Dragon Sword and Wind Child
#4084.02 adjusted 4.00 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1988–1996 Reading commitment Medium Noriko Ogiwara Last reviewed 2026-09-22
Overview
Dragon Sword and Wind Child (the Jade Trilogy, also published in English as Tales of the Magatama) is a complete three-book prose fantasy trilogy by the Japanese author Noriko Ogiwara, a new author to this canon, drawing on ancient Japanese mythology and history rather than on one continuous cast: each volume has its own protagonists, generations apart, connected by a shared world and recurring sacred artifacts, the magatama jewels and the Dragon Sword. The first book follows Saya, who learns she is the reincarnation of a priestess bound to the god of Darkness; the second follows Toko and her foster brother Oguna as his sudden power draws him into the wars of the imperial court; the third, set in the late Nara period, has never been translated into English.
Mythic fantasy, Historical fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Jade Trilogy Noriko Ogiwara
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dragon Sword and Wind Child; Won the 22nd Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award (Japan, 1988). | 1988 | 1 | core | 4.02 (1,198 ratings) |
 | Mirror Sword and Shadow Prince | 1996 | 2 | core | 4.04 (181 ratings) |
 | Usubeni Tennyo; No English translation exists as of this pass. Won the 27th Akai Tori Literary Award (Japan, 1996). | 1996 | 3 | core | 4.38 (8 ratings) |
Three connected novels drawing on ancient Japanese mythology and history, sharing a world, mythology, and recurring sacred artifacts (the magatama jewels and the Dragon Sword) rather than a continuous cast -- each volume has its own protagonists, generations apart. The third volume, Usubeni Tennyo, has no English translation.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Dragon Sword and Wind Child? Dragon Sword and Wind Child's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Dragon Sword and Wind Child? Publication order, starting with Dragon Sword and Wind Child. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Dragon Sword and Wind Child finished? Complete (1988–1996).
- How much reading does Dragon Sword and Wind Child take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~783 pages).
- How is Dragon Sword and Wind Child ranked? #408 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,387 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #408?
Ranked #408 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.02 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (1,387 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #407, The Fionavar Tapestry / Ysabel (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 3 books · Complete · 1k ratings · Ranks #408 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Dragon Sword and Wind Child (1988)
- Mirror Sword and Shadow Prince (1996)
- Usubeni Tennyo (1996)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award (Newcomer Award), 1988: won: Dragon Sword and Wind Child; 22nd annual award; for the debut novel Sorairo Magatama.
- Akai Tori Literary Award (Literary Award), 1996: won: Usubeni Tennyo; 27th annual award; for Usubeni Tennyo.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.02 across 1,387 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Dragon Sword and Wind Child (Jade Trilogy) admitted accepted 2026-09-22
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-22
Rule: Core Canon is the complete three-book trilogy: Dragon Sword and Wind Child (1988), Mirror Sword and Shadow Prince (1996), and Usubeni Tennyo (1996). Only the first two have an English translation; the third is catalogued in its original Japanese.