| Naoki Matayoshi | |
|---|---|
 March 2022 | |
| Native name | 又吉 直樹 |
| Born | June 2, 1980 Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan |
| Medium | Television, novel |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Years active | 2000– |
| Employer | Yoshimoto Kogyo |
| Genres | conte, manzai |
| Notable works and roles | Spark |
Naoki Matayoshi (又吉 直樹, Matayoshi Naoki, born June 2, 1980) is a Japanese comedian, screenwriter, and novelist who won the Akutagawa Prize[1] in 2015 for his book Hibana (火花, Spark), which was adapted into the Netflix series Hibana: Spark.[2]
Matayoshi is the boke of his comedy duo Peace alongside his partner Yuji Ayabe.[3] Ayabe left Japan for New York in 2016 to continue his comedic career overseas while Matayoshi stayed in Japan, effectively making the duo inactive since then.[4]
He is from Neyagawa City in Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Hokuyo Senior High School (presently Kansai University Hokuyo Senior High School).
- ^ Kyodo, Jiji (July 17, 2015). "Comedian Matayoshi's literary win offers hope for sagging publishing industry". Japan Times. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015.
- ^ Hernon, Matthew (July 8, 2016). "Q&A: Naoki Matayoshi on His Novel "Hibana", and the Netflix Series". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ^ "Mayayoshi Naoki". Kotobanku (in Japanese). Asahi Shinbun. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ "ピース綾部、４月からＮＹ拠点に活動「米国に行って勝負したい」…解散はせず". Yahoo News Japan (in Japanese). Yahoo. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2019.