Nahoko Uehashi

Nahoko Uehashi is a Japanese author and cultural anthropologist whose Moribito (Seirei no Moribito) series has become one of the most beloved works of Japanese fantasy fiction and a landmark in the representation of strong female protagonists in Japanese popular literature. The series, beginning in 1996, centres on Balsa, a female bodyguard whose martial skill is matched by her moral complexity, as she navigates a world richly imagined from Japanese and other Asian folklore traditions.

Uehashi holds a doctorate in cultural anthropology and her academic research into Indigenous Australian and Pacific cultures has informed the world-building of her fiction. The Moribito series was adapted into an acclaimed anime series and has been translated into multiple languages. She is also the author of the Beast Player (Kemono no Souja) series. She received the Iwaya Sazanami Award and has been a major influence on Japanese fantasy writing.