Akutagawa Prize

The Akutagawa Prize (芥川龍之介賞, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke Shō) is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes.^[1][2]

Akutagawa Prize
芥川龍之介賞 (Akutagawa Ryūnosuke Shō)
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Awarded for	Best published literary story by a rising author
Date	August 10, 1935 (1935-08-10)
Country	Japan
Presented by	Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature
Reward(s)	¥1,000,000, pocket watch
First award	1935; 90 years ago (1935)
Website	www.bunshun.co.jp/shinkoukai/award/akutagawa/

History

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, author, after whom the prize is named

The Akutagawa Prize was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.^[2] It is sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, and is awarded in January and July to the best serious literary story published in a newspaper or magazine by a new or rising author.^[1] The winner receives a pocket watch and a cash award of 1 million yen. The judges usually include contemporary writers, literary critics, and former winners of the prize. Occasionally, when consensus cannot be reached between judges over disputes about the winning story or the quality of work for that half year, no prize is awarded. From 1945 through 1948 no prizes were awarded due to postwar instability.^[3] The prize has frequently been split between two authors.^[4]

On January 15, 2004, the awarding of the 130th Akutagawa Prize made significant news when two women became the award's youngest winners.^[5] The prize went to both Risa Wataya, 19, for her novel I Want to Kick You in the Back (蹴りたい背中, Keritai Senaka) and to Hitomi Kanehara, 20, for her debut novel Snakes and Earrings (蛇にピアス, Hebi ni Piasu). In 2013 Natsuko Kuroda won the 148th Akutagawa Prize at age 75, making her the oldest recipient in the history of the prize.^[6]

Controversies

In 1972, Akutagawa winner Akio Miyahara [ja] was found to have committed plagiarism.^[7][8] In 2018, a similar controversy occurred when the candidate novel Utsukushii Kao by Yuko Hojo was found to have reused text from its nonfiction source material without attribution, but the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature did not remove the book from the candidate list.^[9]

Records

• The youngest recipient of the prize to date is Risa Wataya who was 19 when she received the award for I Want to Kick You in the Back (Keritai Senaka (蹴りたい背中)).
• The best-seller title (in Japan only) is Spark (Hibana (火花)), by Naoki Matayoshi which sold 2,29 millions of copies.^[10]

Winners

Bungeishunjū maintains an official archive of current and past winners on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature.^[11]

Key

上	Indicates the first half of the given year.
下	Indicates the second half of the given year.

