Bungeishunju Ltd. Congratulations on the Yamada Futaro Award “Maybe the award was thanks to Miyakumyaku?” Enda Junko’s “Minami no Haru” (Spring in Minami) wins the Yamada Futaro Award! A masterpiece family novel set in Osaka Minami, fitting for t

[Bungeishunju Ltd.] [Congratulations on the Yamada Futaro Award] “Maybe the award was thanks to Miyaku-Miyaku?” Junko Toda’s “Minami no Haru” wins the Yamada Futaro Award! A masterpiece family novel set in Osaka’s Minami district, perfect for the Osaka Expo year. ​
Bungei Shunju Co., Ltd. Press release: October 21, 2025 To Members of the Press [Congratulations on the Yamada Futaro Award] “Maybe the award was thanks to Miyaku Miyaku?” Junko Toda’s “Minami no Haru” wins the Yamada Futaro Award! A masterpiece family novel set in Osaka’s Minami district, fitting for the Osaka Expo year. Set in Osaka, this story tells of people who lived in the same era as the comedy sister duo “Casablanca.” Bungeishunju Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Iikubo Shigeyuki) published the novel “Minami no Haru” (Minami Spring) (by Junko Toda) in March 2025, winning the 16th Yamada Futaro Prize (along with “Sacred City Witness” (by Takeaki Daimon)). Set in Osaka, the novel is a masterpiece family novel that depicts the chance encounters of sister comedians “Casablanca” and their contemporaries, as well as the miracles of life. The Yamada Futaro Award was established to discover and honor the works of promising authors, based on the unique works and respect for the literary attitude of Yamada Futaro, one of Japan’s leading popular novelists of postwar Japan. The award is given to the most interesting work published during the designated period, regardless of genre, including mystery, period, and science fiction. The current selection committee consists of four members: Makate Asai, Yusuke Kishi, Shino Sakuragi, and Seishu Hase (Kishi was absent from this selection meeting).
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Junko Toda, “Spring in Minami” (Bungeishunju) ■ Acceptance speech by Junko Toda All I can say is that I’m truly surprised. I’m both incredibly happy and shocked, but I’d like to thank everyone who supported me and helped me to be nominated. In fact, I was really into Expos – I went to 17 times – so I felt a sense of loss when it ended, but that feeling was completely blown away by winning this award (laughs). Perhaps it was thanks to MyakuMyaku that I won the award. ■ “Spring in Minami” Contents Introduction A daughter who continues to work as an unsuccessful comedian, a wife who discovers her husband’s secret child, a high school student who is not related to her father by blood… Set in Minami, Osaka, this ensemble drama weaves together six stories that illuminate the warmth of people. To fulfill his late wife’s wish, Goro gave his daughter Harumi special piano training, but she left home saying she wanted to become a manzai comedian. In 1995, Goro lost his daughter in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and his former partner informed him of the existence of his 5-year-old grandchild. (“Familia on Matsumushi Street”) His partner, Harumi, admired only one manzai comedy duo: “Casablanca.” However, there was no way he could catch up, and Hideyoshi himself quit being a manzai comedian. In 2025, for Harumi’s daughter, who has decided to marry him in the spring of the World Expo, Hideyoshi takes action one last time. (“Spring in Minami, Spring in the World”). This collection of six short stories, along with others, is a “masterpiece family novel” from a rising author, about overcoming pain and regret and finding laughter someday. ■Junko Toda Profile
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/43732/806/43732-806-ddc381aab2db4dc95a28b9eb01d5f6e9-862×1146.png Tooda Junko Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1966. Graduated from the Department of German Literature, Faculty of Letters, Kansai
University. In 2009, she made her debut with “Gettouya,” which won the Japan Fantasy Novel Award. “Snow Iron Tree” was ranked first in the “Book Magazine’s 2016 Top 10 Paperbacks,” and “Oblivion” was ranked first in the “Book Magazine’s 2017 Top 10.” He won the 1st Miraiya Novel Award for “Winter Thunder” and was nominated for the Naoki Prize in 2020 for “Silver Flower Storehouse.” His other works include “Drive-In Mahoroba,” “Chalk in the Ruins,” “Inhuman Sakura,” “The Cradle of Jocasta,” and “Flame in the Sky.” ■Bibliographic information Title: “Spring in Minami” Author: Junko Toda Format: 46-size paperback with dust jacket Release Date: March 6, 2025 Price: ¥1,980 (tax included) ISBN: 978-4-16-391955-3 Bibliography URL:
https://books.bunshun.jp/ud/book/num/9784163919553