Hiroharu Takami

Place: Amagasaki

Born: 1969

Biography:

Koushun Takami is a Japanese author and journalist, best known for his 1999 novel Battle Royale. Takami was born in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture near Osaka and grew up in the Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku. He graduated from Osaka University with a degree in literature and worked as a journalist for the news company Shikoku Shimbun from 1991 to 1996. Takami's new given name is a play on word on his original one, Hiroharu, which is a homophone of 'large spring'. He adopted the kanjis 広春 (large spring) and used their on'yomi pronunciation to form his new name: Kōshun. Battle Royale was completed after Takami left the news company and was rejected in the final round of the 1997 literary competition Japan Grand Prix Horror Novel due to its controversial content. When finally published in April 1999, it went on to become a bestseller, and only a year later was made into both a manga and a feature film. The novel was translated into English by Yuji Oniki and published by Viz Media in 2003. Takami has not released any work since Battle Royale.