Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1950. Graduated Meiji University in Economics. Debut in 1974 with Kamigari. Won Kadokawa Award in 1977 with Kamigami no Maiso, and Nihon SF Taisho Award in 1982 with Saigo no Teki. Has authored over 140 works covering a wide range including SF, adventure, general fiction, police/mystery, and fantasy.
Yamada Masaki has written a large number of mainstream SF and mystery works, but has also deliberately authored crossovers between these and other fields. Some of his most powerful and thought-provoking work has been SF, although personally he reads more mystery fiction than science fiction in recent years. He is generally known as an SF author in Japan, and is steadily overcoming this reputation by challenging, and quite successfully, the mystery world as well, as evidenced by recent awards for Sojo no Tsumikiuta and Mystery Opera.
- Bunshun "Best Mysteries of the Year 2002" (8th place) (annual listing of the best mystery works as selected by the Mystery Writers of Japan, Inc., and published in Shukan Bunshun magazine)
- Bunshun "Best Mysteries of the Year 2001" (3rd place), 2001 Takarajima "Kono Mystery wa Sugoi!" (3rd place) (annual listing of the best mystery works as selected by publisher Takarajima-sha), 55th Grand Prix (Mystery Writers of Japan, Inc.)
Kishin Heidan
- 26th Seiun Prize (Japanese Hugo) (1995)
- 3rd Nihon SF Taisho Award (1982)
Hoseki Dorobo
- 11th Seiun Prize (Japanese Hugo) (1980)
Chikyu: Seishin Bunseki Kiroku
- 9th Seiun Prize (Japanese Hugo) (1978)
Kamigami no Maiso
- Kadokawa Award (1977)
Kamigari
- 6th Seiun Prize (Japanese Hugo) (1975)