Shinji Ishii (1966-) is a novelist from Osaka, western Japan. After graduating from the Kyoto University of French Language and Literature, he worked for RECRUIT CO., Ltd. as a magazine editor. In his leisure time he enjoyed fishing, traveling abroad, and sketching his pursuits, with which he gained attention and made his debut. In 1994, he launched his publishing career with his first novel Amusuterudamu no inu (The Dog in Amsterdam). In 2003, he won Joji Tsubota Literature Prize with Mugifumi Kuutze (Kutze, the Wheat Trader).Currently he lives both in old town Kyoto and in the port town of Misaki where he continues his works.

2003 Joji Tsubota Literature Prize, for MugifumiKuutse (Kutze, the Wheat Treader)

2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 Nominated for Mishima Yukio Prize