Akutagawa Prize

The Akutagawa Prize (芥川龍之介賞 Akutagawa Ryūnosuke Shō) is Japan's most prestigious literary award. Established in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, the editor of Bungei Shunjū magazine, in memory of novelist Akutagawa Ryunosuke, it is sponsored by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Literature (Nihon Bungaku Shinkō Kai), and is awarded semiannually in January and July to the best story of a purely literary nature published in a newspaper or magazine by a new or rising author. The winner receives a pocket watch and a cash award of 1 million yen. Short stories and novellas win the prize more frequently than do full-length novels. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is Japan’s most sought after literary prize.

Winners of the Akutagawa Prize:

• 001 1935E Ishikawa Tatsuzo for Sōbō
• 002 1935L no prize awarded
• 003 1936E Oda Takeo for Jyōgai
• 003 1936E Tsuruta Tomoya for Koshamain ki
• 004 1936L Ishikawa Jun for Fugen
• 004 1936L Tomisawa Uio for The Mediterranean Sea (Chichūkai)
• 005 1937E Ozaki Kazuo for Leisure Glasses (Nonki megane)
• 006 1937L Hino Ashihei for Fun'nyōtan
• 007 1938E Nakayama Gishu for Atsumonozaki
• 008 1938L Nakazato Tsuneko for Noriaibasha, Nikkōshitsu
• 009 1939E Handa Yoshiyuki for Chicken Trouble (Niwatori sōdō)
• 009 1939E Hase Ken for Children Of Asakusa (Asakusa no kodomo)
• 010 1939L Samukawa Kotaro for The Poacher (Mitsuryōsha)
• 011 1940E no prize awarded
• 012 1940L Sakurada Tsunehisa for Hiraga gen'nai
• 013 1941E Tada Yukei for Choko Delta (Chōkō deruta)
• 014 1941L Shibaki Yoshikp for The Garden City (Seika no ichi)
• 015 1942E no prize awarded
• 016 1942L Kuramitsu Toshio for The Liaison (Renrakuin)
• 017 1943E Ishizuka Kikuzo for Chanzū no koro
• 018 1943L Tonobe Kaoru for Washi
• 019 1944E Yagi Yoshinori for Ryūkanbu
• 019 1944E Ono Juzo for The Ascent (Tōhan)
• 020 1944L Shimizu Motoyoshi for Wild Geese (Karitachi)
• 021 1949E Kotani Tsuyoshi for Kakushō
• 021 1949E Yuki Shigeko for Hon no hanashi
• 022 1949L Inoue Yasushi for The Bullfight (Tōgyū)
• 023 1950E Tsuji Ryoichi for The Foreigner (Ihōjin)
• 024 1950L no prize awarded
• 025 1951E Abe Kobo for The Crime of S. Karuma (Kabe S. Karuma shi no hanzai)
• 025 1951E Ishikawa Toshimitsu for Spring Grass (Haru no kusa)
• 026 1951L Hotta Yoshie for Hiroba no kotoku, kankan, sono ta
• 027 1952E no prize awarded
• 028 1952L Gomi Kosuke for Sōshin
• 028 1952L Matsumoto Seicho for Aru okura nikki den
• 029 1953E Yasuoka Shotaro for Bad Company, Dismal Fun (Warui nakama, inki na tanoshimi)
• 030 1953L no prize awarded
• 031 1954E Yoshiyuki Junnosuke for A Rain Shower (Shūu, sono ta)
• 032 1954L Kojima Nobuo for American School (Amerikan sukūru)
• 032 1954L Shono Junzo for A Poolside Scene (Pūrusaido shōkei)
• 033 1955E Endo Shusaku for White Person (Shiroi hito)
• 034 1955L Ishihara Shintaro for Season Of The Sun (Taiyō no kisetsu)
• 035 1956E Kondo Keitaro for Kaijinfune
• 036 1956L no prize awarded
• 037 1957E Kikumura Itaru for Iwo Jima (Iōjima)
• 038 1957L Kaiko Ken for The Emperor’s New Clothes (Hadaka no ōsama)
• 039 1958E Oe Kenzaburo for Prize Stock (Shiiku)
• 040 1958L no prize awarded
• 041 1959E Shiba Shiro for Mountain Pagoda (Santō)
• 042 1959L no prize awarded
• 043 1960E Kita Morio for In The Corner Of Night And Fog (Yoru to kiri no sumi de)
• 044 1960L Miura Tetsuo for Hidden River (Shinobukawa)
• 045 1961E no prize awarded
• 046 1961L Uno Koichiro for The Whale God (Kujiragami)
