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Hoseki Award

ほうせきしょう

A public newcomer literary award sponsored by Iwataneya Shoten (later Hoseki-sha), targeting mystery fiction and criticism.

Mystery fictionCriticism
Established
1946
Organizer
Iwataneya Shoten (later Hoseki-sha)
Category
Genre Fiction
Selection Method
Open call
Target
Newcomer
Frequency
1 per year
Status
Ended

Description

The Hoseki Award (Hōseki Shō) was a public newcomer literary award sponsored by Iwataneya Shoten (later Hoseki-sha), targeting mystery fiction and criticism. The short story award was held 17 times from 1946 to 1964, the medium-length story award 3 times from 1962 to 1964, and the criticism award 3 times from 1960 to 1963.

Related Awards

  • Shōsetsu Hoseki Newcomer Award

Past Winners

冬木喬 ふゆき たかし 1st seat

"Chikei" is a short story by Takashi Fuyuki that won first place in the 1964 Hoseki Short Story Prize. It is recorded as a winning contest story from Hoseki's final period, but no reliable standalone book, paperback, or collection containing the work was confirmed.

A first-place short story by Takashi Fuyuki from Hoseki's final contest period.

mystery fictionshort storycontest fictionHoseki Short Story Prize
大貫進 おおぬき すすむ 1st seat

"Chinto no Seishun" is a short story by Reiko Fujii under the pen name Susumu Onuki and a first-place work in the 1964 Hoseki Short Story Prize. Later collected in Reiko Fujii Tantei Shosetsu-sen, it marks the starting point of a style attentive to psychological distortion within everyday life.

A first-place Hoseki story by Reiko Fujii about abnormal psychology within ordinary life.

368 pages
mystery fictionpsychological suspenseeveryday lifeHoseki Short Story Prize
Masaki Tsuji かつら ますき runner-up

"Naka no Yoi Kyodai" is a short story by Masaki Katsura, the pen name of Masaki Tsuji, that took second place in the 1964 Hoseki Short Story Prize. Later revised and retitled "Naka no Ii Kyodai" as a story-within-the-story in Honkaku Kekkon Satsujin Jiken, it stands as an early mystery with Tsuji's characteristic playfulness.

An early playful Masaki Tsuji mystery later reborn as a story within a story.

400 pages
mystery fictionstory within a storyrevisionHoseki Short Story Prize
Shin Tendo てんどう しん 1st seat

"Taka to Tobi" is an early short story by Shin Tendo that won first place in the Hoseki Short Story Prize. Later collected in Shinyuki, it shows the starting point of his light, surprising, and comic approach to mystery fiction.

An early prize-winning Shin Tendo story driven by humor and surprise.

414 pages
mystery fictioncomic mysteryearly short fictionHoseki Short Story Prize
千葉淳平 ちば じゅんぺい 1st seat

"Aru Rogo" is a short story by Junpei Chiba that won first place in the 1963 Hoseki Short Story Prize. Later collected in Junpei Chiba Tantei Shosetsu-sen, it serves as an entry point to the work of a writer active for only a brief period and interested in locked-room devices.

A first-place Hoseki story by Junpei Chiba with a taste for locked-room mystery.

324 pages
mystery fictionlocked roomold ageHoseki Short Story Prize
奥野光信 おくの みつのぶ honorable mention

"Dotanba" is a detective short story by Mitsunobu Okuno that received an honorable mention in the 1963 Hoseki Short Story Prize. It is confirmed in prize records as a Hoseki magazine contest story, but no reliable bibliographic record was found for a standalone book or later collection.

An honorable-mention short story by Mitsunobu Okuno recorded from the Hoseki contest.

mystery fictionshort storycontest fictionHoseki Short Story Prize
Eitaro Ishizawa いしざわ えいたろう honorable mention

"Tsurubaa" is a short story by Eitaro Ishizawa that received an honorable mention in the 1963 Hoseki Short Story Prize. Later collected in Saraba Dairen, it draws on memories of Dalian in former Manchuria and sets postwar displacement within the tension of mystery fiction.

A prize-recognized Eitaro Ishizawa story set against memories of Dalian and postwar unease.

413 pages
mystery fictionManchuriapostwar defeatDalian
田中万三記 たなか ばんざんき 1st seat

A short detective story by Banzanki Tanaka. Its sharp title suggests a work that treats a person moving toward death, or the inevitability of an incident, through dark humor and mystery.

