Japanese Literary Awards

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Yumemakura Baku

ゆめまくら ばく

Yumemakura Baku

Pen Names: Yumemakura Baku（Primary pen name used in literary and public activities; inspired by the legendary dream-eating creature 'baku' and the desire to write dreamlike stories.）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1951-01-01 （Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Essayist, Photographer
Active Years
1977-
Memberships
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
Influenced
Reiko Okano, Jiro Taniguchi, Keisuke Itagaki, Sei Ito

Education

Tokai University
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese Literature
Country: Japan
Graduated from Tokai University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Japanese Literature; attended Kanagawa Prefectural Yamakita High School prior.

Awards

Japan SF Grand Prize
1989
Work: A Lion That Devours the Waning Moon
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Japanese Long Form)
1990
Work: A Lion That Devours the Waning Moon
Category: 日本長編部門
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Japanese Short Form)
1991
Work: A Lion That Devours the Waning Moon (short/related piece)
Category: 日本短編部門
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Adventure Fiction Association Grand Prize
1998
Work: The Summit: Kamigami no Mine (Gods' Ridge)
Organization: Japan Adventure Fiction Association
Result: 受賞
Shibata Renzaburo Prize
1998
Work: The Summit (Kamigami no Mine)
Organization: Shibata Renzaburo Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Comic)
2006
Work: Onmyoji (manga adaptation)
Category: コミック部門
Organization: Seiun Award Committee
Result: 受賞（漫画版に対する受賞）
Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize
2011
Work: Oedo Tsurikakuden
Organization: Izumi Kyoka Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Funahashi Seiichi Literary Prize
2011
Work: Oedo Tsurikakuden
Organization: Funahashi Seiichi Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize
2012
Work: Oedo Tsurikakuden
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Shogakukan Children’s Publishing Culture Award
2016
Work: A Little Big Tree (picture book)
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞
Japan Mystery Literature Grand Prize
2017
Organization: Japan Mystery Literature Grand Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
2017
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2018
Organization: Cabinet Office (Honors)
Result: 受章
Japan Historical Fiction Writers Association Award (Merit)
2019
Work: Onmyoji, Shamon Kukai series
Organization: Japan Historical Fiction Writers Association
Result: 受賞（功労賞）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Onmyoji

1988 Historical fantasy / occult novel

A historical fantasy series centered on Abe no Seimei, set in Heian-era Japan. It blends onmyodo, supernatural phenomena and mystery.

OnmyodoHeian periodYokai (supernatural)Occult
Adaptations
  • [Film] Onmyoji / 滝田洋二郎 (2001)
  • [Film] Onmyoji II / 滝田洋二郎 (2003)
  • [Manga] Onmyoji (Reiko Okano) (2006)
Translations

The Summit (Kamigami no Mine)

1997 Mountaineering fiction

A novel about Himalayan mountaineering, portraying climbers' psychological and physical struggles at extreme altitudes; notable for on-site realism.

MountaineeringHuman limitsConfrontation with nature
Adaptations
  • [Film] Everest: The Summit / 平山秀幸 (2016)
Translations

A Lion That Devours the Waning Moon

1989 SF / fantasy

A work blending fantasy and science fiction elements; one of Yumemakura's representative novels showcasing his distinctive fantastic world.

Fantastic beastsDreamsOccult/fantastic

Bibliography

  • Nekohiki no Oluorane
  • The Death of a Frog
  • Garouden (Legend of the Hungry Wolf)
  • Psychodiver series
  • Onmyoji
  • The Summit (Kamigami no Mine)

Adaptations

  • Onmyoji (film, manga, anime adaptations)
  • The Summit (film adaptation)
  • Garouden (manga adaptation)
  • Shamon Kukai (kabuki / film adaptations)

Translations by Author

  • The Sandman (translation involvement as editor/translator entry)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Occult-tinged, erotically and violently charged fantastic proseRealist detail combined with mystical (esoteric/mikkyo, onmyodo) elementsEarly works show lyrical, whimsical fairy-tale tones
Recurring Motifs
Dreams and the 'baku' creatureSpiral motifsEsoteric rites and magicHand-to-hand combat / fighting realismMountains and extreme adventure

Health

  • Malignant lymphoma
    2020-11 - 2021-03（診断確定）／以降治療と療養の期間あり
    Reduced number of serializations and slowed writing activity due to diagnosis and treatment

Legacy

A prolific author spanning fantasy, historical, martial and mountaineering fiction, gaining a wide readership. Many works adapted into films, manga and kabuki, influencing contemporary Japanese popular literature and culture.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ)

In Popular Culture

  • Onmyoji adaptations in film, manga and anime
  • Garouden and Chimera series adapted into manga/anime

Quotes

  • I am a writer of eros, violence, and the occult.
    Source: Interview / self-description (profile commentary)

Trivia

  • Anecdote: ate raw piranha during Amazon trip and later worried about possible parasitic infection.
  • After the success of 'Majyu-gari' built a large house nicknamed the 'Inraku Palace'.
  • Considered one of the proponents of K-1; has many writings and investigative pieces about martial arts.
  • Was active in doujin (fan magazine) circles in high school and settled on his pen name after using several.