is a Japanese writer of the fiction genre. She has won the ''Shōsetsu Subaru'' Literary Prize for Newcomers, the
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize, the
Naoki Prize, the Shibata Renzaburo Prize, a MEXT Award, and the Chuo Koron Literary Prize. Several of her works have been adapted for television.
Early life and education
Setsuko Shinoda was born in 1955 in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. As a child she read manga by
Sanpei Shirato as well as books by foreign authors such as
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', part of a series. In addition to the 14 ''Oz'' books, Baum penned 41 other novels ...
,
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
, and
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
, and aspired to become a
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
artist.
She graduated from
Tokyo Gakugei University
Tokyo Gakugei University (東京学芸大学, ''Tōkyō gakugei daigaku'') is a Japanese national university, national university in Koganei, Tokyo. Founded in 1873, it was chartered as a university in 1949. It is also known as ''Gakudai'' (学� ...
.
Before beginning her writing career she worked as a municipal employee in
Hachiōji
is a Cities of Japan, city located in the Western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 561,344, and a population density of 3,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is ...
, including working at City Hall and the municipal library. She began taking writing lessons at the Asahi Cultural Center intending to move into public relations, but ended up taking novel writing classes and writing her first novel.
Writing career
In 1990 Shinoda's debut novel ', a
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
story about a biotech disaster that creates a monster and the social panic that follows, won the 3rd ''Shōsetsu Subaru'' Literary Prize for Newcomers.
It was subsequently published in book form by
Shueisha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...
.
Seven years later, Shinoda won both the
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize and the
Naoki Prize, but for different works. Shinoda's collection ', published in 1996 by
Futabasha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Futabasha is known for its manga works, and its 1967 magazine Manga Action first conceived of the manga category, decades before the other major companies tested th ...
, won the 10th Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize. The title novella ' combines multiple genres in a story about a woman from Nepal whose arranged marriage to a Japanese farmer leads to confrontations with her husband's mother, her own elevation as an object of religious worship, her husband's subsequent financial ruin, and ultimately a new life in Nepal with more personal freedom but much worse conditions. Science fiction critic
Mari Kotani
is a Japanese science fiction critic, best known as the author of ''Evangelion as the Immaculate Virgin (analysis of the anime serie Neon Genesis Evangelion),'' Tokyo: Magazine House, 1997 and of ''Joseijou muishiki: techno-gynesis josei SF- ...
has described ''Gosaintan'' as a story that "reexamines the true nature of romance" but also "openly exposes Japan's stance toward Nepal".
A few months later, Shinoda's book ', published by Shueisha, won the 117th
Naoki Prize. ''Onnatachi no jihādo'' follows the individual stories of five women employees experiencing harassment at an insurance company, focusing on the difficulties they have in a male-dominated society. In 1998 the book was adapted for television by
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
as a 2-episode special titled '.
After her Naoki Prize success, several more of Shinoda's works were adapted for television. In 1998 Shinoda's story ', a horror story about a cellist whose attempts to help a girl with a brain disease communicate through music lead to her falling in love with him and using previously unknown paranormal powers to hurt other people in his life, was published as a book and adapted by
Nippon TV
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
into a television drama starring
Koichi Domoto
is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, television personality, voice actor. Along with Tsuyoshi Domoto (with whom he has no blood-relation), he is a member of the duo Domoto, who holds the Guinness World Recor ...
,
Miki Nakatani, and
Akiko Yada.
Her 2000 novel ', about the problems experienced by a married couple with vastly different personal incomes, was adapted into a 2003
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
drama.
Her 1995 horror novel ', about a pandemic that strikes a town outside Tokyo, was adapted into a 2006 Nippon TV special program.
Shinoda's 2-volume work ' was published by
Shinchosha
is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award.
Books
* Haruki Murakami: '' Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (1985), '' Ute ...
in 2008. ''Kasō girei'' tells the story of two men who start to write a
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
, decide instead to use the game as the basis for a
new religious movement
A new religious movement (NRM), also known as a new religion, is a religious or Spirituality, spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin, or they can be part ...
, gain enough adherents to achieve financial success, then find themselves displaced from the religious organization by women followers.
In 2009 ''Kasō girei'' received the 22nd Shibata Renzaburo Prize.
Two years later Shinoda received the 61st MEXT Award in the Literature category from the Japanese government's
Agency for Cultural Affairs
The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture.
The agency's budget for FY 2018 rose to ¥107.7 billion.
Overview
The age ...
for her collection '.
In 2014
Kadokawa published Shinoda's novel ', the story of a Japanese businessman whose efforts to import special crystals needed for electronics manufacturing lead him to a small village in India, where he becomes involved with a local prostitute with exceptional cognitive powers, discovers a scheme to control uranium deposits, and almost dies in an anti-government uprising.
Shinoda visited small Indian villages for details of setting and character, but based the fictitious Indian crystal trade in the novel on Japan's trade with Brazil and Australia.
The book won the 10th Chuo Koron Literary Prize.
An English version of her story "The Long-rumored Food Crisis", which ''
The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
'' called "a chilling account of moral breakdown after the Big One levels Tokyo", was published in the 2015 collection ''Hanzai Japan''.
Recognition and honors
* 1990: 3rd ''Shōsetsu Subaru'' Literary Prize for Newcomers
* 1997: 10th
Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
* 1997: 117th
Naoki Prize (1997上)
* 2009: 22nd Shibata Renzaburo Prize
* 2011: 61st MEXT Award in Literature
* 2015: 10th Chuo Koron Literary Prize
* 2020:
Television adaptations
* 1998: ',
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
adaptation of ''Onnatachi no jihādo''
* 1998: ',
Nippon TV
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
* 2003: ', NHK
* 2006: ', Nippon TV adaptation of ''Natsu no saiyaku''
Bibliography
Selected works in Japanese
* ',
Shueisha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...
, 1991,
* ',
Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by
In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...
, 1995,
* ',
Futabasha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Futabasha is known for its manga works, and its 1967 magazine Manga Action first conceived of the manga category, decades before the other major companies tested th ...
, 1996,
* ', Shueisha, 1997,
* ', Magajinhausu, 1998,
* ', 2000,
Asahi Shimbun
is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan.
The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...
,
* ',
Shinchosha
is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award.
Books
* Haruki Murakami: '' Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (1985), '' Ute ...
, 2008, (vol. 1), (vol. 2)
* ',
Kobunsha
is a Japanese publishing company. It publishes literature, manga novels, and women's magazines.
Company history
Kobunsha was established on October 1, 1945, and belongs to the Kodansha group.
The company has published Japanese authors such a ...
, 2010,
* ',
Kadokawa, 2014,
Selected work in English translation
* "The Long-rumored Food Crisis", translated by Jim Hubbert, ''Hanzai Japan'', 2015
See also
*
List of Japanese women writers
The following is a list of Japanese women writers and manga artists.
A
* Hotaru Akane (born 1983), blogger, lyricist
* Akiko Akazome (1974–2017), novelist
* Akazome Emon (956–1041), waka poet
* Risu Akizuki (born 1958), manga writer
* Akira A ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shinoda, Setsuko
Living people
1955 births
20th-century Japanese novelists
20th-century Japanese women writers
21st-century Japanese novelists
21st-century Japanese women writers
Japanese women novelists
Japanese science fiction writers
Naoki Prize winners
Writers from Tokyo