Japanese Literary Awards

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Kaho Nashiki

なしき かほ

Nashiki Kaho

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1959 （Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kagoshima Prefecture (birthplace) → Kansai region (workplace) → United Kingdom (study)

Career

Occupations
Children's author, Picture book author, Novelist, Essayist
Active Years
1994-
Influenced By
Gabriel García Márquez, Arthur Ransome, Betty Morgan Bowen

Education

Doshisha University
Faculty of Theology
Country: Japan
Graduated from Doshisha University, Faculty of Theology
—
Country: United Kingdom
Studied in the United Kingdom and studied under children's writer Betty Morgan Bowen

Awards

Japan Association of Children's Literature Newcomer Award
Work: The Witch of the West Is Dead
Organization: Japan Association of Children's Literature
Result: 受賞
Niimi Nankichi Children's Literature Award
Work: The Witch of the West Is Dead
Organization: Niimi Nankichi Children's Literature Award
Result: 受賞
Shogakukan Literary Award
Work: The Witch of the West Is Dead
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞
Children's Literature Fantasy Award
Work: Backyard
Organization: Children's Literature Fantasy Award
Result: 受賞
Honya Taisho (Booksellers Award)
2005
Work: Yamori Kitan (House-Guardian Tales)
Organization: Booksellers Award Committee
Result: 3位入賞
Sense of Gender Award
2005
Work: Through the Marshy Forest
Category: 大賞
Organization: Gender-SF Research Group
Result: 大賞受賞
Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize
2006
Work: Through the Marshy Forest
Organization: Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize (Essay/Travel category)
2010
Work: Footprints of the Journey
Category: 随筆・紀行部門
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Witch of the West Is Dead

1994 Children's literature

A coming-of-age story about a girl and her grandmother, rooted in nature and everyday life.

coming-of-agenaturegrandmother-granddaughter relationshipwitch imagery
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Witch of the West Is Dead / 長崎俊一 (2008)
  • [Radio drama] The Witch of the West Is Dead (Radio Drama) (2005)

Backyard

1996 Children's fantasy

A collection of short stories where everyday life and fantasy intersect, depicting the strangeness of the world from a child's perspective.

fantasyeveryday lifechildren

Karakuri Karakusa

1999 Novel

Inspired by the idea that the world is like a single woven fabric, this novel interlaces gardens, plants, and contemporary sensibilities.

naturewoven-world imagerydaily life and imagination

Yamori Kitan (House-Guardian Tales)

2004 Short stories / Strange tales

A book of newly written short stories where the everyday mixes with the uncanny; elements of the otherworldly around houses and gardens are woven throughout.

homethe uncannysense of seasons
Adaptations
  • [Radio drama] Yamori Kitan (NHK-FM Youth Adventure) (2005)

Murata Efendi's Travelogue

2004 Novel

Compiled from serialized pieces, this work presents a long-form narrative with foreign atmospheres and travel landscapes as a backdrop for human drama.

travelcross-cultural encountersmemory

Through the Marshy Forest

2005 Novel

A contemplative novel tackling themes of the boundary between self and other and the nature of life; notable for its lyrical prose and philosophical outlook.

lifeself and otherlyricism

Pistachio

2010 Novel

A work containing delicate short and mid-length pieces that描くpersonal memories and relationships.

memoryrelationshipseveryday life

Footprints of the Journey

2010 Essay / Travel

An essay and travelogue collection that records landscapes, flora and fauna, and reflections during journeys.

travelnature observationreflections

Umiuso

2014 Novel

A novel set on coasts and islands where human relationships and the forces of nature intersect.

the seacommunitynature

Around the Tsubaki Inn

2019 Novel

A recent work collecting short and mid-length pieces that sensitively capture the memories of places and people.

memoryplacehuman relationships

Bibliography

  • The Witch of the West Is Dead
  • Backyard
  • Karakuri Karakusa
  • Yamori Kitan (House-Guardian Tales)
  • Murata Efendi's Travelogue
  • Through the Marshy Forest
  • Pistachio
  • Footprints of the Journey
  • Umiuso
  • Around the Tsubaki Inn
  • When Spring Comes, Picking Berries
  • Gururi no Koto
  • On the Water / Off the Water
  • Pistachio

Adaptations

  • Film 'The Witch of the West Is Dead' (dir. Shunichi Nagasaki, 2008)
  • NHK radio dramas (e.g. adaptations of 'The Witch of the West Is Dead', around 2005)
  • Radio drama adaptation on NHK-FM 'Youth Adventure' (Yamori Kitan, 2005)

Translations by Author

  • G. B. Matthews 'Philosophy and the Child' (co-translator)
  • Claire Kipp's 'A Little Sparrow's Record' (co-translator)

Translations of Works

  • The Witch of the West Is Dead (English translation / title)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and delicate prosemeticulous nature descriptiondepicts a blurred boundary between fantasy and reality
Recurring Motifs
plants and gardenssense of seasonsfemale perspectivefood and handicraftsymbolic use of 'silver'

Legacy

Since the 1990s she has gained a wide readership across children's and general literature. Her works have been used in school entrance exam questions and set reading lists, and she is regarded as a leading contemporary Japanese writer notable for natural description and lyrical sensibility.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Association of Children's Literature

In Popular Culture

  • 'The Witch of the West Is Dead' was adapted into a film and is frequently used in educational contexts and entrance exams.

Quotes

  • This work is like a cook's personal meal prepared for oneself.
    Source: Kaho Nashiki (comment about 'Yamori Kitan', interview) (2004)
  • Because I became emotionally involved, I added lines for the mother.
    Source: Kaho Nashiki (regarding the paperback edition of 'The Witch of the West Is Dead') (2017)

Trivia

  • She refers to her kayak as the 'Voyager'.
  • She keeps a low public profile to avoid fixating the image of her works.
  • She has said that if she were not a novelist she would like to run a deli.
  • 'The Witch of the West Is Dead' was adapted into a film and became her best-known work.