A short story that plants a cold mystery like a nail driven into something already dying.

short mysterydeathabsurdityHoseki Award
新羽精之 にいは せいし 1st seat

A short mystery by Seishi Niwa. It shows the qualities of a writer of the strange and uncanny, linking the scientific word 'evolution' to crime and twisted human psychology.

An unusual short story where the logic of evolution illuminates human strangeness.

320 pages
strange fictionshort mysterysciencepsychology
後藤幸次郎 ごとう こうじろう honorable mention

A short detective story by Kojiro Goto. With the end of an affair in its title, it appears to depict how an entangled relationship leads to an incident or collapse.

A short mystery that traces what remains at the end of an affair.

short mysteryaffairbreakdownpsychology
Shin Tendo てんどう しん honorable mention

An early short story by Shin Tendo. It portrays the uneasy, long-running bond between men who unexpectedly meet again on a commuter train, mixing lightness with disquiet.

The friendship of reunited old companions begins to roll in a strangely suspect direction.

414 pages
friendshiphumorshort mysteryreunion
来栖阿佐子 くるす あさこ honorable mention

A short detective story by Asako Kurusu. With the brief time after death in its title, it appears to concern time of death and unsettling details at a crime scene.

A short story that searches the shape of a case through unease left at a recent death scene.

short mysterytime of deathcrimeHoseki Award
蒼社廉三 そうしゃ れんぞう 1st seat

Shieihei is a military mystery short story by Renzo Sosha that won the Hoseki Award. It connects the extreme conditions of war and military life with the tension of detective fiction, and was later reintroduced in a collection of the author's military mysteries.

A military mystery where the closed atmosphere of army life meets the pressure of detection.

military mysteryarmy lifeshort detective fictionHoseki Awardreissue
川辺豊三 かわべ とよぞう 1st seat

Arizuka is a short mystery by Toyozo Kawabe that received first-place recognition in the Hoseki Award. It is read as a romantically toned story built around a woman's choices amid an arranged marriage and uneasy human relations.

A compact story driven by the psychology of an arranged marriage and the shadow of incident.

short mysteryarranged marriagepsychologyromantic schoolHoseki Award
福田鮭二 ふくだ けいじ honorable mention

Jojo no Satsujin is a short mystery published under the name Keiji Fukuda and selected as an honorable mention for the Hoseki Award. Its title foregrounds lyricism, suggesting a work concerned not only with a crime but with emotional disturbance around it.

A short mystery that places emotional tremors alongside the outline of a crime.

short mysterylyricismcrimepsychologyHoseki Award
Nobuo Kandori かんどり のぶお honorable mention

Kukadachi is an honorable-mention story for the Hoseki Award by Nobuo Kandori. The title evokes the ancient ordeal of boiling water, placing tension around guilt and truth within a mystery-fiction frame.

A short mystery that turns an archaic image of trial into narrative tension.

short mysterytruth and falsehoodguiltarchaic motifHoseki Award
Tadao Shono しょうの ただお honorable mention

Hoshu wa Ichiwari is an early short mystery by Tadao Shono, the pen name used by Tadao Kusano. After its honorable mention in the Hoseki Award, it was later included in the paperback Kosasuru Sen, marking an early point in the author's mystery career.

An early short mystery shaped around reward, desire, and calculation.

short mysteryrewarddesireearly workHoseki Award
会津史郎 あいづ しろう honorable mention

Renkinjutsu is an honorable-mention Hoseki Award story by Shiro Aizu. Its title suggests transformation and desire, and the work was presented as a short mystery.

A Hoseki Award short mystery whose title suggests transformation and desire.

short mysteryalchemydesiretransformationHoseki Award
藤木靖子 ふじき やすこ 1st seat

A mystery short story by Yasuko Fujiki. While its title points to the everyday relationship between women and children, it turns unease hidden inside home and society into crime fiction.

Behind the domestic title lie quiet unease and the shadow of mystery fiction.

mystery short storyhomewomen and childrenuneasy everyday life
Chiaki Yoshida よしだ ちあき 2nd seat

A mystery short story by Chiaki Yoshida. Its birdcall-like title is striking, and the story appears to use repeated sound or signals as clues to reveal psychology and possible crime beneath a strange incident.

The repeated cuckoo-like sound draws the reader behind a strange occurrence.

mystery short storyauditory cluestrange incidentpsychology
藤井礼子 ふじい れいこ honorable mention

A short mystery whose calm title evokes the first tea gathering of the year while suggesting tensions hidden in manners and relationships. It was an early work by Reiko Fujii and was later collected in a selected volume of her detective fiction.

