Departures of note

Shudo Urio was a Japanese mystery novelist from Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. After graduating from Sophia University's law faculty and working as a company employee, he made his literary breakthrough in 2000 when his full-length mystery novel 'No Otoko' won the 46th Edogawa Ranpo Award, Japan's most prestigious prize for new mystery writers, with unanimous support from all the judges.

'No Otoko' became his signature work, spawning a series with the sequels 'Sashite no Kao: No Otoko II' and 'Bookkeeper: No Otoko', and selling over 600,000 copies in total. In 2013 it was adapted into a feature film directed by Takimoto Tomoyuki and starring Ikuta Toma, which reached second place in the Japanese box office on its opening weekend.

Beyond his writing, Shudo also wrote other mystery novels including 'Jiko-gakari: Ikuoka Shota no Takan', 'Keiji no Hakaba', 'Keiji no Harawata', and 'Agatha'. He also headed the CASA contemporary art promotion association, producing modern art events such as 'art-Link Ueno-Yanaka'. He died in 2026.