When Saou Ichikawa was named the winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2023, one of Japan’s oldest and most prestigious literary awards, she flashed a thumbs-up to her parents and editor before going onstage to receive it in front of a gold screen.
While the 45-year-old novelist was the 181st winner of the prize, she was the first to require a ramp to ascend the stage. Ichikawa has congenital myopathy, a muscle disorder that requires her to use a wheelchair for mobility and a ventilator to breathe, and was the first author with a severe physical disability to win.
