A human drama with a theme of loss and rebirth of a family set in the old capital Kamakura. Through the death of their father which suddenly occurred to the three sisters and an encounter with a half-sister whom they have never met before, the work delicately depicts family “ties.”

Receiving this award was totally unexpected so I was very surprised and at the same time I felt very honored. Kamakura is a place where I spent a part of my childhood. For me, born in Tokyo and having lived most of my life in Tokyo, Kamakura is, so to say, my adopted hometown. It is delightful for me that a story set in this Kamakura has made a favorable impression. I feel really grateful.

This work was selected without any objection for its high standard of perfection. This is a sequence of stories about a “family” in Kamakura. Three sisters receive news of the death of their father, who had left home when they were little. They go to his funeral and there meet their younger half sister, who they take into their care. They each have different histories and reactions. This manga skillfully and accurately depicts the nature of a multilayered and complex “family,” the dialogue is especially excellent. There are lines that strike at our heart, but have a subtle sharpness that leads directly to the underlying subject. The three sisters begin to try to give the child (their younger sister) back her childhood, which she has lost on account of her circumstances. This work shows us the true potential of girl’s manga.