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Naomi Hirahara

ひらはら なおみ

Naomi Hirahara

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1962-01-01 （Pasadena, California）
Nationality
American
Languages
English, Japanese
Religion
Unknown
Residence History
Pasadena, California → Altadena, California → Los Angeles → Tokyo → Wichita, Kansas

Career

Occupations
Author, Journalist, Editor
Active Years
1990-2025
Affiliations
Rafu Shimpo
Nominations
Macavity Award for Best First Novel (Summer of the Big Bachi, 2005) Finalist, Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original (Snakeskin Shamisen, 2007) Finalist, T. Jefferson Parker Mystery Award (Murder on Bamboo Lane, 2014) Finalist, Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original (Hiroshima Boy, 2019) Finalist, Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original (Hiroshima Boy, 2019) Finalist, Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel (Hiroshima Boy, 2019) Finalist, Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel (Clark and Division, 2022) Finalist, Anthony Award for Best Novel (Clark and Division, 2022) Finalist

Education

Stanford University
International Relations
Degree: Bachelor's degree
Period: 1979-1983
Year of Graduation: 1983
Country: United States
Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies
Japanese Language Studies
Period: 1983-1984
Year of Graduation: 1984
Country: Japan

Awards

Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original
2007
Work: Snakeskin Shamisen
Category: Best Paperback Original
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: Winner
Lefty Award for Best Historical Mystery
2022
Work: Clark and Division
Category: Best Historical Mystery
Organization: Left Coast Crime
Result: Winner
Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award
2022
Work: Clark and Division
Result: Winner
Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award
2022
Work: Clark and Division
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Summer of the Big Bachi

2004 Mystery

First in the Mas Arai series featuring a Japanese American gardener.

Japanese American identityHiroshima bombingGardening
Translations
  • Published in Japan by Shogakukan

Snakeskin Shamisen

2006 Mystery

Third Mas Arai mystery, Edgar Award winner.

Japanese American cultureCrimeFamily
Translations
  • Japanese translation available

Clark and Division

2021 Historical Mystery

Historical mystery set in postwar Chicago's Japanese American community.

Japanese AmericanPost-internmentImmigration

Bibliography

  • Summer of the Big Bachi
  • Gasa-Gasa Girl
  • Snakeskin Shamisen
  • Blood Hina
  • Strawberry Yellow
  • Sayonara Slam
  • Hiroshima Boy
  • Murder on Bamboo Lane
  • Grave on Grand Avenue
  • Iced in Paradise
  • An Eternal Lei
  • Clark and Division
  • Evergreen
  • 1001 Cranes

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed cultural depictionsMystery plottingMultiple viewpoints
Recurring Motifs
Japanese American experiencesAtomic bomb survivorsGardens and flowersLos Angeles

Legacy

Award-winning Japanese American mystery author known for Edgar Award, focusing on Japanese American history and culture.

Trivia

  • Parents are survivors of the Hiroshima bombing.
  • Former editor of the Rafu Shimpo, the largest Japanese-American newspaper.
  • Majored in international relations at Stanford University.