#	Year	Author	Work	Published in
001	1935上	Tatsuzō Ishikawa	Sōbō (蒼氓)	Seiza (星座)
002	1935下	No prize awarded.
003	1936上	Takeo Oda [ja]	Jōgai (城外)	Bungaku Seikatsu (文學生活)
		Tomoya Tsuruta [ja]	Koshamain-Ki (コシャマイン記)	Shōsetsu (小説)
004	1936下	Jun Ishikawa	The Bodhisattva (普賢, Fugen)	Sakuhin (作品)
		Uio Tomisawa [ja]	Chichūkai (地中海)	Tōyō (東陽)
005	1937上	Kazuo Ozaki [ja]	Rosy Glasses (暢氣眼鏡 他, Nonki Megane)	Jinbutsu Hyōron (人物評論)
006	1937下	Ashihei Hino	Fun'nyōtan (糞尿譚)	Bungaku Kaigi (文學会議)
007	1938上	Gishū Nakayama	Atsumonozaki (厚物咲)	Bungakukai
008	1938下	Tsuneko Nakazato	Noriaibasha (乗合馬車 他)
009	1939上	Yoshiyuki Handa [ja]	Niwatori Sōdō (鶏騒動)	Bungei Shuto (文藝首都)
		Ken Hase [ja]	Asakusa no Kodomo (あさくさの子供)	(虚實)
010	1939下	Kōtarō Samukawa [ja]	Mitsuryōsha (密獵者)	Sōsaku (創作)
011	1940上	Takagi Taku [ja] refused by the author	Uta to mon no tate (歌と門の盾)
012	1940下	Tsunehisa Sakurada [ja]	Hiraga Gen'nai (平賀源内)	Sakka Seishin (作家精神)
013	1941上	Yūkei Tada [ja]	Chōkō Deruta (長江デルタ)	Tairiku Ōrai (大陸往来)
014	1941下	Yoshiko Shibaki	Seika no Ichi (青果の市)	Bungei Shuto (文芸首都)
015	1942上	No prize awarded.
016	1942下	Toshio Kuramitsu [ja]	Renrakuin (連絡員)	Seitō (正統)
017	1943上	Kikuzō Ishizuka [ja]	Tensoku no Koro (纏足の頃)	Mōkyō Bungaku (蒙疆文學)
018	1943下	Kaoru Tōnobe [ja]	Washi (和紙)	Tōhoku Bungaku (東北文學)
019	1944上	Yoshinori Yagi	Ryū Kanfū (劉廣福)	Nihon Bungakusha (日本文學者)
		Jūzō Obi [ja]	Tōhan (登攀)	Kokumin Bungaku (國民文學)
020	1944下	Motoyoshi Shimizu	Karitachi (雁立)	Nihon Bungakusha (日本文學者)
021	1949上	Tsuyoshi Kotani [ja]	Kakushō (確証)	Sakka (作家)
		Shigeko Yuki	Hon no Hanashi (本の話)	Sakuhin (作品)
022	1949下	Yasushi Inoue	The Bullfight (闘牛, Tōgyū)	Bungakukai
023	1950上	Ryōichi Tsuji [ja]	Ihōjin (異邦人)	Shin Shōsetsu (新小説)
024	1950下	No prize awarded.
025	1951上	Kōbō Abe	Kabe—S. Karuma shi no Hanzai (壁—S・カルマ氏の犯罪)	Kindai Bungaku  [ja]
		Toshimitsu Ishikawa [ja]	Haru no Kusa (春の草 他)	Bungakukai
026	1951下	Yoshie Hotta	Hiroba no Kodoku (広場の孤独 他)	Chūōkōron
027	1952上	No prize awarded.
028	1952下	Kōsuke Gomi	Sōshin (喪神)	Shinchō
		Seichō Matsumoto	Aru "Kokura Nikki" Den (或る「小倉日記」伝)	Mita Bungaku
029	1953上	Shōtarō Yasuoka	Bad Company (悪い仲間, Warui Nakama)	Gunzō
			Inki na Tanoshimi (陰気な愉しみ)	Shinchō
030	1953下	No prize awarded.
031	1954上	Junnosuke Yoshiyuki	Sudden Shower (驟雨・その他, Shūu, sono ta)	Bungakukai
032	1954下	Nobuo Kojima	The American School (アメリカン・スクール, Amerikan Sukūru)
		Junzō Shōno	Evenings at the Pool (プールサイド小景, Pūrusaido Shōkei)	Gunzō
033	1955上	Shūsaku Endō	White Man (白い人, Shiroi Hito)	Kindai Bungaku  [ja]
034	1955下	Shintarō Ishihara	Season of Violence (太陽の季節, Taiyō no Kisetsu)	Bungakukai
035	1956上	Keitarō Kondō [ja]	Amabune (海人舟)
036	1956下	No prize awarded.
037	1957上	Itaru Kikumura [ja]	Iōjima (硫黄島)	Bungakukai
038	1957下	Takeshi Kaikō	The Naked King (裸の王様, Hadaka no Ōsama)
039	1958上	Kenzaburō Ōe	Prize Stock (飼育, Shiiku)
040	1958下	No prize awarded.
041	1959上	Shirō Shiba [ja]	Santō (山塔)	Waseda Bungaku
042	1959下	No prize awarded.
043	1960上	Morio Kita	Yoru to Kiri no Sumi de (夜と霧の隅で)	Shinchō
044	1960下	Tetsuo Miura	Shinobukawa (忍ぶ川)
045	1961上	No prize awarded.
046	1961下	Kōichirō Uno	Kujiragami (鯨神)	Bungakukai
047	1962上	Akira Kawamura [ja]	Bidan no Shuppatsu (美談の出発)	Bungakugai (文学街)
