Japanese Literary Awards

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Haruo Yuuki

ゆうき はるお

Yuuki Haruo

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Born
1993
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Mystery writer, Novelist
Active Years
2019-
Nominations
Candidate for the 44th Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award, Candidate for the 20th Booksellers Award, Candidate for the 23rd Honkaku Mystery Award (Novel category), Candidate for the 25th Honkaku Mystery Award (Novel category)

Awards

Mephisto Prize
2019
Work: Gallows Company (revised/retitled from 'Successor of the Hanging Company')
Organization: Kodansha (Mephisto editorial department)
Result: Winner
Shukan Bunshun Mystery Best 10 (Domestic)
2022
Work: Ark
Organization: Shukan Bunshun
Result: 1st place
MRC Grand Prize (ranking)
2022
Work: Ark
Organization: MRC
Result: 1st place
This Mystery Is Amazing! (annual ranking)
2023
Work: Ark
Organization: Takarajimasha
Result: 4th place
Honkaku Mystery Best 10
2023
Work: Ark
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result: 2nd place
Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Newcomer Award
2023
Work: Ark
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Award Selection Committee
Result: Nominated
Booksellers Award
2023
Work: Ark
Organization: Honya Taisho Executive Committee
Result: Nominated
Honkaku Mystery Award (Novel category)
2023
Work: Ark
Category: 小説部門
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result: Nominated
Shukan Bunshun Mystery Best 10 (Domestic)
2023
Work: Ten Commandments
Organization: Shukan Bunshun
Result: 6th place
MRC Grand Prize (ranking)
2023
Work: Ten Commandments
Organization: MRC
Result: 2nd place
MRC Grand Prize (ranking)
2024
Work: Salome's Guillotine
Organization: MRC
Result: 7th place
Honkaku Mystery Best 10
2025
Work: Salome's Guillotine
Organization: Honkaku Mystery Writers Club
Result: 6th place

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Gallows Company

2019 Mystery novel

Mephisto Prize-winning debut novel. Revised and retitled from the unpublished work 'Successor of the Hanging Company', it is a mystery that revolves around crime, interpersonal ties, and hidden secrets.

Religion and faithFamily secretsAtonement

The Emissary from the Circus

2021 Mystery novel

A work incorporating circus-like motifs in which multiple characters and incidents intertwine. Noted for clever tricks and an unsettling atmosphere.

Fantasy vs. realityIdentityTrick construction

Ark

2022 Mystery novel

A long-form mystery that explores community, faith, alienation, and responsibility. After publication it placed highly in several year-end rankings and drew wide attention.

CommunityFaith and religionAlienation and responsibility
Adaptations
  • [Manga adaptation] Ark / 作画：悠木星人／構成：木場健介

The Clock Thief and the Villains

2023 Mystery novel

A work that uses time and clocks as motifs to depict crime and human relationships. Features varied character portrayals and constructed devices.

TimeSin and punishmentHuman relationships

Ten Commandments

2023 Mystery novel

A work that deals with themes of ethics and commandments, strongly questioning the relationship between norms and wrongdoing.

EthicsCommandmentsJustice

Salome's Guillotine

2024 Mystery novel

A long novel incorporating biblical and classical motifs with shocking subject matter; symbolic imagery and mystery elements intersect throughout.

Biblical motifsViolence and revengeSymbolic expression

Bibliography

  • Gallows Company (Kodansha, 2019)
  • The Emissary from the Circus (Kodansha, 2021)
  • Ark (Kodansha, 2022)
  • The Clock Thief and the Villains (Kodansha, 2023)
  • Ten Commandments (Kodansha, 2023)
  • Salome's Guillotine (Kodansha, 2024)
  • "Yuketsu Kakumei" in This Will Be My Last Job (Kodansha, 2024)
  • "The Mystery of Hating Arisu Arisu" in Seven Mysteries Dedicated to Arisu Arisu (Bunshun Bunko, 2024)
  • "The Thrown Letter" in Because I Told You to Throw It Away (Kodansha, 2025)
  • "The Tower" in Choose, Talk, Reading Group Vol.2 (Sogen Mystery Bunko, 2025)
  • Magazine short stories (e.g., "Live Broadcast of April 6" in Shosetsu Gendai 2022; "Grave Pit" in Mephisto 2022)

Adaptations

  • Manga adaptation of 'Ark' (art: Yuuki Seijin; composition: Kiba Kensuke; Square Enix Gangan Comics Online; 3 volumes)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Tense narrative voiceMeticulous trick constructionEmphasis on psychological depiction
Recurring Motifs
Religion and faithClosed communitiesFamily secretsAtonement

Legacy

A notable young author in contemporary Japanese mystery fiction. Particularly acclaimed for 'Ark', which placed highly in several annual rankings and drew broad attention.

In Popular Culture

  • Manga adaptation of 'Ark' (Gangan Comics Online)

Quotes

  • Where does the responsibility for not being loved lie?
    Source: Interview in Asahi Shimbun's 'Koshodokini' (Good Books Good Day) (2024)

Trivia

  • Reportedly did not attend high school or university
  • Grew up as a second-generation member of a cult-like religious household
  • Debuted after winning the Mephisto Prize in 2019
  • 'Ark' placed highly in several annual mystery rankings
  • 'Ark' has been adapted into a manga