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Awards & Prizes

DATE2025.01.21 #Awards & Prizes

Arata Iyohara, Graduate of the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, won the Naoki Award

 


Arata Iyohara (Photo by Shinchosha)

Writer Arata Iyohara, a graduate of the Graduate School's Department of Earth and Planetary Science, has been honored with the 172nd Naoki Sanjugo Award. This prestigious award is presented biannually to recognize "the best work of popular literature in any format by a new, rising, or relatively young established author."

Iyohara-san, who earned his doctorate from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, made his literary debut while serving as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Science, University of Toyama. His award-winning work, Ai-wo-Tsugu-Umi, comprises five short stories featuring themes as diverse as sea turtles, Hagiyaki clay, Japanese wolves, the Nagasaki atomic bomb, and a meteorite fall. These narratives explore human thoughts and connections, interweaving gentle storytelling with a natural integration of scientific elements.

In his works, science often forms the backdrop or complements the human stories, harmonizing the vast phenomena of nature across various time and space scales with human activity. Characters involved in science are portrayed with depth and warmth, making them relatable to those in our Graduate School. Such depictions highlight that science is not only a pursuit of understanding nature but also a way to place humanity within it, enriching both the mind and spirit.

As a researcher, Iyohara-san traveled around the world in search of ancient rocks, analyzing the magnetic fields recorded within them to reconstruct the history of Earth's magnetic field. When we welcomed him as a speaker at our Homecoming Day talk event in October 2024, he shared photos from his earlier days. Many of them depicted the young Iyohara-san venturing out for field research and confronting nature. I imagine that, during those moments of engaging with nature, he cultivated an artist’s perspective to portray humanity with warmth, while maintaining a scientist’s calm and objective gaze toward his subjects.

Iyohara-san has expressed his intention to continue creating works connected to science. I wish him continued success in his endeavors and, as one of his fans, I eagerly look forward to the day when I can encounter his next creation. Congratulations!

 

The 172nd Naoki Sanjugo Prize of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature

 

(Responsibility: Shogo Tachibana, Professor, UTokyo Organization for Planetary and Space Science (UTOPS) / Department of Earth and Planetary Science)