2015 in Japanese literature

The following is an overview of the year 2015 in Japanese literature. It includes winners of literary awards, yearly best-sellers, title debuts and endings, and deaths of notable Japanese literature-related people, as well as any other relevant Japanese literature-related events. For an overview of the year in literature from other countries, see 2015 in literature; for an overview of the year in manga (Japanese comics), see 2015 in manga.

Awards

• Agatha Christie Award:
• Akutagawa Prize:
  • Keisuke Hada [ja] for Scrap and Build (スクラップアンドビルド)
  • Naoki Matayoshi for Hibana (火花) ("A Spark") [ja]
  • Yūshō Takiguchi [ja] for 死んでいない者
  • Yukiko Motoya for 異類婚姻譚
• Bungei Prize^[1]
  • Hiroka Yamashita [ja] for ドール
  • Ushio Hatakeyama [ja] for 地の底の記憶
• Dazai Osamu Prize: Akari Itō [ja] for 変わらざる喜び
• Dengeki Novel Prize Grand Prize:
  • 松村涼哉 for ただ、それだけでよかったんです
  • 角埜杞真 for トーキョー下町ゴールドクラッシュ！
• Edogawa Rampo Prize: Katsuhiro Go for Dotoku no Jikan (道徳の時間)
• Honkaku Mystery Award:
  • Best Fiction: Yutaka Maya [ja] for Sayonara Kamisama (さよなら神様)
  • Best Critical Work: Aoi Shimotsuki for Agasa Kurisuti Kanzen Koryaku (アガサ・クリスティー完全攻略, The Definitive Guide to Agatha Christie)
• Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature
  • Mayumi Nagano [ja] for 冥途あり
  • Katsuyuki Shinohara [ja] for 骨風
• Japan Booksellers' Award: Nahoko Uehashi for Shika no Ou [ja]
• Mephisto Prize: Magi Inoue [ja] for Koi to Kinki no Purediketto [Predicate] (恋と禁忌の述語論理)
• Mishima Yukio Prize: Takahiro Ueda for 私の恋人
• Mystery Writers of Japan Award:
  • Best Novel:
    • Ryōe Tsukimura [ja] for Dobaku no Hana [ja]
    • Kazuma Hayami [ja] for Inosento Deizu (イノセント・デイズ, Innocent Days)
  • Best Critical/Biographical Work:
    • Masahiko Kikuni for Hondana Tantei Saigo no Aisatsu (本棚探偵最後の挨拶)
    • Aoi Shimotsuki for Agasa Kurisuti Kanzen Koryaku (アガサ・クリスティー完全攻略, The Definitive Guide to Agatha Christie)
• Naoki Prize:
  • Akira Higashiyama [ja] for 流
  • Bunpei Aoyama [ja] for つまをめとらば
• Nihon SF Taisho Award:
  • Koronbia zero (Columbia Zero) by Kōshū Tani
  • Toppen by Hiroyuki Morioka
• Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature: Kwon Young-joo [ja] for Riku Onda's Sangatsu wa Fukaki Kurenai no Fuchi wo [ja]
• Noma Literary Prize : Mayumi Nagano [ja] for 冥途あり
• Seiun Award:
  • Best Japanese Novel: Orbital Cloud (オービタル・クラウド) by Taiyō Fujii
  • Best Japanese Short Story: "Umi no Yubi" (海の指星) by Hirotaka Tobi
• Sogen SF Short Story Prize: Iori MIyazawa [ja] for 神々の歩法
• Tanizaki Prize: Kaori Ekuni for ヤモリ、カエル、シジミチョウ
• Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize: Asako Yuzuki for ナイルパーチの女子会
• Yomiuri Prize:
  • Fiction: Hideo Furukawa [ja] for 女たち三百人の裏切りの書
  • Drama: Haruhiko Arai for この国の空

Best-sellers

Light novel titles

The following is a list of the 10 best-selling light novel titles in Japan during 2015^[2] according to Oricon.^[3]

Rank	Title	Author(s)	Copies
1	Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?	Fujino Ōmori (story), Suzuhito Yasuda (art)	1,220,217
2	The Irregular at Magic High School	Tsutomu Satō (story), Kan Ishida (art)	1,175,978
3	My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU	Wataru Watari (story), Ponkan8 (art)	1,050,446
4	Overlord	Kugane Maruyama (story), so-bin (art)	927,413
5	Naruto Story Series	several	883,833
6	Sword Art Online	Reki Kawahara (story), abec (art)	788,895
7	Kagerou Daze	Jin (Shizen no Teki-P) (story), Sidu (art)	494,721
8	Kokuhaku Yokō Renshū	Tōko Fujitani (story), Yamako (art)	413,663
9	Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index	Kazuma Kamachi (story), Kiyotaka Haimura (art)	405,666
10	Sword Art Online: Progressive	Reki Kawahara (story), abec (art)	390,856

Light novel volumes

The following is a list of the 10 best-selling light novel volumes in Japan during 2015^[4] according to Oricon.^[5]

Rank	Volume	Author(s)	Copies
1	Sword Art Online: Progressive vol.3	Reki Kawahara (story), abec (art)	325,991
2	Sword Art Online vol.16	Reki Kawahara (story), abec (art)	285,081
3	Kagerou Daze VI -over the dimension-	Jin (Shizen no Teki-P) (story), Sidu (art)	255,785
4	The Irregular at Magic High School vol.16	Tsutomu Satō (story), Kan Ishida (art)	251,640
5	The Irregular at Magic High School vol.15	Tsutomu Satō (story), Kan Ishida (art)	247,532
6	The Boy and the Beast	Mamoru Hosoda	244,336
7	My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU vol.10	Wataru Watari (story), Ponkan8 (art)	224,761
8	Naruto: Kakashi's Story	Akira Higashiyama	217,136
9	My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU vol.10.5	Wataru Watari (story), Ponkan8 (art)	207,460
10	The Irregular at Magic High School vol.17	Tsutomu Satō (story), Kan Ishida (art)	194,973

Title debuts

• January 25 - Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki (story) and You Shiina (art)
• February 7 - Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter by Futaba Hazuki
• February 28 - Isekai Shokudō by Junpei Inuzuka (story) and Katsumi Enami (art)
• March 20 - 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team by Yukako Kabei (story) and Aiji Yamakawa (art)
• June 20 - Assault Lily by Kasama Hiroyuki (story), Yaegashi Nan and Mieko Hosoi (art)
• June 25 - Arifureta by Ryo Shirakome (story) and Takayaki (art)
• August 1 - Gangsta by Jun'ichi Kawabata
• October 20 - Babylon by Mado Nozaki (story) and Zain (art)
• December 18 - Dagashi Kashi: Mō Hitotsu no Natsu Yasumi by Manta Aisora
• December 25 - Violet Evergarden by Kana Akatsuki (story) and Akiko Takase (art)

Title endings

• May 1 - Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City by Ryō Kawakami (story) and Range Murata (art)

References