Junichiro Tanizaki (1886-1965), widely considered one of Japan's finest modern authors, was born in the heart of Tokyo. He studied Japanese literature at Tokyo Imperial University and entered the literary scene in 1910 with the much-lauded short story "The Tattoo." After the earthquake of 1923, he moved to the Kyoto-Osaka region, the setting for The Makioka Sisters . Many of his most important novels, stories, essays and translations were written after his move. He received the Imperial Prize for Literature in 1949 and is the namesake of the Tanizaki Prize, one of Japan's most sought-after literary awards. Michael P. Cronin is a translator, scholar of Japanese literature and cinema, and Associate Professor of Japanese Studies at The College of William & Mary. He is the translator of Junichiro Tanizaki's final novel, The Maids and the author of Osaka Modern .

Bryan Karetnyk is a translator and scholar of Japanese and Russian literature and culture. His translations include Junichiro Tanizaki's The Siren's Lament and Akutagawa Ryunosuke's Murder in the Age of Enlightenment . A Lecturer in the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, he writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement , the Financial Times and the Spectator . John Einarsen's photography books include Kyoto: The Forest Within the Gate and Small Buildings of Kyoto vol. 1 & II . He is the founding editor and publisher of Kyoto Journal and has lived in Kyoto for over 40 years.