• 047 1962E Kawamura Akira for A Heroic Departure (Bitan no shuppatsu)
• 048 1962L no prize awarded
• 049 1963E Goto Kiichi for A Boyhood Bridge (Shōnen no hashi)
• 049 1963E Kono Taeko for Crab (Kani)
• 050 1963L Tanabe Seiko for Sentimental Journey (Senchimentaru Jaanî)
• 051 1964E Shiba Shou for Saredo waga hibi
• 052 1964L no prize awarded
• 053 1965E Tsumura Setsuko for Toys (Gangu)
• 054 1965L Takai Yuichi for Northern Stream (Kita no kawa)
• 055 1966E no prize awarded
• 056 1966L Maruyama Kenji for Summer’s Passage (Natsu no nagare)
• 057 1967E Oshiro Tatsuhiro for The Cocktail Party (Kakuteru Paatî)
• 058 1967L Kashiwabara Hyozo for Dosuke Tokoyama’s Returning Home (Tokuyama Dōsuke no kikyō)
• 059 1968E Maruya Saiichi for Remains Of The Year (Toshi no nagori)
• 059 1968E Oba Minako for Three Crabs (Sanbiki no kani)
• 060 1968L no prize awarded
• 061 1969E Shoji Kaoru for Little Red Riding Hood, Take Care (Akazukin-chan ki wo tsukete)
• 061 1969E Takuba Hideo for Deep River (Fukaikawa)
• 062 1969L KiyookaTakayuki for Akashiya no tairen
• 063 1970E Yoshida Tomoko for Mumyōchōya
• 063 1970E Furuyama Komao for Pureō eito no yoake
• 064 1970L Furui Yoshikichi for Yoko (Yōko)
• 065 1971E no prize awarded
• 066 1971L Ri Kaisei for Kinuta wo utsu on’na
• 066 1971L Higashi Mineo for Okinawan Boy (Okinawa no Shōnen)
• 067 1972E Hatayama Hiroshi for Sometimes The Whistle Blew (Itsuka kiteki wo narashite)
• 067 1972E Miyahara Akio for Dareka ga sawatta
• 068 1972L Yamamoto Michiko for Betty Boop’s Garden (Beti-chan no niwa)
• 068 1972L Go Shizuko for Requiem (Rekuiemu)
• 069 1973E Miki Taka for Hiwa
• 070 1973L Noro Kuninobu for Vines (Kusa no tsurugi)
• 070 1973L Mori Atsushi for Lunar Mountain (Gassan)
• 071 1974E no prize awarded
• 072 1974L Hino Keizo for The Evening Sun (Ano yūhi)
• 072 1974L Sakata Hiro for Earthen Vessel (Tsuchi no utsuwa)
• 073 1975E Hayashi Kyoko for Matsuri no ba
• 074 1975L Nakagami Kenji for The Cape (Misaki)
• 074 1975L Okamatsu Kazuo for Shikinoshima
• 075 1976E Murakami Ryu for Almost Transparent Blue (Kagirinaku tōmeini chikai burū)
• 076 1976L no prize awarded
• 077 1977E Mita Masahiro for What Am I (Bokutte nani)
• 077 1977E Ikeda Masuo for Offering In The Aegean (Eegekai ni sasagu)
• 078 1977L Miyamoto Teru for Firefly River (Hoterugawa)
• 078 1977L Taki Shuzo for The Nutmeg Tree Festival (Kaya no ki matsuri)
• 079 1978E Takahashi Kiichiro for Nobuya
• 079 1978E Takahashi Michitsuna for September Sky (Kugatsu no sora)
• 080 1978L no prize awarded
• 081 1979E Shigekane Yoshiko for Smoke In The Mountains (Yamaai no kemuri)
• 081 1979E Aono So for Night Of The Idiots (Gusha no yoru)
• 082 1979L Mori Reiko for The City Of Mockingbirds (Mokkingubaado no iru machi)
• 083 1980E no prize awarded
• 084 1980L Otsuji Katsuhiko for My Father Vanished (Chichi ga kieta)
• 085 1981E Yoshiyuki Rie for Little Lady (Chisana kifujin)
• 086 1981L no prize awarded
• 087 1982E no prize awarded
• 088 1982L Kato Yukiko for Wall of Dreams (Yube no kabe)
• 088 1982L Kara Juro for A Letter From Young Sagawa (Sagawa-kun kara no tegami)
• 089 1983E no prize awarded
• 090 1983L Kasahara Jun for Mokoji's World (Mokuji no sekai)
• 090 1983L Takagi Nobuko for Hold The LIght, Friend (Hikari daku tomo yo)
• 091 1984E no prize awarded
• 092 1984L Kizaki Satoko for Blue Paulownia (Aogiri)
• 093 1985E no prize awarded
• 094 1985L Kometani Fumiko for The Passover (Sugikoshi no matsuri)
• 095 1986E no prize awarded
• 096 1986L no prize awarded
