Ken'ichirō Isozaki

Ken'ichirō Isozaki (born February 28, 1965, in Abiko, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese novelist who debuted late in life at age 42 with Kanji no Kodomo (The Essential Child), winning the 44th Bungei Prize in 2007 while working at Mitsui & Co. He achieved major recognition with the 141st Akutagawa Prize for Tsui no Sumika (Final Abode) in 2009, followed by awards including the Dumago Prize (2011), Izumi Kyōka Prize (2013), and Tanizaki Prize (2020) for Nihon Mōmai Zenshi (Prehistory of Japan's Ignorance); notable works also include Chōjū Giga (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals). After resigning from corporate life in 2015, he became a professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology. Akutagawa Prize