is a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 woman novelist in Shōwa

Showa period

The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...

 and Heisei period Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Anzai has concentrated her efforts on stories set in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 with historical themes, or on contemporary stories based on traditional Chinese motifs

Motif (narrative)

In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood....

.

Biography

Anzai was born on August 11, 1927 in Kobe

Kobe

, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...

, Hyōgo Prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...

, where her father was a banker. She accompanied her father when he was assigned to Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 from 1927–1932, and to Tsingtao and Tianjin

Tianjin

' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...

 in China from 1932–1942, where she was exposed to folk tales and literature from both European and Asian traditions. She attended the Qingtao Girls Middle School from 1940–1942, where her interest in writing was encouraged by her father. As the situation for Japan in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 worsened, she was sent from China to Japan, where she graduated from the Kanagawa Daiichi Girls Middle School in Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, Kanagawa prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

 in 1944.

Anzai married Satoru Tominaka, a businessman, in 1946. She turned to literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

 after she married; the noted author Nakayama Gishu

Nakayama Gishu

was the pen-name of a Japanese writer active in Showa period Japan. His real name was Takama Yoshihide.-Early life:Gishū was born in what is now Shirakawa city, Fukushima Prefecture, and was a graduate of Waseda University...

 agreed to take her on as a student in 1953. She formed a literary criticism

Literary criticism

Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...

 group called Namboku ("North-South") in 1953, where authors could support each other as well as review each other's work. In 1964, her short story Chanshaoshu no hanashi was awarded the prestigious Naoki Prize

Naoki Prize

The Naoki Prize is a Japanese literary award presented semiannually. The official name is Naoki Sanjugo Prize. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo...

. As with many of her works, the story is set in ancient China and is based on an old Chinese legend.

Anzai divorced in 1972. She later worked as a free-lance interviewer and writer.

In 1993, her novel Kurouma was awarded the Japan Women Writer's Award.

She currently resides in Kamakura, Kanagawa.