048	1962下	No prize awarded.
049	1963上	Kiichi Gotō [ja]	Shōnen no Hashi (少年の橋)	Yamagata Bungaku (山形文学)
		Kōno Taeko	Crabs (蟹, Kani)	Bungakukai
050	1963下	Seiko Tanabe	Kanshō Ryokō (Senchimentaru Jāni) (感傷旅行 センチメンタル・ジャーニィ)	Kōro (航路)
051	1964上	Shō Shibata [ja]	Saredo Wareraga Hibi (されどわれらが日々──)	Zō (象)
052	1964下	No prize awarded.
053	1965上	Setsuko Tsumura	Playthings (玩具, Gangu)	Bungakukai
054	1965下	Yūichi Takai	Kita no Kawa (北の河)	Sai (犀)
055	1966上	No prize awarded.
056	1966下	Kenji Maruyama	Natsu no Nagare (夏の流れ)	Bungakukai
057	1967上	Tatsuhiro Ōshiro	The Cocktail Party (カクテル・パーティー, Kakuteru Pātī)	Shin Okinawa Bungaku (新沖縄文学)
058	1967下	Hyōzō Kashiwabara [ja]	Tokuyama Dōsuke no Kikyō (徳山道助の帰郷)	Shinchō
059	1968上	Saiichi Maruya	Toshi no Nokori (年の残り)	Bungakukai
		Minako Ōba	The Three Crabs (三匹の蟹, Sanbiki no Kani)	Gunzō
060	1968下	No prize awarded.
061	1969上	Kaoru Shōji [ja]	Akazukin-chan Ki o Tsukete (赤頭巾ちゃん気をつけて)	Chūōkōron
		Hideo Takubo	Fukai Kawa (深い河)	Shinchō
062	1969下	Takayuki Kiyooka	Akashiya no Dairen (アカシヤの大連)	Gunzō
063	1970上	Tomoko Yoshida	Mumyōjōya (無明長夜)	Shinchō
		Komao Furuyama [ja]	Pureō 8 no Yoake (プレオー8の夜明け)	Bungei
064	1970下	Yoshikichi Furui	Yoko (杳子, Yōko)
065	1971上	No prize awarded.
066	1971下	Kaisei Ri	Kinuta o Utsu Onna (砧をうつ女)	Kikan Geijutsu (季刊芸術)
		Mineo Higashi	Child of Okinawa (オキナワの少年, Okinawa no Shōnen)	Bungakukai
067	1972上	Hiroshi Hatayama [ja]	Itsuka Kiteki o Narashite (いつか汽笛を鳴らして)
		Akio Miyahara [ja]	Dareka ga Sawatta (誰かが触った)	Bungei
068	1972下	Michiko Yamamoto	Betty-san (ベティさんの庭, Betei-san no Niwa)	Shinchō
		Shizuko Gō	Requiem (れくいえむ, Rekuiemu)	Bungakukai
069	1973上	Taku Miki	Hiwa (鶸)	Subaru  [ja]
070	1973下	Kuninobu Noro [ja]	Kusa no Tsurugi (草のつるぎ)	Bungakukai
		Atsushi Mori [ja]	Gassan (月山)	Kikan Geijutsu (季刊芸術)
071	1974上	No prize awarded.
072	1974下	Keizō Hino	Ano Yūhi (あの夕陽)	Shinchō
		Hiro Sakata [ja]	Tsuchi no Utsuwa (土の器)	Bungakukai
073	1975上	Kyōko Hayashi	Ritual of Death (祭りの場, Matsuri no Ba)	Gunzō
074	1975下	Kenji Nakagami	The Cape (岬, Misaki)	Bungakukai
		Kazuo Okamatsu	Shikanoshima (志賀島)
075	1976上	Ryū Murakami	Almost Transparent Blue (限りなく透明に近いブルー, Kagirinaku Tōmei ni Chikai Burū)	Gunzō
076	1976下	No prize awarded.
077	1977上	Masahiro Mita [ja]	Bokutte Nani (僕って何)	Bungei
		Masuo Ikeda	Ēgekai ni Sasagu (エーゲ海に捧ぐ)	Shōsetsu Yasei Jidai  [ja]
078	1977下	Teru Miyamoto	River of Fireflies (螢川, Hotarugawa)	Bungei Tenbō (文芸展望)
		Shūzō Taki [ja]	Kaya no Ki Matsuri (榧の木祭り)	Shinchō
079	1978上	Kiichirō Takahashi [ja]	Nobuyo (伸予)	Bungei
		Michitsuna Takahashi [ja]	Kugatsu no Sora (九月の空)
080	1978下	No prize awarded.
081	1979上	Yoshiko Shigekane	The Smoke in the Mountain Valley (やまあいの煙, Yamaai no Kemuri)	Bungakukai
		Sō Aono	Gusha no Yoru (愚者の夜)
082	1979下	Reiko Mori	Mokkingubādo no Iru Machi (モッキングバードのいる町)	Shinchō
083	1980上	No prize awarded.
084	1980下	Katsuhiko Otsuji	Chichi ga Kieta (父が消えた)	Bungakukai
085	1981上	Rie Yoshiyuki	The Little Lady (小さな貴婦人, Chisana Kifujin)	Shinchō
086	1981下	No prize awarded.
087	1982上
088	1982下	Yukiko Katō	Yume no Kabe (夢の壁)	Shinchō
		Jūrō Kara	Sagawa-kun Kara no Tegami (佐川君からの手紙)	Bungei
089	1983上	No prize awarded.