A quiet unease rises from within a composed social setting.

368 pages
short mysterytea gatheringhuman relationships
猪股聖吾 いのまた せいご honorable mention
土岐到 とき いたる honorable mention

A fantastical short story built around a magician figure, exploring the boundary between performance and reality. Later anthology publication gave the work a readership beyond its prize history.

Behind the staged spectacle, reality begins to waver.

249 pages
fantastic fictionstage magicuncanny mood
縄田厚 なわた あつし honorable mention
山村直樹 やまむら なおき 1st seat

灰色の思い出 is a mystery or crime fiction by 山村直樹. Recognized in its award year, it reflects the author's concerns and the atmosphere of its period.

灰色の思い出 remains associated with 山村直樹's award-winning career.

crimemysterysuspense
安永一郎 やすなが いちろう 2nd seat

復讐墓参 by 安永一郎 is the work associated with this award entry. It is introduced here as a literary or scholarly work whose bibliographic status was checked against book databases rather than magazine issue identifiers.

An entry point for reading 復讐墓参 by 安永一郎 as an award-recognized work.

283 pages
award-winning workliterary prizepublication check
西川斗志也 にしかわ としや honorable mention

深草少将の死 is a mystery or crime fiction by 西川斗志也 that was recognized by the 宝石賞. Available public sources mainly make it possible to trace its publication form and later inclusion in collections.

西川斗志也's 深草少将の死 remains traceable today through its award history.

mystery or crime fictionaward-winning workpostwar literature
濠黄八 ほり はち honorable mention

余儀ない罪 is a work by 濠黄八. It is presented here as a prize-winning work, with attention to its subject, tone, and place in the author's career.

A prize-winning work by 濠黄八.

Prize-winning workPublication statusLiterary context
Saho Sasazawa ささざわ さほ honorable mention

闇の中の伝言 is a mystery or crime fiction by 笹沢佐保. Recognized in its award year, it reflects the author's concerns and the atmosphere of its period.

闇の中の伝言 remains associated with 笹沢佐保's award-winning career.

crimemysterysuspense
Yonosuke Kuroki くろき よのすけ honorable mention

東海村殺人事件 is a mystery or crime fiction by 黒木曜之助. Recognized in its award year, it reflects the author's concerns and the atmosphere of its period.

東海村殺人事件 remains associated with 黒木曜之助's award-winning career.

crimemysterysuspense
鷹野宏 たかの ひろし honorable mention

千三つ is a mystery or crime fiction by 鷹野宏 that was recognized by the 宝石賞. Available public sources mainly make it possible to trace its publication form and later inclusion in collections.

鷹野宏's 千三つ remains traceable today through its award history.

mystery or crime fictionaward-winning workpostwar literature
竹村直伸 たけむら なおのぶ 1st seat

風の便り is a mystery or crime fiction by 竹村直伸 that was recognized by the 宝石賞. Available public sources mainly make it possible to trace its publication form and later inclusion in collections.

竹村直伸's 風の便り remains traceable today through its award history.

mystery or crime fictionaward-winning workpostwar literature
山本稲夫 やまもと いなお 2nd seat

兄と妹の話 is a mystery or crime fiction by 山本稲夫. Recognized in its award year, it reflects the author's concerns and the atmosphere of its period.

兄と妹の話 remains associated with 山本稲夫's award-winning career.

crimemysterysuspense
菱形伝次 ひしがた でんじ 2nd seat

五人のマリア is a mystery or crime fiction by 菱形伝次. Recognized in its award year, it reflects the author's concerns and the atmosphere of its period.

五人のマリア remains associated with 菱形伝次's award-winning career.

crimemysterysuspense
茂利樹夫 もり いつお honorable mention

未完の遺書 by 茂利樹夫 is the work associated with this award entry. It is introduced here as a literary or scholarly work whose bibliographic status was checked against book databases rather than magazine issue identifiers.

An entry point for reading 未完の遺書 by 茂利樹夫 as an award-recognized work.

294 pages
award-winning workliterary prizepublication check
鷹野宏 たかの ひろし honorable mention

サルドニクスの笑 is a mystery or crime fiction by 鷹野宏 that was recognized by the 宝石賞. Available public sources mainly make it possible to trace its publication form and later inclusion in collections.

