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Maha Harada

はらだ まは

Harada Maha

Pen Names: maha（Pen name derived from Francisco Goya's paintings 'La Maja Vestida' / 'La Maja Desnuda'.）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1962-07-14 （Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kodaira, Tokyo (birthplace) → Okayama City, Okayama (raised from sixth grade through high school) → Tokyo (primary base of activity as an adult)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Curator, Culture writer, Essayist
Active Years
2005-
Memberships
Japan PEN Club
Influenced By
Munetaka Harada
Nominations
147th Naoki Prize nominee (The Canvas of Paradise), 149th Naoki Prize nominee (Giverny Table), 155th Naoki Prize nominee (Guernica Behind the Curtain), 161st Naoki Prize nominee (The Beautiful Fools' Tableau)

Education

Kwansei Gakuin University
Faculty of Letters / Japanese Literature
Country: Japan
Waseda University, Second Faculty of Letters
Second Faculty of Letters (Art specialization) / Art Studies
Country: Japan
Studied art and curatorial subjects

Awards

1st Japan Love Story Award
2005
Work: Kafu wo Machiwabite
Organization: Japan Love Story & Entertainment Award Committee
Result: 受賞
25th Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize
2012
Work: The Canvas of Paradise
Organization: Shinchosha
Result: 受賞
8th Sake-drinking Bookseller Award
2012
Work: The God of Cinema
Organization: Sake-drinking Bookseller Award Committee
Result: 受賞
2nd Tokuma Bunko Award
2016
Work: Ikiru Bokura
Organization: Tokuma Shoten
Result: 受賞
36th Nitta Jirō Literary Award
2017
Work: Mr. Leach (Reach Sensei)
Organization: Nitta Jirō Literary Award Committee
Result: 受賞
6th Kyoto Book Award
2018
Work: The Stranger (Iri-bito)
Organization: Kyoto Book Award Committee
Result: 受賞
52nd Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize
2024
Work: Blooming on the Board
Organization: Izumi Kyōka Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The God of Cinema

2008 Novel (family / cinema-themed)

A multi-voiced story centered on cinema and family ties, depicting generations, loss, and renewal through film.

CinemaFamilyNostalgiaRenewal
Adaptations
  • [Film] Kinema no Kamisama / 山田洋次 (2021)

The Canvas of Paradise

2012 Novel (art / historical)

A novel set against art history, weaving tales of people living around famous paintings and combining the allure of art with human drama.

ArtPaintersHistoryMystery

Waiting for Kafu

2006 Novel (romance / renewal)

Set in Okinawa, this novel portrays human relationships and renewal; it won a prize and was adapted into a film.

OkinawaRomanceFamilyRenewal
Adaptations
  • [Film] Kafu wo Machiwabite / 中井庸友 (2009)

Blooming on the Board

2024 Novel (biographical / art)

A novel portraying the youth of Munakata Shikō, offering a biographical look at an aspect of modern Japanese art.

Munakata ShikōArt historyBiography

Bibliography

  • Waiting for Kafu
  • Just One Minute
  • Not Ordinary.
  • Runway☆Beat
  • Number Nine
  • Sorry (retitled 'Losing Summer')
  • Her at the Edge
  • Delicious Water
  • The God of Cinema
  • Flowers
  • Gift
  • Give Me Wings
  • Independence Day
  • A Prayer for One Star
  • Today Is Auspicious
  • Kaze no Majimu
  • Ito: The Puppy of Fate
  • Novel: The Dog that Guards the Stars
  • Maria of the Magdalene House
  • Dere-Girls
  • Searching for Eternity
  • The Canvas of Paradise
  • Welcome Home, Travel Shop
  • Ikiru Bokura
  • Giverny Table
  • The Prime Minister's Husband
  • Mr. Leach (Reach Sensei)
  • Guernica Behind the Curtain
  • The Beautiful Fools' Tableau
  • Blooming on the Board

Adaptations

  • Kafu wo Machiwabite (film, 2009)
  • Runway☆Beat (film, 2011)
  • Dere-Girls (film, 2015)
  • Kinema no Kamisama (film, 2021)
  • Today Is Auspicious (TV drama, WOWOW, 2017)
  • Iribito / The Stranger (TV drama, WOWOW, 2021)
  • Tabiya Okaeri (NHK special drama)
  • Maria of the Magdalene House (NHK special drama, 2025)

Translations by Author

  • The Remains of Love (translation of Edvard Munch)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Art-centered, narrative-driven styleAccessible and readable proseEmotionally rich descriptions
Recurring Motifs
Famous paintings and paintersTravel and foreign placesFoodFamily and bondsRenewal

Legacy

Known for novels that center on art, she has earned broad popular support and multiple film and television adaptations. Leveraging her curatorial background, she is regarded as a writer who bridges art and literature.

Academic Societies

  • Japan PEN Club

Archives

  • National Diet Library authority file (has an ID)

In Popular Culture

  • Many works adapted into film and TV (e.g., 'Kafu wo Machiwabite', 'Kinema no Kamisama', 'Today Is Auspicious')

Trivia

  • Pen name derives from Francisco Goya's 'La Maja Vestida' / 'La Maja Desnuda'.
  • Her older brother is novelist Munetaka Harada, who influenced her reading habits.
  • Worked at Itochu, Mori Art Museum, and MoMA; became an independent curator in 2002.
  • Won the 1st Japan Love Story Award in 2005 for 'Kafu wo Machiwabite', which was adapted into a film.
  • Involved in launching the food select shop 'YOLOs' in Kyoto (2022), and active in cultural and food-related projects.