Ryō Hanmura

was a Japanese science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. His name is alternatively transliterated as Ryō Hammura. While he wrote books as Ryō Hanmura his real name was .

He won the first Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature for his novel in 1973. He won the Naoki Prize for his 1975 novel .

One of his novels was the basis of the 1979 film . He graduated from the Tokyo prefecture Ryogoku high school . Hanmura experienced and worked in various occupations near 30, such as a plastic forming worker, a bartender, cook's apprentice, staff of advertising agency etc. He took position of a Chief of Secretariat.

Hanmura's novel Ishi no Ketsumyaku, published in 1971, is a grand-scale tale centering on an immortal clan, set against a backdrop of ancient megalithic worship and legends of vampires and werewolves, which Yū Mori (, ja, alias Hiroshi Minamiyama) who was an editor in chief of the S-F Magazine at that time named the tale of "denki roman" (ie. legendary romance, ). Hanmura had strong inferiority complex in his mind from his young days. He was a graduate of the Tokyo prefecture Ryogoku high school. Most of his class-mates in this high school went to university, even around 40 of them advanced to the University of Tokyo. But Hanmura could not. Some persons said he had created the imaginary personality, which was that of Hanmura Ryo.

Hanmura died on 4 March 2002, Shibuya, Tokyo at the age of 68 due to pneumonia. 1933-10-27 Born at Shibamata, Katsushika in Tokyo as Heitarō Kiyono. 1940 Father Shigeru died when Hanmura was at 1st grade in elementary school. 1942 Evacuated to mother's family home in Noto, Ishikawa prefecture. 1945 Returned to Tokyo, still in war. 1946 Entered Tokyo prefecture third junior high school (later, Ryōgoku high school). 1952 Graduated from Ryōgoku high school. Worked in various occupations. 1962 Won the prize in second Hayakawa SF Contest by Shūkaku. 1963 Assumed the position of chief of secretariat when the SFWJ was founded. Shūkaku was published in S-F Magazine. 1969 Married Hisae . 1970 Short novel Akai Sakaba wo Otozure tamae was published in February issue of S-F Magazine. 1971 First long novel Ishi no Ketsumyaku was published. 1973 Won the Izumi Kyōka Award for Musubi no Yama Hiroku. 1974 Short novel Tansu was published in June issue of Gensō to Kaiki magazine. 1975 Won the Naoki Award for short story Amayadori. 1978 Mother Fusako died. 1979 Movie Sengoku Jieitai was released. 1980 First episode of The World of the Sun was published in magazine Yasei Jidai of Kadokawa Publishing. 1984 Moved to Tomakomai, Hokkaidō prefecture. 1987 Returned to Tokyo. 1988 Won the Nihon SF Taisho Award for Resistance of Misaki Ichirō. 1993 Won the Shibata Renzaburo Award for Kakashi Nagaya. 1999 Moved to Kanuma city, Tochigi prefecture. 2001 Returned to Chōfu, Tokyo, where the family lived. 2002 Published Gokumon kubi in Kobunsha bunko. 2002-03-04 Died at Shibuya, Tokyo, (68 years), due to pneumonia.

Awards 1962 Third Prize in the 2nd Hayakawa SF Contest for Shūkaku

Works Selected novels

(contained Sengoku Jieitai)

[7 volumes]

[18 volumes (unfinished)]

etc.

Notes and references