Yo Ashizawa's 'Omae Level' Nominated for 2026 Kinokuniya Bookselling Fiction Award

The novel 'Omae Level no Hanashi wa Shitenai' (published in September 2025 by Kawade Shobo Shinsha) by Yo Ashizawa has been nominated for the 2026 Kinokuniya Bookselling Fiction Award. Ashizawa, a two-time Naoki Prize nominee (2020 and 2025), dedicated two years solely to writing and refining this work after halting all other commitments.

Since its release last September, the book has received widespread acclaim in major newspapers such as Asahi, Yomiuri, and Nikkei, as well as on social media. It has also earned high praise from professional shogi players and has reached its third printing.

The 2026 Kinokuniya Bookselling Fiction Award features 10 works that passed the first round of selection. During the fair period from June 1 to June 30, the book that ranks first in sales at 20 participating Kinokuniya bookstore locations will be named the Grand Prize winner.

### Synopsis Shiba and Oshima spent their youth together in the Shogi apprentice school (Shoreikai). Shiba became a professional player at 20 but is struggling with poor performance and isolation. Meanwhile, Oshima gave up his dream at 17, entered the University of Tokyo, and became a lawyer. Though their paths diverged, the two remain intensely aware of each other, their lives characterized by frustration and obsession.

### Author Profile Yo Ashizawa: Born in Tokyo in 1984. Debuted in 2012 with 'Tsumi no Yohaku' (The Margin of Sin), which won the 野性時代 Frontier Literature Award and was adapted into a film. Other honors include the Shizuoka Bookstore Award and the Japan Mystery Writers Association Award.