is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese monthly literary magazine

Literary magazine

A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...

 published by Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

. It was launched in October 1946 as oriented publication. The past contributors for the magazine include: Kenzaburō Ōe

Kenzaburo Oe

is a Japanese author and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues including nuclear weapons, social non-conformism and existentialism.Ōe was awarded...

, Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami

is a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and Jerusalem Prize among others.He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature...

 and Yoriko Shono

Yoriko Shono

, born 16 March 1956, is a Japanese writer who describes her writing as 'avant-pop'.- Biography :Yoriko Shono was born in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, grew up in Ise and studied in the Law Department at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto...

. Along with Shinchō

Shincho

is a Japanese literary magazine published monthly by Shinchosha. Since its launching in 1904, it has published the works of many of Japan's leading writers....

, Bungakukai

Bungakukai

is a Japanese monthly literary magazine published by Bungeishunjū as oriented publication. The first version of Bungakukai was launched in 1890s. Along with Shinchō, Gunzo, Bungei and Subaru, it is one of the five leading literary journals in Japan. It runs a contest for newcomer writers...

, Subaru and Bungei

Bungei (magazine)

is a Japanese literary magazine, published by Kawade Shobō Shinsha. It was founded at the beginning of the 1960s, and was originally published monthly, but became a quarterly in the 1980s. The magazine oversees the Bungei Prize, an open competition for discovering new writers. Writers such as Yasuo...

magazines Gunzo is among the leading thick literary magazines in Japan.

Gunzo is also aimed at discovering new talents, both among writers and critics. It runs a contest

Literary award

A literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...

 for newcomer writers and provides an informational support for Noma Prize

Noma Literacy Prize

The Noma Literacy Prize is a UNESCO award, it goes to the group or individual who has done most to combat illiteracy. It is one of a series of Noma Prizes...

. It had a policy of running stories anonymously to encourage people not to read stories for the name of the author.