鷹野宏's サルドニクスの笑 remains traceable today through its award history.

mystery or crime fictionaward-winning workpostwar literature
Goro Suzuki すずき ごろう honorable mention

予告された死 is a work by 鈴木五郎. It is presented here as a prize-winning work, with attention to its subject, tone, and place in the author's career.

A prize-winning work by 鈴木五郎.

Prize-winning workPublication statusLiterary context
小山勝清 1st place

悪魔のような女 is a mystery or crime fiction by 椰子力 that was recognized by the 宝石賞. Available public sources mainly make it possible to trace its publication form and later inclusion in collections.

椰子力's 悪魔のような女 remains traceable today through its award history.

mystery or crime fictionaward-winning workpostwar literature
岩崎ちひろ 2nd place

旅の男 is a work by 安永一郎. It is presented here as a prize-winning work, with attention to its subject, tone, and place in the author's career.

A prize-winning work by 安永一郎.

Prize-winning workPublication statusLiterary context
守門賢太郎 2nd place

新進作家殺人事件 is a mystery or crime fiction by 守門賢太郎. Recognized in its award year, it reflects the author's concerns and the atmosphere of its period.

新進作家殺人事件 remains associated with 守門賢太郎's award-winning career.

crimemysterysuspense
仏三吉 honorable mention

自動車殺人事件 is a mystery or crime fiction by 仏三吉. Recognized in its award year, it reflects the author's concerns and the atmosphere of its period.

自動車殺人事件 remains associated with 仏三吉's award-winning career.

crimemysterysuspense
膳哲之助 honorable mention

われら集いて死者を悼む is a mystery or crime fiction by 膳哲之助 that was recognized by the 宝石賞. Available public sources mainly make it possible to trace its publication form and later inclusion in collections.

膳哲之助's われら集いて死者を悼む remains traceable today through its award history.

mystery or crime fictionaward-winning workpostwar literature
智山宏史 honorable mention

呪いの夜 is a work by 智山宏史. It is presented here as a prize-winning work, with attention to its subject, tone, and place in the author's career.

A prize-winning work by 智山宏史.

Prize-winning workPublication statusLiterary context
長房夫 honorable mention

わたしも言えない is a work by 長房夫. It is presented here as a prize-winning work, with attention to its subject, tone, and place in the author's career.

A prize-winning work by 長房夫.

Prize-winning workPublication statusLiterary context
坂井薫 honorable mention

不幸な姉弟 by 坂井薫 is the work associated with this award entry. It is introduced here as a literary or scholarly work whose bibliographic status was checked against book databases rather than magazine issue identifiers.

An entry point for reading 不幸な姉弟 by 坂井薫 as an award-recognized work.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication check
鶴田知也 1st place

Shinen no Soko is a psychological mystery by Tsuchi Eiyu that follows the death of a professor's wife through layered testimony. Rather than solving the case in a single stroke, it lets hidden feelings and the truth emerge gradually through the words and memories of those involved.

A psychological mystery that approaches a fatal fall by tracing the feelings submerged beneath testimony.

299 pages
psychological mysterytestimonyfatal fallhidden emotion
中尾彰 2nd place

Ochiru is a representative early mystery story by Kyo Takigawa. Centered on the dangerous psychology of a man drawn toward self-destruction, it sharply portrays criminal impulse and its ironic outcome.

A dangerous tilt of the mind pushes the protagonist toward an irreversible line.

384 pages
mystery fictionpsychologycriminal impulseearly short fiction
白家太郎 top honorable mention

"Kiiroi Michishirube" is a short mystery by Kyo Takigawa, published under the name Shiro Ie Taro, and selected as an upper honorable mention in the 1955 Hoseki short detective story contest. Centered on a stabbing in a movie theater, it draws out unease from an ordinary setting and shows the psychological distortion characteristic of mid-century Japanese mystery fiction.

In the familiar darkness of a movie theater, a small signpost casts light on the unsettling shadow of a crime.

480 pages
movie-theater crimeShowa-era mysterypsychological distortionshort detective fictionunease in everyday life
大島薫 top honorable mention

Majo no Ashiato is a mystery short story by Kaoru Oshima. Its title suggests an unsettling trace, and the work can be read as a story in which a strange shadow enters ordinary life.

A mystery short story whose title, following an ominous trace, invites both puzzle and unease.

mystery short storyominous tracespuzzleuncanny atmosphere
利根安理 top honorable mention

Tsuki no Hikari is a short story by Eiji Kuroha, published under the name Anri Tone, and selected as an honorable work in the Hoseki short-story contest. Praised by Edogawa Rampo and Ayukawa Tetsuya, it is a mystery story with a fantastic tone and was later included in Jugogosha no Otoko, a collection of stories related to railways and abandoned lines.

