Nahoko Uehashi facts for kids

Nahoko Uehashi (上橋 菜穂子, Uehashi Nahoko) (born July 15, 1962) is a famous Japanese writer. She mostly writes exciting fantasy books. Her stories have won many important awards.

Uehashi is also a professor who studies different cultures and people. This field is called ethnology. She teaches at Kawamura Gakuen Women's University. She even earned a special degree for her studies on the Yamatji people. The Yamatji are an original group of people from Australia.

About Nahoko Uehashi

Her Start as a Writer

Nahoko Uehashi began her writing journey in 1989. Her very first book was called The Sacred Tree (精霊の木, seirei no ki). After that, she wrote another novel. It was titled O God, Sleep Ye in The Forest of Moon (月の森にカミよ眠れ, tsuki no mori ni kami yo nemure). This book won an award from the Japanese Association of Writers for Children. This award helped her become well-known as a fantasy author in Japan.

Famous Book Series

In 1996, Uehashi published the first book in her popular Moribito series. This book was Guardian of the Spirit (精霊の守り人, Seirei no Moribito). It quickly won the Noma Children's Literature New Face Prize. It also received the Sankei Children's Culture and Publishing award. The English version of this book won the Mildred L. Batchelder Award in 2009.

In 1999, she released the second Moribito book. It was called Guardian of the Darkness (闇の守り人, Yami no Moribito). This novel also earned her an award from the Japanese Association of Writers for Children. The entire Guardian series won the Iwaya Sazanami literature award in 2002. Then, in 2003, Guardian of the God (神の守り人, Kami no Moribito) won another Japanese award. This one was from the Shogakukan publishing company.

Later in 2003, Uehashi wrote Beyond the Fox Whistle (狐笛のかなた, Koteki no Kanata). This book also received a Noma Children's Literature award. In 2006, she wrote a two-part series called The Beast Player (獣の奏者, Kemono no Sōja). She added two more books to this series in 2009.

Books Made into Shows

Many of Nahoko Uehashi's books have been turned into other forms of entertainment. Both Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit and the first two books of The Beast Player became anime shows. The Moribito anime came out in 2007, and The Beast Player anime in 2009.

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit was also made into a radio drama. The Beast Player was even turned into a manga comic series. The first two Moribito books were translated into English. They both won the Mildred L. Batchelder Award. This award is given by the American Library Association. The first book won in 2009, and the second in 2010.

International Recognition

Nahoko Uehashi received a very special award in 2014. She won the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award is given every two years. It celebrates writers who have made a "lasting contribution" to children's literature. It is one of the highest honors a children's writer can receive.

The award was announced in March 2014. It was presented on September 10, 2014. The ceremony took place at a conference in Mexico City. The jury for the award said that Uehashi's stories are full of imagination. They also noted her deep understanding of culture. Her books often use ideas from ancient Japanese myths. They also blend in science-fiction fantasy. These stories are always connected to real human feelings and experiences.

Nahoko Uehashi is known as a very popular fantasy writer for young adults in Japan.

Books Translated into English

• Moribito series (also known as the Guardian series)
  • Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (original title: Seirei no Moribito), translated by Cathy Hirano (Arthur A. Levine Books, June 2008)
  • Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness (original title: Yami no Moribito), translated by Cathy Hirano (Arthur A. Levine Books, May 2009)
• The Beast Player
  • The Beast Player (original title: Kemono no Sōja), translated by Cathy Hirano (Henry Holt and Co., March 2019)
  • The Beast Warrior (original title: Kemono no Sōja), translated by Cathy Hirano (Henry Holt and Co., July 2020)
• The Deer King
  • The Deer King: Survivors (original title: Shika no Ou), translated by Cathy Hirano (Yen Press New York, 2023)
  • The Deer King: Returners (original title: Shika no Ou), translated by Cathy Hirano (Yen Press New York, 2024)