090	1983下	Jun Kasahara [ja]	Mokuji no Sekai (杢二の世界)	Kaien  [ja]
		Nobuko Takagi	Hikari Idaku Tomo yo (光抱く友よ)	Shinchō
091	1984上	No prize awarded.
092	1984下	Satoko Kizaki	The Phoenix Tree (青桐, Aogiri)	Bungakukai
093	1985上	No prize awarded.
094	1985下	Fumiko Kometani	Passover (過越しの祭, Sugikoshi no matsuri)	Shinchō
095	1986上	No prize awarded.
096	1986下
097	1987上	Kiyoko Murata	In the Pot (鍋の中, Nabe no Naka)	Bungakukai
098	1987下	Natsuki Ikezawa	Still Life (スティル・ライフ, Sutiru Raifu)	Chūōkōron
		Kiyohiro Miura	He's Leaving Home: My Young Son Becomes a Zen Monk (長男の出家, Chōnan no Shukke)	Kaien  [ja]
099	1988上	Man Arai	Tazunebito no Jikan (尋ね人の時間)	Bungakukai
100	1988下	Keishi Nagi [ja]	Daiyamondo Dasuto (ダイヤモンドダスト)
		Lee Yangji	Yuhi (由煕)	Gunzō
101	1989上	No prize awarded.
102	1989下	Akira Ōoka [ja]	Hyōsō Seikatsu (表層生活)	Bungakukai
		Mieko Takizawa	Nekobaba no Iru Machi de (ネコババのいる町で)
103	1990上	Noboru Tsujihara	Mura no Namae (村の名前)
104	1990下	Yōko Ogawa	Pregnancy Diary (妊娠カレンダー, Ninshin Karendā)
105	1991上	Yō Henmi [ja]	Jidō Kishō Sōchi (自動起床装置)
		Anna Ogino	Seoimizu (背負い水)
106	1991下	Eiko Matsumura	Shikō Seisho Apatōn (至高聖所 アバトーン)	Kaien  [ja]
107	1992上	Tomomi Fujiwara [ja]	Untenshi (運転士)	Gunzō
108	1992下	Yōko Tawada	The Bridegroom was a Dog (犬婿入り, Inu mukoiri)
109	1993上	Haruhiko Yoshimeki [ja]	Sekiryō Kōya (寂寥郊野)
110	1993下	Hikaru Okuizumi	The Stones Cry Out (石の来歴, Ishi no Raireki)	Bungakukai
111	1994上	Mitsuhiro Muroi [ja]	Odorudeku (おどるでく)	Gunzō
		Yoriko Shōno	Taimu Surippu Konbināto (タイムスリップ・コンビナート)	Bungakukai
112	1994下	No prize awarded.
113	1995上	Kazushi Hosaka	Kono Hito no Iki (この人の閾)	Shinchō
114	1995下	Eiki Matayoshi	Buta no Mukui (豚の報い)	Bungakukai
115	1996上	Hiromi Kawakami	Record of a Night Too Brief (蛇を踏む, Hebi o Fumu)
116	1996下	Hitonari Tsuji	Kaikyō no Hikari (海峡の光)	Shinchō
		Yū Miri	Kazoku Shinema (家族シネマ)	Gunzō
117	1997上	Shun Medoruma	Droplets (水滴, Suiteki)	Bungakukai
118	1997下	No prize awarded.
119	1998上	Mangetsu Hanamura [ja]	Gerumaniamu no Yoru (ゲルマニウムの夜)	Bungakukai
		Shū Fujisawa	Buenosu Airesu Gozen Reiji (ブエノスアイレス午前零時)	Bungei
120	1998下	Keiichirō Hirano	Eclipse (日蝕, Nisshoku)	Shinchō
121	1999上	No prize awarded.
122	1999下	Gen Getsu [ja]	Kage no Sumika (蔭の棲みか)	Bungakukai
		Chiya Fujino	Natsu no Yakusoku (夏の約束)	Gunzō
123	2000上	Kō Machida	Rip It Up (きれぎれ, Kiregire)	Bungakukai
		Hisaki Matsuura	Hana Kutashi (花腐し)	Gunzō
124	2000下	Yūichi Seirai [ja]	Seisui (聖水)	Bungakukai
		Toshiyuki Horie	The Bear and the Paving Stone (熊の敷石, Kuma no Shikiishi)	Gunzō
125	2001上	Sōkyū Gen'yū [ja]	Chūin no Hana (中陰の花)	Bungakukai
126	2001下	Yū Nagashima [ja]	Mō-Supīdo de Haha wa (猛スピードで母は)
127	2002上	Shūichi Yoshida	Pāku Raifu (パーク・ライフ)
128	2002下	Tamaki Daidō	Shoppai Doraibu (しょっぱいドライブ)
129	2003上	Man'ichi Yoshimura [ja]	Hariganemushi (ハリガネムシ)
130	2003下	Hitomi Kanehara	Snakes and Earrings (蛇にピアス, Hebi ni Piasu)	Subaru  [ja]
		Risa Wataya	I Want to Kick You in the Back (蹴りたい背中, Keritai Senaka)	Bungei
131	2004上	Norio Mobu [ja]	Kaigo Nyūmon (介護入門)	Bungakukai
132	2004下	Kazushige Abe	Gurando Fināre (グランド･フィナーレ)	Gunzō
133	2005上	Fuminori Nakamura	The Boy in the Earth (土の中の子供, Tsuchi no Naka no Kodomo)	Shinchō
134	2005下	Akiko Itoyama	Waiting in the Offing (沖で待つ, Oki de Matsu)	Bungakukai
