Kenjiro Nagasaki (長崎謙二郎, 1903-1968) is a novelist who took an active part in the Japanese literary world from the 1920s to 1940s and published several works in literary magazines. However, he has been forgotten by almost everyone. Nagasaki was a friend of Tatsuzo Ishikawa (石川達三, 1905-1985). In 1933, they submitted their works together to the Kaizo Literary Prize in the category for new writers. Nagasakiʼs work is “Akai kaze (Red Winds, 赤い風) and Ishikawaʼs is “Sobo” (The People, 蒼氓). Both their works failed to win the prize. However, two years later, Ishikawaʼs “Sobo” won the first Akutagawa prize, and he became a reknowned novelist in modern Japanese literary history.

In 1956, Nagasaku, who had distanced himself from commercially popular literature mentioned Ishikawaʼs winning in his essay. He said that he was unlucky (in other words, Ishikawa was lucky to have won). Possibily Nagasaki was envious of Ishikawa. Nevertheless, in order to consider the relation between literary youth and literary prizes in the 1930s it is important to analyse “Akai Kaze” in comparison to “Sobo.” “Akai Kaze” was renamed “Chiho No Arashi” (The Storm of the Provincial City, 地方の嵐) and published in December 1934. In analysing “Chiho No Arashi,” I also explore issues surrounding the first Akutagawa Prize.