Japanese Literary Awards

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Nakayama Gishu Literary Award なかやまぎしゅうぶんがくしょう

Edition 25 (2019)

Historical novelsPeriod novels

Winners

3 people
Waka Kawaji award

A historical novel about the life of Matsuura Takeshiro, known for naming Hokkaido, told through his later recollections. It evokes his surveys of Ezo, encounters with Ainu people, and conflict with Meiji values.

The memory of immense journeys rises from an old man’s storytelling.

285 pages
historical fictionMatsuura TakeshiroHokkaidoAinu
Tow Ubukata nominee

A historical novel about the negotiations between Katsu Kaishu and Saigo Takamori on the eve of Edo’s bloodless surrender. As an attack looms, their decisions and maneuvers unfold with tension.

Burn Edo or save it: two extraordinary men face the decisive day.

312 pages
Bakumatsubloodless surrender of EdoKatsu KaishuSaigo Takamori
Ryo Akagami nominee

A historical novel about the rise and fall of the Echizen Asakura clan, told through retainers’ loyalty and struggles for power. The beliefs of those supporting a great house are tested by the upheavals of the Sengoku era.

A move to protect a great house shakes the age like a drunken elephant.

274 pages
Sengoku periodAsakura clanloyaltypower struggle