A fantastic mystery published under a one-time pen name and later remembered as an elusive short story.

336 pages
fantastic mysteryHoseki short fictionone-time pen namerailways and memorypostwar detective fiction
藤井政彦 honorable mention

Akari is a short detective story by Masahiko Fujii, selected for honorable mention in the 1955 Hoseki short detective fiction contest. It belongs to the period when the postwar mystery magazine Hoseki was actively seeking new writers, and its title image of light suggests a story that draws readers into the shadows of incident and psychology.

A short story in which the tension of postwar detective fiction gathers at the boundary between light and darkness.

short detective fictionpostwar mysteryHoseki short fiction prizenew writer fictionpsychological darkness
坂西明 honorable mention

"Kentai X" is a short detective story by Akira Sakanishi that received an honorable mention in the 1955 Hoseki short detective story contest. No standalone book or later anthology publication could be confirmed at this point; with its title evoking the unease of an anonymous specimen, it can be placed within postwar Japanese detective fiction interested in observation, evidence, and scientific implication.

The unsettling sound of an unnamed specimen remains as the trace of an experimental postwar detective story.

short detective fictionscientific evidenceanonymous bodypostwar mysteryHoseki contest
川野京輔 honorable mention

Kieta Machi is a short mystery by Kyosuke Kawano. It is known for shaping the bold idea of a town seemingly disappearing into the compact form of a short story.

An early Kyosuke Kawano mystery that condenses the puzzle of a large-scale disappearance into a sharp short form.

236 pages
disappearance trickshort mysterycityearly work
室生吾郎 honorable mention

Dare ga Watashi o Koroshita ka is a short detective story by Goro Muro listed as an honorable mention for the 1955 Hoseki competition. The title suggests an inverted mystery in which a narrator who has already been victimized asks who killed them, giving it a striking postwar detective-fiction premise.

The question, 'Who killed me?' casts the shape of the case in reverse.

detective fictionvictim's viewpointmysteryshort story
落合聡三郎 1st place

Takagi Taka's debut story and an early landmark of Japanese hardboiled fiction. Set in a city still marked by postwar ruins, its dry narration follows the scent of an incident while registering urban desolation and solitude.

In a city of postwar ruins, a man pursues the shadow of an incident and lost time.

465 pages
hardboiled fictionpostwar Japanurban fictionmystery
茂田井武 2nd place

Ashioto is a short detective story by Tomiko Fukao. It placed second in the 1955 Hoseki short detective fiction contest and belongs to the postwar magazine culture that introduced new mystery writers. The title suggests a story shaped around sound, unease, and approaching danger.

The sound of footsteps gradually brings an unseen presence and the anxiety of a case closer.

detective fictionshort storyfootstepsuneasepostwar mystery
坂井薫 honorable mention

"Arrival at N Station on the Shinetsu Line, 9:30" is a short detective story by Kaoru Sakai. With a railway station and time built into its title, it appears to construct its mystery from train travel, arrival times, and the circumstances surrounding a provincial station.

In this postwar detective-fiction prize story, a station name and a time become the entrance to a mystery.

railwaytimetabledetective fictionprovincial stationpostwar mystery
座間美郎 honorable mention

Magatta Heya is a short detective story by Biro Zama that emerged from the short-story competitions associated with the magazine Hoseki. Under a title that suggests a closed and distorted room, it can be placed among postwar detective stories that turn everyday interiors into unsettling spaces of mystery.

The unease of a distorted room becomes an entrance into a postwar detective mystery.

detective fictionenclosed spacepostwar mysteryHoseki Awardshort fiction
折口達也 honorable mention

"Shiroi Dress" is a short detective story by Tatsuya Origuchi that received an honorable mention in the 1954 Hoseki short detective story contest. No later book or paperback publication could be confirmed; within the available record, the title's image of a white dress suggests a story shaped around visual clues, personal secrets, and traces of an incident.

A short detective story in which the image of a white dress brings memories of an incident and hidden personal truths into view.

short detective fictionvisual cluepersonal secretHoseki contestnot confirmed in book form
平井昌三 honorable mention

A short detective story by Shozo Hirai. Best known for supernatural literature and translation, Hirai here wrote an original story for the Hoseki Award, built around a search for money.