• 097 1987E Murata Kiyoko for In The Pot (Nabe no naka)
• 098 1987L Ikezawa Natsuki for Still Life (Sutiru Raifu)
• 098 1987L Miura Kiyohiro for He’s Leaving Home (Chōnan no shukke)
• 099 1988E Arai Man for The Missing’s Time (Tazunebito no jikan)
• 100 1988L Nagi Keishi for Diamond Dust (Diayamondo Dasuto)
• 100 1988L I Yanji for Yuhi
• 101 1989E no prize awarded
• 102 1989L Ooka Akira for Hyōsō seikatsu
• 102 1989L Takizawa Mieko for Nekobaba no iru machi de
• 103 1990E Tsujihara Noboru for A Village’s Name (Mura no namae)
• 104 1990L Ogawa Yoko for Pregnancy Calendar (Ninshin karendaa)
• 105 1991E Henmi Yo for The Automatic Wake-up Machine (Jidou kishō sōchi)
• 105 1991E Ogino Anna for Water Burden (Seoi mizu)
• 106 1991L Matsumura Eiko for Uptown (Apatōn)
• 107 1992E Fujiwara Tomomi for Driver (Untenshi)
• 108 1992L Tawada Yoko for The Bridegroom Was A Dog (Inumuko iri)
• 109 1993E Yoshimeki Haruhiko for Sekiryōkōya
• 110 1993L Okuizumi Hikaru for The Stones Cry Out (Ishi no raireki)
• 111 1994E Muroi Mitsuhiro for Odorodeku
• 111 1994E Shono Yoriko for The Time Slip Industrial Complex (Taimu surippu konbinaato)
• 112 1994L no prize awarded
• 113 1995E Hosaka Kazushi for Kono hito no iki
• 114 1995L Matayoshi Eikichi for Revenge of Pigs (Buta no mukui)
• 115 1996E Kawakami Hiromi for Tread On A Snake (Hebi wo fumu)
• 116 1996L Tsuji Hitonari for The Light from the Strait (Kaikyō no hikari)
• 116 1996L Yu Miri for Family Cinema (Kazoku shinema)
• 117 1997E Medoruma Shun for A Drop Of Water (Suiteki)
• 118 1997L no prize awarded
• 119 1998E Hanamura Mangetsu for Geranium Nights (Gerumaniamu no yoru)
• 119 1998E Fujisawa Shu for Midnight In Buenos Aires (Buenosu Airesu gozen reiji)
• 120 1998L Hirano Keiichiro for Eclipse (Nisshoku)
• 121 1999E no prize awarded
• 122 1999L Gengetsu for A Dwelling In The Shade (Kage no sumika)
• 122 1999L Fujino Chiya for Summer Promise (Natsu no yakusoku)
• 123 2000E Machida Ko for Shreds (Kiregire)
• 123 2000E Matsuura Hisaki for A Spoiling Rain (Hana kutashi)
• 124 2000L Seirai Yuichi for Holy Water (Seisui)
• 124 2000L Horie Toshiyuki for The Bear And The Paving Stone (Kuma no shikiishi)
• 125 2001E Genyu Sokyu for Flowers In Limbo (Chūin no hana)
• 126 2001L Nagashima Yu for More Speed Mama (Mōsupîdo dewa haha)
• 127 2002E Yoshida Shuichi for Park Life (Paaku raifu)
• 128 2002L Daido Tamaki for Salty Drives (Shoppai doraibu)
• 129 2003E Yoshimura Manichi for The Hairworm (Hariganemushi)
• 130 2003L Wataya Risa for A Back I Want To Kick (Keritai senaka)
• 130 2003L Kanehara Hitomi for Snakes and Earrings (Hebi ni piasu)
• 131 2004E Mobu Norio for Introduction to Nursing Care (Kaigo nyūmon)
• 132 2004L Abe Kazushige for Grand Finale (Gurando finaare)

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. The judges usually include contemporary writers, literary critics, and former winners of the prize. From 1945 through 1948, no prizes were awarded due to postwar instability.

On January 15, 2004, the awarding of the 130th Akutagawa Prize made significant news when two women became the award’s youngest winners. The prize went to both Wataya Risa, 19, and Kanehara Hitomi, 20. Previously, the youngest Akutagawa winners were all 23-year-old males, among them the current Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara and novelist Oe Kenzaburo, who later went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994.

See also: List of Japanese literary awards

ja:芥川龍之介賞 de:Akutagawa-Preis