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Kenichi Yamamoto

やまもと けんいち

Yamamoto Ken'ichi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1956-07-23 （Kyoto, Japan）
Died
2014-02-13 （Kyoto, Japan） age 57
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kyoto, Japan

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2002-2014
Influenced By
Yamamoto Yuiitsu, Matsuo Basho
Nominations
132nd Naoki Prize nominee (Katen no Shiro, 2005), 13th Nakayama Yoshihide Literary Prize nominee (Raijin no Tsutsu, 2007), 139th Naoki Prize nominee (Senryō Hanayome, 2008), 2nd 'Bookstore-Selected Historical Novel Award' nominee (Shinbaga Shisubeshi, 2012), 3rd 'Bookstore-Selected Historical Novel Award' nominee (Kachō no Yume, 2013)

Education

Doshisha University
Faculty of Letters / Department of Cultural Studies (Aesthetics and Art Studies)
Country: Japan
Graduated from Doshisha University Faculty of Letters, Department of Cultural Studies (Aesthetics and Art Studies).

Awards

Shōsetsu NON 150th Issue Short Historical Fiction Prize (Honorable Mention)
1999
Work: Danjō no Taka
Organization: Shōsetsu NON (magazine)
Result: 佳作
Matsumoto Seicho Prize
2004
Work: Katen no Shiro
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
2009
Work: Ask Rikyu
Result: 受賞
Weekly Asahi Historical / Jidaigeki Best 10 (No.1)
2011
Work: Gin no Shima
Organization: Weekly Asahi
Result: 第1位

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Sengoku Hiroku: Shirataka-den

2002 Jidaigeki / Historical fiction

Debut novel set in the Sengoku period.

Sengoku periodsamuraiintrigue

Katen no Shiro

2004 Jidaigeki / Historical fiction

A historical novel set around the construction of Azuchi Castle, portraying the struggles of craftsmen and those in power.

castle constructioncraftsmenpower
Adaptations
  • [Film] Katen no Shiro (2009)
Translations
  • Katen no Shiro

Ask Rikyu

2008 Historical fiction / Jidaigeki

Centered on the tea master Sen no Rikyu, the novel explores the world of tea, aesthetics, and relationships with power.

tea ceremonyaestheticspower
Adaptations
  • [Film] Ask Rikyu (2013)
Translations
  • Ask Rikyu

Gin no Shima

2011 Historical fiction

A long historical novel drawing on historical facts and traditions.

historyhuman drama

Nobunaga Must Die

2012 Historical fiction

A historical novel centered on Oda Nobunaga.

Sengoku periodpower

Kachō no Yume

2013 Historical fiction

A work that includes stories based on historical figures and events.

historycharacter portrayal

Bibliography

  • Sengoku Hiroku: Shirataka-den
  • Katen no Shiro
  • Raijin no Tsutsu
  • Isshin Kotetsu
  • Danjō no Taka
  • Senryō Hanayome — Tobikiriya Mitate-chō
  • Kuruizaki Masamune — Tōken-shō Chōjiya Mitsusaburō
  • Ask Rikyu
  • Zipangu Island Discovery
  • Ee Mon Hitotsu — Tobikiriya Mitate-chō
  • Inochi mo Irazu Na mo Irazu
  • Gin no Shima
  • Shinpen — En no Ozunu Emaki
  • Ōgon no Tachi — Tōken-shō Chōjiya Mitsusaburō
  • Akae Sōmen — Tobikiriya Mitate-chō
  • Ore wa Kiyomaro
  • Nobunaga Must Die
  • Marishiten — Ginchiyo-hime
  • Kachō no Yume
  • Rikyu no Chashaku
  • Shura Hashiru Sekigahara
  • Shinjū Shigure Yoshiwara
  • Yume wo Makoto ni
  • Is 'Saikō' Now? Charisma Fukunaga Hōgen and the 'Saikō' Sect
  • Landscapes of Rikyu
  • Work Hits the Heart: Words of Swordsmith Kawachi Kunihei

Adaptations

  • Katen no Shiro (film adaptation, 2009)
  • Ask Rikyu (film adaptation, 2013)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Rich, historically grounded narrativeDetailed character and scene descriptions
Recurring Motifs
tea ceremonyswordscraftsmenpower and aesthetics

Health

  • Lung adenocarcinoma
    2012-2014
    Hospitalized in 2012 for lung cancer; condition worsened in late 2013 leading to re-hospitalization. Continued writing from his sickbed and died in February 2014.

Legacy

Regarded as a prominent author of contemporary historical and jidaigeki fiction. Winner of major literary awards for works such as Katen no Shiro and Ask Rikyu, with several novels adapted for film. Noted for realistic historical depiction and a strong concern for aesthetics.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (Japan)

In Popular Culture

  • Katen no Shiro (film)
  • Ask Rikyu (film)

Trivia

  • His father was Kokubungaku scholar Yuiitsu Yamamoto (professor emeritus at Otani University).
  • Died at age 57 on February 13, 2014, of primary left upper lobe lung adenocarcinoma.
  • He sent the final installment of his serialization approximately five and a half hours before his death.
  • Major works such as Katen no Shiro and Ask Rikyu have been adapted for film.