The search for money draws out human circumstances and suspicion.

detective fictionHoseki Awardmoneyshort story
灰沼樵 honorable mention

Sono Yoru no Yuriko is a short detective story by Akira Hainuma, written under the name Hainuma Akira. It was selected as an honorable mention in the 1954 Hoseki short detective fiction contest, whose results were published in the April 1955 issue. The title points to a night-time incident centered on a figure named Yuriko.

On that night, events surrounding Yuriko reveal the unease hidden beneath ordinary life.

detective fictionshort storynightmystery of characterpostwar mystery
永井鱗太郎 2nd seat

"Autumn in Arles" is a short mystery by Hideo Suzuki. Combining the lyricism suggested by its southern French title with the energy of postwar detective fiction, it belongs among the new writers' works associated with Bessatsu Hoseki.

This postwar mystery short story crosses an exotic title image with the devices of detective fiction.

508 pages
short mysteryBessatsu Hosekipostwar detective fictionexotic atmospherenew writer work
伊藤永之介 2nd seat

A short mystery story by Inoue Tetsu. First appearing in a Bessatsu Hoseki newcomer issue and later anthologized, it centers on the mystery suggested by the act of digging a hole.

A short story that uses the puzzling act named in the title as a clue, letting the shape of an incident emerge from an everyday disturbance.

508 pages
mystery fictionshort storynew writermystery
二反長半 honorable mention

Shinken na Tawamure is a short detective story by Shosuke Yamagami selected for the Hoseki Award. The title's contrast between seriousness and play suggests danger hidden behind events that begin like a game.

A Hoseki Award short story in which something like play turns into a serious mystery.

detective fictionHoseki Awardpostwar mysteryplay and dangershort fiction
鈴木寿雄 honorable mention

"Mikan Mountain" is a short detective story by Taro Shiroie. Set against the local landscape of mandarin orange groves, it appears to build a mystery out of rural life and relationships rooted in the land.

This short mystery overlays the landscape of mandarin groves with local relationships and the shadow of an incident.

short mysteryrural communitymandarin grovelocal settingHoseki Short Story Award
三芳悌吉 honorable mention

A classic puzzle mystery short story by Haruo Yamasawa. After a taxi plunges from a cliff on a moonless night, the death of a passenger whose face is wrapped in bandages leads into an intricate logical mystery.

The mystery is built from a bandaged corpse, a fall from a cliff, and the strange fact that the face beneath the bandages bears no wound.

341 pages
puzzle mysteryimpossible crimetraffic accidentshort fiction
奈街三郎 1st seat

Sota Ashigara's "Who Am I?" is a short mystery that places the riddle of identity in its very title. Centered on the question of a narrator's or character's true identity, it appears to be structured to invite the reader's deduction.

Beginning with the question "Who am I?", this short story leads into deduction around identity and clues.

508 pages
short mysteryidentitynarrationBessatsu Hosekipostwar detective fiction
土家由岐雄 1st seat

Harunobu Tamoto's Ear is a short story first published in the postwar mystery magazine Bessatsu Hoseki and later included in Kobunsha Bunko's Selected Masterpieces from Bessatsu Hoseki. It can be read as part of the body of short fiction produced when postwar Japanese mystery magazines were introducing new and unusual voices.

A short story from the Bessatsu Hoseki circle that preserves the energy of postwar Japanese mystery magazines.

508 pages
postwar mysteryBessatsu Hosekishort mystery fictionnew writersHoseki Award
住井すゑ 1st seat

Haruo Yamazawa's "Silver Puzzle Ring" is a classic puzzle mystery short story known for meticulous logic and trick construction. As the title suggests, it offers the pleasure of unraveling intertwined conditions one by one.

Like loosening an intricate puzzle ring, the short story advances through a precisely built mystery.

341 pages
puzzle mysterytricklogicpuzzle ringHoseki Short Story Award
安泰 2nd seat

Shiroi Michi is a Japanese short mystery story by Tatsuo Kaji. It appeared in the mystery magazine Hoseki in 1952 and is treated as Kaji's debut in the mystery field. As an early work by a writer who later won the Edogawa Rampo Prize, it reflects the postwar magazine culture that introduced new mystery writers.

At the end of a white road lies a young writer's first step into mystery fiction.

short mysterydebut workpostwar mysteryHosekinew writer
井口文秀 2nd seat

Hachiro Kajita's "Blue Specks" is a work associated with the Hoseki short detective-fiction contest. Taking the color and small trace suggested by the title as clues, it appears to be a short story that reads the meaning of an incident from overlooked specks.