135	2006上	Takami Itō	Hachigatsu no Rojō ni Suteru (八月の路上に捨てる)
136	2006下	Nanae Aoyama	A Perfect Day to Be Alone (ひとり日和, Hitori Biyori)	Bungei
137	2007上	Tetsushi Suwa	Asatte no Hito (アサッテの人)	Gunzō
138	2007下	Mieko Kawakami	Chichi to Ran (乳と卵)	Bungakukai
139	2008上	Yang Yi	Toki ga Nijimu Asa (時が滲む朝)
140	2008下	Kikuko Tsumura	Potosu Raimu no Fune (ポトスライムの舟)	Gunzō
141	2009上	Ken'ichirō Isozaki [ja]	Tsui no Sumika (終の住処)	Shinchō
142	2009下	No prize awarded.
143	2010上	Akiko Akazome	Otome no Mikkoku (乙女の密告)	Shinchō
144	2010下	Mariko Asabuki	Kikotowa (きことわ)
		Kenta Nishimura	Kueki Ressha (苦役列車)
145	2011上	No prize awarded.
146	2011下	Toh EnJoe	Harlequin's Butterfly (道化師の蝶, Dōkeshi no Chō)	Gunzō
		Shinya Tanaka [ja]	Cannibals (共喰い, Tomogui)	Subaru  [ja]
147	2012上	Maki Kashimada	Touring the Land of the Dead (冥土めぐり, Meido Meguri)	Bungei
148	2012下	Natsuko Kuroda	ab Sango (abさんご)	Waseda Bungaku  [ja]
149	2013上	Kaori Fujino	Nails and Eyes (爪と目, Tsume to Me)[12]	Shinchō
150	2013下	Hiroko Oyamada	The Hole (穴, Ana)[13]
151	2014上	Tomoka Shibasaki	Spring Garden (春の庭, Haru no Niwa)[14]	Bungakukai
152	2014下	Masatsugu Ono	Kyūnenmae no Inori (九年前の祈り)[15]	Gunzō
153	2015上	Keisuke Hada [ja]	Sukurappu Ando Birudo (スクラップ・アンド・ビルド)	Bungakukai
		Naoki Matayoshi	Spark (火花, Hibana)
154	2015下	Yūshō Takiguchi [ja]	Shinde Inai Mono (死んでいない者)
		Yukiko Motoya	An Exotic Marriage (異類婚姻譚, Irui Konin Tan)	Gunzō
155	2016上	Sayaka Murata	Convenience Store Woman (コンビニ人間, Konbini Ningen)	Bungakukai
156	2016下	Sumito Yamashita	Shinsekai (しんせかい)[16]	Shinchō
157	2017上	Shinsuke Numata	Eiri (影裏)[17]	Bungakukai
158	2017下	Chisako Wakatake	Ora Ora de Hitori Igumo (おらおらでひとりいぐも)[18]	Bungei
		Yūka Ishii	The Mud of a Century (百年泥, Hyakunen Doro)	Shinchō
159	2018上	Hiroki Takahashi [ja]	Okuribi (送り火)[19]	Bungakukai
160	2018下	Ryōhei Machiya	1R 1-Pun 34-Byō (1R1分34秒)[20]	Shinchō
		Takahiro Ueda	Nimuroddo (ニムロッド)[20]	Gunzō
161	2019上	Natsuko Imamura	The Woman in the Purple Skirt (むらさきのスカートの女, Murasaki no Sukāto no Onna)[21]	Shōsetsu Tripper  [ja]
162	2019下	Makoto Furukawa	Seitaka Awadachisō (背高泡立草)[22]	Subaru  [ja]
163	2020上	Haruka Tono	Hakyoku (破局)[23]	Bungei
		Haneko Takayama	Shuri no Uma (首里の馬)[24]	Shinchō
164	2020下	Rin Usami	Idol, Burning (推し、燃ゆ, Oshi, Moyu)[25]	Bungei
165	2021上	Li Kotomi	Higanbana ga saku shima (彼岸花が咲く島)[26]	Bungakukai
		Mai Ishizawa [ja]	The Place of Shells (貝に続く場所にて, Kai ni tsudzuku basho nite)[26]	Gunzō
166	2021下	Bunji Sunakawa [ja]	Black Box (ブラックボックス)[27]	Gunzō
167	2022上	Junko Takase [ja]	May You Have Delicious Meals (おいしいごはんが食べられますように, Oishii Gohan ga Taberaremasuyōni)[28]	Gunzō
168	2022下	Iko Idogawa [ja]	Kono Yo no Yorokobi yo (この世の喜びよ)[29]	Gunzō
		Atsushi Satō (author) [ja]	Arechi no Kazoku (荒地の家族)[29]	Shinchō
169	2023上	Saō Ichikawa [ja]	Hunchback (ハンチバック, Hunchback)[30]	Bungei
170	2023下	Rie Kudan	Sympathy Tokyo Tower (東京都同情塔, Tokyō-to Dōjō-tō)[31]	Shinchō
171	2024上	Aki Asahina [ja]	Sanshōuo no Shijūkunichi (サンショウウオの四十九日)[32]	Shinchō
		Sanzō K. Matsunaga [ja]	Bari Sankō (バリ山行)[32]	Gunzō
172	2024下	Jose Ando [ja]	Dtopia[33]	Bungei
		Yuui Suzuki [ja]	Goethe wa Subete o Itta (ゲーテはすべてを言った)[33]	Shōsetsu Tripper

