[KADOKAWA Corporation] The 16th Yamada Futaro Award has been awarded to two works: Daimon Takeaki’s “Witness of the Sacred Capital” and Enda Junko’s “Spring in Minami”!
KADOKAWA Co., Ltd. Press release: October 20, 2025 To Members of the Press The 16th Yamada Futaro Award has been awarded to two works: Takeaki Daimon’s “Witness of the Sacred Capital” and Junko Toda’s “Spring in Minami”!
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https://kadobun.jp/awards/yamadafutaro/ 【16th Yamada Futaro Award】 ■Takeaki Daimon, “Witness of the Sacred Capital” (Kodansha, June 2025) ■Junko Toda, “Spring in Minami” (Bungeishunju, March 2025) Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7006/17958/7006-17958-49411c6de634f83a05c60172d1265c53-2639×1865.jpg 【Selection Committee】 Makate Asai, Yusuke Kishi, Shino Sakuragi, Seishu Hase (in alphabetical order, titles omitted) *Yusuke Kishi was absent. Sakuragi Shino, who gave her review on behalf of the selection committee, explained her reasons for selecting the two works as winners, saying, “Overwhelmingly entertaining. Overwhelmingly skilled. Comparing these two, both were worthy of the Yamada Futaro Award.” At the press conference that day, Daimon spoke about his thoughts on the work, saying, “Ever since my debut work, I’ve been obsessed with the theme of false accusations. I wanted to sublimate it in the best possible way, and it took me a long time to complete it.” Toda expressed his gratitude and explained his reasons for setting the story in “Osaka Minami,” saying, “I was completely surprised and happy; I was completely surprised. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped me. “Osaka Minami is the area I’m most familiar with. I wrote about Minami first, and I thought I could make a name for myself there.” The award ceremony and celebration for this award will be held in Tokyo in late November. As part of the Kadokawa Three Prizes, award ceremonies and celebrations will also be held for this award, the 45th Yokomizo Seishi Mystery & Horror Award, and the 16th Yasei Jidai Novel Newcomer Award (sponsored by KADOKAWA Corporation). The selection commentary will be published in the “Yasei Jidai Novel Special Edition Winter 2025 Issue.” 【16th Yamada Futaro Award – About the Winning Works】 ■ Daimon Takeaki “Witness of the Sacred City” ＜Work Content＞ In the past, our country was experiencing increasing unreasonable social oppression. Suddenly, a young girl loses her father due to a false accusation. The mystery of the case has been passed down from prewar times to the Reiwa era, and the ambition of the lawyer who boldly stepped up to overturn the false accusation has also been passed down through generations. Will they ever be rewarded? This is a masterpiece by a master of legal mystery, vividly depicting the distortions of society on an epic scale. This unprecedented and ultimate “false accusation” mystery has a heartbreaking ending that makes us question the very meaning of life. (From Kodansha’s bibliography page:
https://www.kodansha.co.jp/book/products/0000410062) Takeaki Daimon Born in Ise City, Mie Prefecture in 1974. He made his debut in 2009 with “Dionysus Must Die” (retitled “Setsuen” upon publication), which won both the 29th Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Award and the TV Tokyo Prize. His other works include “Sinfire,” “Convincing Criminal,” “The Thorns of Prison,” “Gentle Accomplice,” the “Scales of Justice” series (Kadokawa Bunko), “Themis’s Demand” and “The Double-Edged Axe” (Chuko Bunko), and the “Complete Innocence” series (Kodansha Bunko). ■Junko Toda “Spring in Minami” I don’t want to hurt my beloved daughter. This is a heartwarming story written by the author. Overcoming pain and regret, we will surely be able to laugh together someday. A
masterpiece family novel from a rising author, nominated for the Naoki Prize for “Ginka no Kura”! A daughter who continues to work as an unsuccessful comedian, a wife who discovers her husband is suspected of having a secret child, a high school student who is not related to her father by blood… Set in Minami, Osaka, this ensemble drama sheds light on the warmth of people. (6 pieces in total) (From the Bungeishunju bibliography page:
https://books.bunshun.jp/ud/book/num/9784163919553) Junko Toda Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1966. Graduated from the Department of German Literature, Faculty of Letters, Kansai University. Her debut work, “Gettouya,” won the Japan Fantasy Novel Award in 2009. “Snow Iron Tree” was ranked first in the “Book Magazine’s Top 10 Paperbacks of 2016,” and “Oblivion” was ranked first in the “Book Magazine’s Top 10 of 2017.” “Winter Thunder” won the first Miraiya Novel Award, and in 2020 “Silver Flower Storehouse” was nominated for the Naoki Prize. His other works include “Drive-in Mahoroba,” “Chalk in the Ruins,” “Inhuman Sakura,” and “Jocasta’s Cradle.” [Yamada Fuutaro Award] Yamada Fuutaro is one of Japan’s leading popular fiction writers of postwar history. This award was established to discover and honor the work of promising authors, based on respect for his unique works and his writing style. The award is given to the most interesting work published during the designated period, regardless of genre, including mystery, period, and science fiction. ■Name: Yamada Fuutaro Award ■Organizer: KADOKAWA Corporation ■Operator: KADOKAWA Corporation, Literary Department ■Eligible Works: Japanese novels published between September 1st of each year and August 31st of the following year (as indicated in the colophon) *No genre restrictions apply, including novels, short story collections, and short story series *No works are excluded based on the format at the time of publication *Works published in novel magazines, etc., are not eligible. ■Main Prize: Commemorative gift/Second Prize: 1 million yen ■Selection Committee: Makate Asai, Yusuke Kishi, Shino Sakuragi, Seishu Hase *Alphabetical order, titles omitted ■Official website
https://kadobun.jp/awards/yamadafutaro/ ＜16th Yamada Futaro Award Finalists＞ ■Asahina Asuka, “Ordinary Child” (KADOKAWA, December 2024) ■Ogidou Akira, “Insatiable Landscapes” (KADOKAWA, October 2024) ■ Tomoya Sakurada, “Lost Face” (Shinchosha, August 2025) ■ Hotate Shinkawa, “An Eye for an Eye” (KADOKAWA, January 2025) ■ Takeaki Daimon, “Witness of the Sacred Capital” (Kodansha, June 2025) ■Junko Toda, “Spring in Minami” (Bungeishunju, March 2025) ※Authors listed in alphabetical order, titles omitted Copyright ©
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