This postwar detective-fiction contest story lets a mystery emerge from small blue traces.

short detective fictiontracecolorHoseki Awardpostwar mystery
渡辺郁子 2nd seat

Kieta Otoko is a Japanese short mystery story by Kyusaku Torii. It appeared in the December 1952 Bessatsu Hoseki issue devoted to new writers and was later reprinted in the Kobunsha Bunko anthology Bessatsu Hoseki Kessakusen. Beginning from a title that suggests disappearance, it follows the mystery of a missing man and the reason behind his absence.

The fact that a man has vanished unsettles the words and clues left behind.

508 pages
short mysterydisappearancedeductionpostwar mysteryBessatsu Hoseki
藤山貴一郎 honorable mention

Kiichiro Fujiyama's "Axe of Heaven" is a short detective story published among the new writers' works in Bessatsu Hoseki. Combining the mythic resonance of its title with the image of a sharp weapon, it appears to develop a mystery around an inexplicable blow falling upon an incident.

This new-writer short story from a postwar mystery magazine is titled after a blow like an axe falling from the heavens.

short detective fictionBessatsu Hosekinew writer workweaponmystery
川下米一 honorable mention

Gekiryu is a Japanese short mystery story by Yoneichi Kawashita. It appeared in Bessatsu Hoseki No. 24, issued on December 10, 1952, in a special group of stories by new writers. The title evokes a violent current, suggesting a postwar mystery short story driven by sudden movement in events and relationships.

Like being drawn into a current, the case strips away any stable footing.

short mysterynew-writer fictionpostwar mysteryBessatsu Hosekisudden turn of events
衆理一 honorable mention

Riichi Shu's "Valley of Arsenic" is a short detective story with a title that evokes poison. Combining the closed geography of a valley with the unease of arsenic, it appears to build a mystery around hidden local secrets and the possibility of poisoning.

This new-writer short story from a postwar mystery magazine is titled after the presence of poison hidden in a valley.

short detective fictionpoisonvalleyBessatsu Hosekinew writer work
南達夫 honorable mention

Natsu no Hikari is a Japanese short mystery story by Tatsuo Minami. It appeared in Bessatsu Hoseki No. 24, issued on December 10, 1952, in a special group of stories by new writers. The title's image of summer light contrasts with the shadows expected of a mystery story.

Summer light crosses with the secrets it unexpectedly exposes.

short mysterysummersecretspostwar mysteryBessatsu Hoseki
愛川純太郎 excellent work

木箱 is a work by 愛川純太郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

木箱 is a work by 愛川純太郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
池田紫星 excellent work

太神楽異妖 is a work by 池田紫星 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

太神楽異妖 is a work by 池田紫星 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
緒方心太郎 excellent work

瘴気 is a work by 緒方心太郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

瘴気 is a work by 緒方心太郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
狩久 excellent work

落石 is a work by 狩久 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

落石 is a work by 狩久 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
宮原龍雄 excellent work

新納の棺 is a work by 宮原龍雄 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

新納の棺 is a work by 宮原龍雄 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
黒津富二 honorable mention

井桁模様殺人事件 is a work by 黒津富二 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

井桁模様殺人事件 is a work by 黒津富二 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
山沢晴雄 honorable mention

仮面 is a work by 山沢晴雄 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

仮面 is a work by 山沢晴雄 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
由良啓一 honorable mention

氷塊 is a work by 由良啓一 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

氷塊 is a work by 由良啓一 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
丘美丈二郎 unranked honorable mention

佐門谷 is a work by 丘美丈二郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

佐門谷 is a work by 丘美丈二郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
川島郁夫 unranked honorable mention

断層 is a work by 川島郁夫 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

断層 is a work by 川島郁夫 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
土屋隆夫 unranked honorable mention

奇妙な招待状 is a work by 土屋隆夫 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

奇妙な招待状 is a work by 土屋隆夫 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
楢木重太郎 unranked honorable mention

墓 is a work by 楢木重太郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

墓 is a work by 楢木重太郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
萬朶麗 unranked honorable mention

売れる原稿を書く秘訣 is a work by 萬朶麗 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

売れる原稿を書く秘訣 is a work by 萬朶麗 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
夢座海二 unranked honorable mention

黒髪はなぜ編まれる is a work by 夢座海二 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

黒髪はなぜ編まれる is a work by 夢座海二 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
南達夫 unranked honorable mention