Winners available in English translation

• 1936 (4th) - Jun Ishikawa, The Bodhisattva (trans. William J. Tyler, Columbia University Press, 1990)
• 1937 (5th) - Kazuo Ozaki, Rosy Glasses (in Rosy Glasses and Other Stories, trans. Robert Epp, Paul Norbury Publications, 1988)
• 1949 (22nd) - Yasushi Inoue, The Bullfight (trans. Michael Emmerich, Pushkin Press, 2013)
• 1953 (29th) - Shōtarō Yasuoka, Bad Company (in A View by the Sea, trans. Karen Wigen Lewis, Columbia University Press, 1984)
• 1954 (31st) - Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, Sudden Shower (In New Writing in Japan, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Penguin, 1972)
• 1954 (32nd)
  • Nobuo Kojima, The American School (In Contemporary Japanese Literature, trans. William F. Sibley, Alfred A. Knopf, 1977)
  • Junzo Shono, Evenings at the Pool (In Still Life and Other Stories, trans. Wayne P. Lammers, Stone Bridge Press, 1992)
• 1955 (33rd) - Shūsaku Endō, White Man (In White Man, Yellow Man, trans. Teruyo Shimizu, Paulist Press, 2014)
• 1955 (34th) - Shintaro Ishikawa, Season of Violence (In Season of Violence, trans. John G. Mills, Toshie Takahama, and Ken Tremayne, Tuttle, 1966)
• 1957 (38th) - Takeshi Kaiko, The Naked King (In Japan Quarterly, vol. 24, no. 2, trans. Howard Curtis, 1977)
• 1958 (39th) - Kenzaburō Ōe, Prize Stock (In Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness, trans. John Nathan, Grove Press, 1977)
• 1963 (49th) - Kōno Taeko, Crabs (In Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories, trans. Lucy North, New Directions Publishing, 1996)
• 1965 (53rd) - Setsuko Tsumura, Playthings (In Japan Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 1, trans. Kyoko Evanhoe and Robert N. Lawson, 1980)
• 1967 (57th) - Tatsuhiro Ōshiro, The Cocktail Party (In Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas, trans. Steve Rabson, Institute of East Asian Studies, 1989)
• 1968 (59th) - Minako Oba, The Three Crabs (in Japan Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 3, trans. Stephen Kohl and Toyama Ryoko, 1978)
• 1970 (64th) - Yoshikichi Furui, Yoko (In Child of Darkness: Yoko and Other Stories, trans. Donna George Storey, University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, 1997)
• 1971 (66th) - Mineo Higashi, Child of Okinawa (In Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas, trans. Steve Rabson, Institute of East Asian Studies, 1989)
• 1972 (68th)
  • Michiko Yamamoto, Betty-san (In Betty-san, trans. Geraldine Harcourt, Kodansha International, 1985)
  • Shizuko Gō, Requiem (trans. Geraldine Harcourt, Kodansha International, 1983)
• 1975 (73rd) - Kyoko Hayashi, Ritual of Death (In Nuke Rebuke: Writers and Artists against Nuclear Energy and Weapons, trans. Kyoko Selden, The Spirit That Moves Us Press, 1984)
• 1975 (74th) - Kenji Nakagami, The Cape (In The Cape and other stories from the Japanese Ghetto, trans. Eve Zimmerman, Stone Bridge Press, 1999)
• 1976 (75th) - Ryū Murakami, Almost Transparent Blue (trans. Nancy Andrew, Kodansha International, 1977)
• 1977 (78th) - Teru Miyamoto, River of Fireflies (in Rivers, trans. Roger K. Thomas and Ralph McCarthy, Kurodahan Press, 2014)
• 1979 (81st) - Yoshiko Shigekane, The Smoke in the Mountain Valley (In Mississippi Review, vol. 39, no. 1/3, trans. John Wilson and Motoko Naruse, 2012)
• 1981 (85th) - Rie Yoshiyuki, The Little Lady (In Japanese Literature Today, no. 7, trans. Geraldine Harcourt, 1982)
• 1984 (92nd) - Satoko Kizaki, The Phoenix Tree (In The Phoenix Tree and Other Stories, trans. Carol A. Flath, Kodansha International, 1990)
• 1985 (94th) - Fumiko Kometani, Passover (In Passover, trans. by the author, Carroll and Graf, 1989)
