A fantasy writer and cultural anthropologist with a PhD from Rikkyo University, Nahoko Uehashi is an associate professor at Kawamura Gakuen University. Her research focuses on the Indigenous peoples of Australia. Her books include The Beast Player and the multivolume Moribito series. She lives near Tokyo. 

Her debut novel, Seirei no Ki, was published during graduate school. She is best known for the Moribito series, The Beast Player, The Deer King, and Kokun. Her books have sold over 11.5 million copies, inspired multiple adaptations, and been widely translated. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2014.

Cathy Hirano is a translator of Japanese fiction for young adults. Born and raised in Canada, Hirano moved to Kyoto, Japan, in 1978 as an English teacher. She became a freelance translator in 1987, and is the translator for the English editions of Uehashi's Moribito novels. Hirano currently resides in Shikoku, Japan.