背信 is a work by 南達夫 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1951. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

背信 is a work by 南達夫 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
中川透 grade A first class

ペトロフ事件 is a work by 中川透 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

ペトロフ事件 is a work by 中川透 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
遠藤桂子 grade A second class

渦潮 is a work by 遠藤桂子 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

渦潮 is a work by 遠藤桂子 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
島久平 grade A third class

硝子の家 is a work by 島久平 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

硝子の家 is a work by 島久平 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
角田実 grade B first class

山荘殺人事件 is a work by 角田実 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

山荘殺人事件 is a work by 角田実 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
丘美丈二郎 grade B second class

勝部良平のメモ is a work by 丘美丈二郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

勝部良平のメモ is a work by 丘美丈二郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
高林清治 grade B second class

市議殺人事件 is a work by 高林清治 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

市議殺人事件 is a work by 高林清治 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
坪田宏 grade B third class

非情線の女 is a work by 坪田宏 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

非情線の女 is a work by 坪田宏 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
埴輪史郎 grade B third class

海底の墓場 is a work by 埴輪史郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

海底の墓場 is a work by 埴輪史郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
錫薊二 grade B third class

冗談について is a work by 錫薊二 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

冗談について is a work by 錫薊二 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
土屋隆夫 grade C first class

「罪ふかき死」の構図 is a work by 土屋隆夫 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

「罪ふかき死」の構図 is a work by 土屋隆夫 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
日影丈吉 grade C second class

かむなぎうた is a work by 日影丈吉 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

かむなぎうた is a work by 日影丈吉 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
川島郁夫 grade C second class

黄色の輪 is a work by 川島郁夫 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

黄色の輪 is a work by 川島郁夫 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
宮原龍雄 grade C third class

三つの樽 is a work by 宮原龍雄 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

三つの樽 is a work by 宮原龍雄 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
丘美丈二郎 grade C third class

翡翠荘綺談 is a work by 丘美丈二郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

翡翠荘綺談 is a work by 丘美丈二郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
須田刀太郎 grade C third class

自殺殺人事件 is a work by 須田刀太郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1949. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

自殺殺人事件 is a work by 須田刀太郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
女々良修 unranked honorable mention

ネペンテス恐怖事件 is a work by 女々良修 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1948. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

ネペンテス恐怖事件 is a work by 女々良修 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
宇留木圭 unranked honorable mention

感傷誤解事件 is a work by 宇留木圭 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1948. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

感傷誤解事件 is a work by 宇留木圭 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
岡田鯱彦 unranked honorable mention

妖鬼の咒言 is a work by 岡田鯱彦 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1948. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

妖鬼の咒言 is a work by 岡田鯱彦 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
蟻浪五郎 unranked honorable mention

雨の挿話 is a work by 蟻浪五郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1948. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

雨の挿話 is a work by 蟻浪五郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
岡村雄輔 unranked honorable mention

紅鱒館の惨劇 is a work by 岡村雄輔 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1948. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

紅鱒館の惨劇 is a work by 岡村雄輔 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
香住春作 unranked honorable mention

カロリン海盆 is a work by 香住春作 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1948. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

カロリン海盆 is a work by 香住春作 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
No winner
飛鳥高 winning

犯罪の場 is a work by 飛鳥高 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1946. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

犯罪の場 is a work by 飛鳥高 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
鬼怒川浩 winning

鸚鵡裁判 is a work by 鬼怒川浩 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1946. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

鸚鵡裁判 is a work by 鬼怒川浩 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
独多甚九 winning

網膜物語 is a work by 独多甚九 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1946. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

網膜物語 is a work by 独多甚九 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
香山滋 winning

オラン・ペンデクの復讐 is a work by 香山滋 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1946. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

オラン・ペンデクの復讐 is a work by 香山滋 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
山田風太郎 winning

達磨峠の事件 is a work by 山田風太郎 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1946. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

達磨峠の事件 is a work by 山田風太郎 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
岩田賛 winning

砥石 is a work by 岩田賛 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1946. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

砥石 is a work by 岩田賛 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history
島田一男 winning

殺人演出 is a work by 島田一男 recognized by the 宝石賞 in 1946. The award record confirms the title and author, while public information confirming a standalone book, paperback, or collection is limited; identifiers for magazine issues are therefore not used.

殺人演出 is a work by 島田一男 recorded in the history of the 宝石賞.

award-winning workliterary prizepublication history