• 1987 (97th) - Kiyoko Murata, In the Pot (In Japanese Women Writers: Twentieth Century Short Fiction, trans. Kyoko Iriye Seldon, Routledge, 2015)
• 1987 (98th)
  • Natsuki Ikezawa, Still Life (In Still Lives, trans. Dennis Keene, Kodansha International, 1997)
  • Kiyohiro Miura, He's Leaving Home: My Young Son Becomes a Zen Monk (trans. Jeff Shore, Tuttle, 1996)
• 1990 (104th) - Yōko Ogawa, Pregnancy Diary (In The Diving Pool, trans. Stephen Snyder, Picador, 2008)
• 1992 (108th) - Yoko Tawada, The Bridegroom was a Dog (In The Bridegroom was a Dog, trans. Margaret Mitsutani, Kodansha International, 2003)
• 1993 (110th) - Hikaru Okuizumi, The Stones Cry Out (trans. James Westerhoven, Harcourt, 1999)
• 1996 (115th) - Hiromi Kawakami, Record of a Night Too Brief (trans. Lucy North, Pushkin Press, 2017)
• 1997 (117th) - Shun Medoruma, Droplets (In Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa, trans. Michael Molasky, University of Hawaii Press, 2000)
• 1998 (120th) - Keiichiro Hirano, Eclipse (trans. Brent de Chene and Charles De Wolf, Columbia University Press, 2024)
• 2000 (123rd) - Kō Machida, Rip It Up (trans. Daniel Joseph, Mercurial Editions, 2022)
• 2000 (124th) - Toshiyuki Horie, The Bear and the Paving Stone (In The Bear and the Paving Stone, trans. Geraint Howells, Pushkin Press, 2018)
• 2003 (130th)
  • Hitomi Kanehara, Snakes and Earrings (trans. David Karashima, Dutton, 2005)
  • Risa Wataya, I Want to Kick You in the Back (trans. Julianne Neville, One Peace Books, 2015)
• 2005 (133rd) - Fuminori Nakamura, The Boy in the Earth (trans. Allison Markin Powell, Soho Crime, 2017)
• 2005 (134th) - Akiko Itoyama, Waiting in the Offing (In Words Without Borders, April 2007, trans. Charles De Wolf)
• 2006 (136th) - Nanae Aoyama, A Perfect Day to Be Alone (trans. Jesse Kirkwood, MacLehose Press, 2024)
• 2011 (146th)
  • Toh EnJoe, Harlequin Butterfly (trans. David Boyd, Pushkin Press, 2024)
  • Shinya Tanaka, Cannibals (trans. Kalau Almony, Honford Star, 2024)
• 2012 (147th) - Maki Kashimada, Touring the Land of the Dead (trans. Haydn Trowell, Europa Editions, 2021)
• 2013 (149th) - Kaori Fujino, Nails and Eyes (trans. Kendall Heitzman, Pushkin Press, 2023)
• 2013 (150th) - Hiroko Oyamada, The Hole (trans. David Boyd, New Directions Publishing, 2020)
• 2014 (151st) - Tomoka Shibasaki, Spring Garden (trans. Polly Barton, Pushkin Press, 2017)
• 2015 (153rd) - Naoki Matayoshi, Spark (trans. Allison Watts, Pushkin Press, 2020)
• 2015 (154th) - Yukiko Motoya, An Exotic Marriage (In The Lonesome Bodybuilder, trans. Asa Yoneda, Soft Skull, 2018)
• 2016 (155th) - Sayaka Murata, Convenience Store Woman (trans. Ginny Tapley Takemori, Grove Press, 2018)
• 2017 (158th) - Yuka Ishii, The Mud of a Century (trans. Haydn Trowell, Gazebo Books, 2023)
• 2019 (161st) - Natsuko Imamura, The Woman in the Purple Skirt (trans. Lucy North, Faber and Faber, 2021)
• 2020 (164th) - Rin Usami, Idol, Burning (trans. Asa Yoneda, HarperVia, 2022)
• 2021 (165th) - Mai Ishizawa, The Place of Shells (trans. Polly Barton, New Directions Publishing, 2025)
• 2022 (167th) - Junko Takase, May You Have Delicious Meals (trans. Morgan Giles, Penguin, 2025)
• 2023 (169th) - Sao Ichikawa, Hunchback (trans. Polly Barton, Penguin, 2025)
• 2023 (170th) - Rie Kudan, Sympathy Tower Tokyo (trans. Jesse Kirkwood, Penguin, 2025)

Current members of the selection committee and year appointed

• Amy Yamada, 2003
• Hiromi Kawakami, 2007
• Yōko Ogawa, 2007
• Masahiko Shimada, 2010
• Hikaru Okuizumi, 2012
• Shuichi Yoshida, 2016
• Hisaki Matsuura, 2019
• Keiichiro Hirano, 2020^[34]
• Mieko Kawakami, 2024^[35]

