Japanese Literary Awards

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Shunsaku Kira

きら しゅんさく

Kira Shunsaku

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1957-01-01 （Koga, Ibaraki, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Horror writer
Active Years
2006-

Education

Ibaraki Prefectural Koga Third High School
Country: Japan
Sophia University
Faculty of Economics
Country: Japan

Awards

Horror Suspense Grand Prize
2005
Work: Kitai
Organization: Horror Suspense Grand Prize
Result: Winner
Asahi Historical Novel Award
2013
Work: Hiotoko (Fire Man)
Organization: Asahi Shimbun Publications
Result: Winner
Historical and Period Writers Club Prize
2014
Work: Hiotoko (Fire Man)
Category: 新人賞
Organization: Historical and Period Writers Club
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kitai

2006 Horror suspense

Debut novel. A horror-suspense long-form work characterized by gloomy depictions related to death and burial and a tense narrative voice. Later republished in paperback under the title "Last Cemetery."

HorrorDeathSuspenseSecrets of community

Red Dead Line

2009 Suspense / Thriller

A suspense-driven novel. It was later retitled and released in paperback as "Akai Ito" (Red Thread).

CausalityHuman relationshipsViolence

On the Night of the Festival, Across the River

2010 Horror / Suspense

A work that includes novellas/short long stories set in regional locales, depicting unsettling events on a festival night. It reflects the darker sides of local communities.

Dark sides of communityFearLocal folklore

Hiotoko (Fire Man)

2013 Historical novel / Jidaishosetsu

A historical novel set in the Muromachi period. Incorporating depictions based on historical facts, it examines human nature and the violence of the era. It won the 5th Asahi Historical Novel Award.

HistoryMuromachi periodPower and violenceHuman nature

Flames Run

2021 Historical / Period fiction

Published in 2021 as part of a period-fiction paperback series. The work features historical setting-based narration and motifs related to fire, recurring in the author's writing.

FireHistorical contextRevenge and power

Bibliography

  • Kitai (Gentosha, 2006) — later republished as "Last Cemetery" (paperback, 2009)
  • Red Dead Line (Gentosha, 2009) — retitled / paperback as "Akai Ito" (2011)
  • On the Night of the Festival, Across the River (Gentosha, 2010)
  • Hiotoko (Fire Man) (Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2013)
  • Flames Run (Gentosha, Period Fiction Paperback, 2021)
  • "I Lied" (short story) in Seven Whispers of the Dead (anthology, Shinchosha paperback, 2008)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed historical research-based narrationTense narrative voice incorporating horror elementsDepictions of the dark sides of communities
Recurring Motifs
Fire / flamesDeath and burialSecrets of communityCausality and bonds

Legacy

Recognized for bridging horror and historical fiction; after debut recognition he has also received major awards in the historical-novel field. Noted for regional settings combined with careful historical depiction.

Academic Societies

  • Historical and Period Writers Club

Trivia

  • Born in 1957 in Koga, Ibaraki.
  • Graduated from Sophia University, Faculty of Economics.
  • Won the 6th Horror Suspense Grand Prize in 2005 and debuted in 2006 with "Kitai."
  • Won the 5th Asahi Historical Novel Award in 2013 for "Hiotoko" and the Historical and Period Writers Club Prize (Newcomer) in 2014.