Asai Macate: Historical novelist, born in Osaka Prefecture in 1959. Won the Naoki Prize in 2014 for her novel Renka (Love Poem) about the poet Nakajima Utako, also known as the teacher of Higuchi Ichiyō. Other works include Kurara (Dazzling), about Katsushika Ōi, the artistically talented daughter of the painter Hokusai. (Photo courtesy Bungei Shunjū)
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