See also

• List of Japanese literary awards

References

1. Fukue, Natsuko (February 14, 2012). "Literary awards run spectrum". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
2. Mack, Edward (2004). "Accounting for Taste: The Creation of the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes for Literature". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 64 (2): 291–340. doi:10.2307/25066744. JSTOR 25066744.
3. "Akutagawa Prize". Books from Japan. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
4. Rebecca L. Copeland; Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen (31 July 2001). The Father-Daughter Plot: Japanese Literary Women and the Law of the Father. University of Hawaii Press. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-8248-6471-2.
5. Onishi, Norimitsu (March 27, 2004). "Just 20, She Captures Altered Japan in a Debut Novel". The New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
6. "Natsuko Kuroda, 75, becomes oldest Akutagawa literary award winner". The Japan Times. January 17, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
7. Beauchamp, Nancy Junko (May 1974). "Modern Japanese Novels in English: A Selected Bibliography" (PDF). Service Center Paper on Asian Studies (7).
8. Yi-ling Lin (2011). "Plagiarism, Hiroshima, and Intertextuality: Ibuse Masuji's Black Rain Reconsidered". 19 (2). 麗沢学際ジャーナル (Urarasawa interdisciplinary journal): 43. Retrieved August 19, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
9. Ohara, Kazuki (July 18, 2018). "Akutagawa literary prize candidate causing stir over alleged plagiarism". Mainichi Shimbun. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
10. "又吉さん「火花」２０万部増刷、累計２２９万部 : ライフ : 読売新聞（YOMIURI ONLINE）". 2015-08-13. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
11. "芥川賞受賞者一覧" (in Japanese). 日本文学振興会 (Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
12. "Fujino wins Akutagawa award; Sakuragi gets Naoki prize". Japan Times. July 17, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
13. "Literature prizes elevate women". Japan Times. January 25, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
14. "Akutagawa, Naoki literary awards go to Shibasaki, Kurokawa". The Japan Times. July 17, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
15. "Ono wins Akutagawa literary award; Nishi wins Naoki Prize". The Japan Times. January 16, 2015.
16. "Sumito Yamashita claims 156th Akutagawa Prize". The Japan Times. January 20, 2017.
17. "First-time writer Shinsuke Numata wins prestigious Akutagawa Prize". The Japan Times. July 19, 2017.
18. "Chisako Wakatake and Yuka Ishii win Akutagawa literary award; Yoshinobu Kadoi bags Naoki Prize". Japan Times. January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
19. "第159回芥川賞に高橋弘希さん、直木賞は島本理生さん". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
20. "古市氏は受賞逃す、芥川賞に上田岳弘氏と町屋良平氏". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). January 16, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
21. "Two women named for Japan's Akutagawa, Naoki literary awards". Kyodo News. July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019 – via The Japan Times.
22. "Novelists Makoto Furukawa and Soichi Kawagoe to receive Japan's Akutagawa and Naoki literary prizes". Kyodo News. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020 – via The Japan Times.
23. "Novelists Takayama and Tono win Akutagawa awards; Hase wins Naoki Prize". The Japan Times. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
24. "第163回芥川賞 高山羽根子さん『首里の馬』と遠野遥『破局』がダブル受賞". bunshun.jp (in Japanese). 15 July 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
25. "Two women win Japan's Akutagawa and Naoki literary awards". The Japan Times. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
26. "第165回芥川賞と直木賞 それぞれ2作品が決まる". NHK (in Japanese). 14 July 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
27. "第166回「芥川賞」発表 元自衛官の作家・砂川文次氏の『ブラックボックス』 三度目候補で受賞". Oricon. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
28. "第167回「芥川賞・直木賞」決定 芥川賞は高瀬隼子氏『おいしいごはんが食べられますように』、直木賞は窪美澄氏『夜に星を放つ』". Oricon. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
29. "第168回芥川賞・直木賞に4氏決まる". Sankei Shimbun. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
30. "芥川賞に市川沙央さん 直木賞は垣根涼介さん、永井紗耶子さん". Jiji.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
31. "直木賞に河崎秋子さんと万城目学さん、芥川賞に九段理江さん". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
32. "第171回芥川賞に朝比奈秋さん、松永K三蔵さん　都内で選考会". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
33. "第172回芥川賞に安堂ホセさん「DTOPIA」と鈴木結生さん「ゲーテはすべてを言った」". Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 15 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
34. "直木賞の委員に三浦しをんさん 芥川賞は平野啓一郎さん". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 4 March 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
35. 産経新聞 (2024-03-01). "芥川賞新選考委員に川上未映子さん ７月の第１７１回の選考会から参加". 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-12-17.