Kenichi Sato (born 1968) is a Japanese historical novelist. After studying Western history at the graduate school of Tohoku University, he made his literary debut by winning the Shosetsu Subaru New Writers’ Award in 1993 for "Jagā ni Natta Otoko." His novels draw mainly on European history from the Middle Ages to the modern era, turning the lives of historical figures and struggles for political power into vivid narratives. His best-known work, "Ōhi no Rikon," which received the Naoki Prize in 1999, is a historical courtroom novel based on the 1498 proceedings in which King Louis XII of France sought to have his marriage to Queen Joan annulled. It follows François, a provincial lawyer who challenges a trial whose outcome appears predetermined and defends the isolated queen against the combined authority of the monarchy and the Church.
