Nahoko Uehashi

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-26

Nahoko Uehashi is a Japanese author and scholar born July 15, 1962, in Tokyo. She holds a PhD in ethnology focused on the Yamatji, an indigenous Australian people, and serves as a professor of ethnology at Kawamura Gakuen Women's University alongside her career as a fantasy writer. She began publishing fiction in 1989 with The Sacred Tree and became one of Japan's most popular fantasy writers for young readers. Her best-known work is the Moribito series, beginning with Guardian of the Spirit (1996), which follows a female bodyguard protecting a young prince and blends her ethnographic training with rich worldbuilding. Other major works include the four-volume The Beast Player (2006–2009) and The Deer King series (2014–2019), as well as Beyond the Fox Whistle (2003). Her writing has earned numerous honors, including the Noma Children's Literature New Face Prize in 1996, the Noma Children's Literature Award in 2004, and the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for English translations in both 2009 and 2010. In 2014 she received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most prestigious international honor in children's literature, recognizing her lasting contribution to the field. Her novels have been adapted into anime, manga, and radio drama.

Universe(s)

Books

• Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (1996) · Moribito Core Canon
• Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness (1999) · Moribito Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 2 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 0 (None recorded)

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