Japanese Literary Awards

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Masaki Yamada

やまだ まさき

Yamada Masaki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-01-16 （Nagoya, Aichi, Japan）
Died
null
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nagoya, Aichi, Japan → Kibbutz, Israel

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
1974-
Affiliations
The Mystery Writers of Japan, Honkaku Mystery Writers Club, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ), Japan Adventure Writers Club (former member)
Memberships
Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan (served as 9th secretary-general and 12th president), Mystery Writers of Japan, Honkaku Mystery Writers Club, Japan Adventure Writers Club (former member)
Influenced By
John W. Campbell

Education

Meiji University
Faculty of Political Science and Economics
Country: Japan
Took a one-year leave during university and traveled abroad (including a kibbutz in Israel).

Awards

Seiun Award
1975
Work: Kamikari (God-Hunt)
Category: 日本短編部門
Organization: Seiun Award (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award
1978
Work: Eld Analysis (Earth: Psychoanalysis Record)
Category: 日本長編部門
Organization: Seiun Award (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award
1980
Work: The Jewel Thief
Category: 日本長編部門
Organization: Seiun Award (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Japan SF Award
1982
Work: The Last Enemy
Organization: Japan SF Award (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award
1995
Work: Kishin Heidan (Machine-God Army)
Category: 日本長編部門
Organization: Seiun Award (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Honkaku Mystery Award
2002
Work: Mystery Opera: The Murder at Shukumeijo Castle
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result: 受賞
Mystery Writers of Japan Award
2002
Work: Mystery Opera: The Murder at Shukumeijo Castle
Organization: Mystery Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kamikari (God-Hunt)

1975 Science fiction

Debut work; one of the pieces in the 'God' series, dealing with themes of deities and mythic conflict.

godsreligiosityadventure

Kishin Heidan (Machine-God Army)

1990 Science fiction / Alternate military history

A grand-scale military SF series characterized by hard ideas and large-scale combat depictions.

warmachinesalternate history

Mystery Opera: The Murder at Shukumeijo Castle

2001 Mystery

Part of the Opera trilogy; an ambitious work incorporating classical honkaku-mystery elements.

puzzle-solvingclassical mysterytheatricality

Bibliography

  • Kamikari (God-Hunt)
  • Glacier People (Drift Ice People)
  • The Jewel Thief
  • Kishin Heidan (series)
  • Mystery Opera: The Murder at Shukumeijo Castle

Adaptations

  • Otorisousakan / Kitami Shiho (TV drama adaptation, Saturday Wide Theater)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Hard-SF approach centered on solid conceptual ideasA style combining entertainment value with strong structural constructionOccasionally complex and abstract expression
Recurring Motifs
godslost worldsmilitary/armored forcesthe five senses and their variations (five-sense mystery)

Legacy

One of the representatives of Japan's second generation of SF writers. He has produced works across SF, mystery and adventure genres and has received numerous major awards.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
  • Mystery Writers of Japan

In Popular Culture

  • Works such as the 'Otorisousakan / Kitami Shiho' series have been adapted for television; several works have appeared in popular-media formats.

Quotes

  • Imagine what cannot be imagined.
    Source: Interview / statement around debut

Trivia

  • Aspired to be a manga artist as a child.
  • Took a one-year leave from university and lived at a kibbutz in Israel.
  • Debuted in 1974 with 'Kamikari' published in SF Magazine.
  • Served as the 9th secretary-general and 12th president of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan (later left and rejoined in 2021).