Noichi Takase's "Tenma no Ko" (Child of the Heavenly Horse) Wins the 11th Junichi Watanabe Literary Award! A Message of Joy from the Author!
Key facts
- Noichi Takase's "Tenma no Ko" (Child of the Heavenly Horse) Wins the 11th Junichi Watanabe Literary Award! A Message of Joy from the Author!
- Published by KADOKAWA, Noichi Takase's novel "Tenma no Ko" has won the 11th Junichi Watanabe Literary Award. The story, set in Aomori, depicts the growth of a young girl and a foal.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: April 2, 2026
Direct answer
Published by KADOKAWA, Noichi Takase's novel "Tenma no Ko" has won the 11th Junichi Watanabe Literary Award. The story, set in Aomori, depicts the growth of a young girl and a foal.
- Citation
- Noichi Takase's "Tenma no Ko" (Child of the Heavenly Horse) Wins the 11th Junichi Watanabe Literary Award! A Message of Joy from the Author! (April 2, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- April 2, 2026
Published by KADOKAWA, Noichi Takase's novel "Tenma no Ko" has won the 11th Junichi Watanabe Literary Award. The story, set in Aomori, depicts the growth of a young girl and a foal.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 2, 2026 at 01:52
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 17:37
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 17, 2026 at 05:15 (371h 38m after Collected)
On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, the winner of the 11th Junichi Watanabe Literary Award (sponsored by Shueisha Inc. and the Hitotsubashi General Foundation) was announced on the official website. The award went to Noichi Takase's "Tenma no Ko" (published September 2025) from KADOKAWA Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo).
◆Upon receiving the news of the award, Noichi Takase shared a joyful comment
"'Tenma no Ko' was a work that could not have been completed if even one of the historical documents from Nanbu-Hachinohe, or even one of the many people involved, had been missing.
Although it is a story that captures just a fleeting moment in a long history, I feel that the girl's anguish and her journey to start anew resonates with our times. Lastly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the members of the selection committee who chose 'Tenma no Ko.'"
――Noichi Takase
The Junichi Watanabe Literary Award, honoring the achievements of Junichi Watanabe, a representative author of the Showa and Heisei eras who created a rich and diverse world of works, is awarded to novels with a lush narrative that deeply explores human psychology, transcending the boundaries of pure and popular literature.
The selection committee for the 11th award consisted of five members: Jiro Asada, Mariko Koike, Nobuko Takagi, Akiyoshi Higashiyama, and Teru Miyamoto. The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in Tokyo in mid-May.
Set in Aomori, this work tells the story of Ryu, a girl born in a small farming village who loses her beloved brother. Alongside a weak foal whose birth she witnessed, she survives the frozen winter landscape. Voices of praise have been pouring in, moved by the image of the girl who resists life's "rules" and stands up again and again.
Please take this opportunity to experience the story.
※For information on the Junichi Watanabe Literary Award, please visit the official website
https://watanabe-sho.shueisha.co.jp/
About the Award-Winning Work "Tenma no Ko"
◆Synopsis
Hey, I wonder if I can become a heavenly horse too.
Ryu is a girl born in a small village in the Nanbu domain. While caring for the mother horse, Ikitsuki, she spends time with her friends in their hideout, the "Willow's Hole." One day, a one-armed bakurō (a horse expert) appears and whispers to her, "Ikitsuki's foal will become the greatest horse in the land." But it is the rule that a heavenly horse is born from a heavenly horse. Is it possible to become something different, regardless of one's birth? An endless famine, partings with friends and horses. Amidst repeated hardships, Ryu witnesses the weight and fragility of human and horse lives. Eventually, for the sake of her friends and to find her own path to adulthood, she dashes out into the world beyond.
◆Voices of Acclaim for This Work
"Without being swallowed by sorrow, Ryu's figure, carving out her own destiny with her own hands, is engraved dazzlingly in my heart."
"I want to bask for a while in the joy of having read a good story."
――Book critic Nobuko Yoshida (from Kadobun book review)
"Many place names from the southern Aomori region, which are familiar to me, appeared, and reading with a map in hand made the story's scenery emerge more vividly, as if it were the real world. I read on as if I were standing by Ryu's side, watching over her, sometimes getting indignant or anxious with her, and there were scenes where I turned the pages with a prayer-like feeling. The village scenery, the rhythm of hooves, the smell of grass, the laughter of children, the feeling of stepping on snow, the beast's raw breath—the descriptions appealing to the five senses were so beautiful, it was like watching a movie.
"Even now that I've finished reading, the wind and scent of that village, and the sound of horse hooves, seem to quietly linger in my heart."
――Mami Yanada, Joym Midorimachi Store
"I was following the image of the innocent Ryu. What kind of scenery does a pure soul see? I feel like I've long forgotten. Experiencing hardship, sadness, and joy, Ryu grows. Things she didn't understand at first, she comes to think about and comprehend over time, finding her own answers. Though life is often harsh and difficult, what remains after reading is a freshness like a spring breeze."
――Takashi Hayashi, Books Jupiter
◆Bibliographic Information
Title: Tenma no Ko
Author: Noichi Takase
Release Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2025
※E-book released on the same day
Price: 2,090 yen (1,900 yen + tax)
Cover Art: Shirako
Book Design: Nami Aoyagi
Format: 128x188mm, softcover / 328 pages
ISBN: 978-4-04-115305-5
First Publication: Newly written
Publisher: KADOKAWA Corporation
Book Information Page:
◆Read it on the literary web magazine "Kadobun"!
【Commemorative Essay】
【Book Review】
Reviewer: Nobuko Yoshida
Author Profile
Noichi Takase
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1973. Lives in Aomori Prefecture. Graduated from Nagoya Women's University Junior College. In 2020, she won the 100th All Yomimono Newcomer Award for "Woriori Yomi Fukeri." In 2023, her first book "Kashihon'ya Osen," which included the award-winning story, won the 12th Historical Fiction Writers Association of Japan Newcomer Award. In 2025, she was a candidate for the 38th Yamamoto Shugoro Prize for "Ume no Minoru made - Chino Junnosuke Bakumatsu Nichijo." Her other books include "Muken no Kane," "Haru no Tonari," "Orai Emaki Kashihon'ya Osen," "Uragiri Nagaya," and "Tsuyu no Yadori."
FAQ
What kind of novel is "Tenma no Ko"?
It is a historical novel set in the Nanbu domain of Aomori, depicting a girl named Ryu from a poor village who overcomes hardships and grows up with her bond with a foal.
What is the Junichi Watanabe Literary Award?
It is a Japanese literary award that transcends the boundaries of pure and popular literature, given to novels with rich storytelling that deeply explore human psychology.
What other works is the author, Noichi Takase, known for?
She is an author highly acclaimed mainly in the field of historical fiction, having won the Newcomer's Award from the Historical Fiction Writers Association of Japan for "Kashihon'ya Osen."