations
- [Film] Memory of the Wind / 佐藤直樹 (2021)
Translations
- English edition: Memory of the Wind (tr. Emma Sato)
House by the Sea
2022 Novel 248 pagesA story of renewal where a protagonist returns to a small seaside town and, confronting past relationships, regains a sense of self.
SeaHomecomingRebirth
Adaptations
- [Stage Play] House by the Sea (stage adaptation) / 中村隆 (2024)
Translations
- Not yet published in English
Door of the Night
2016 Short story 48 pagesA short story revolving around a door that opens at night and fragments of memory encountered there. It portrays human solitude with quiet prose.
SolitudeMemoryNight
Translations
- Chinese edition: Door of the Night (tr. Li Hua)
Bibliography
- Memory of the Wind (2018)
- Door of the Night (2016)
- House by the Sea (2022)
- Short story collection 'Tide-Waiting' (2014)
Adaptations
- Memory of the Wind (film, 2021)
- House by the Sea (stage play, 2024)
Translations of Works
- Memory of the Wind — English
- Door of the Night — Chinese
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Quiet, restrained proseDetailed interior description combined with symbolic nature imagery
- Recurring Motifs
- seamemoryabandoned housesnightly silence
Legacy
A younger writer in contemporary Japanese literature noted for works exploring memory and renewal. His novels have been adapted for film and stage, broadening his readership.
Academic Societies
- Japanese Society for Modern and Contemporary Literature
Quotes
-
Memory does not disappear; it changes form and remains within us.
Source: Memory of the Wind (Author's afterword) (2018)
Trivia
- Was a member of the literary club during university.
- Has a habit of walking along the seaside before writing.