Tōko Sawada (1977–) is a Japanese novelist best known for her historical fiction set in ancient and medieval Japan. Drawing on meticulous historical research, she brings overlooked figures and lesser-known episodes to life with rich psychological depth. She won the Nakayama Gishū Literary Prize in 2011 for "Kotaka no Ten" ("The Solitary Hawk's Sky") and received the 165th Naoki Prize in 2021 for "Hoshi Ochite, Nao" ("Even After the Stars Fall"). The novel portrays the life of Kawanabe Kyōsui, daughter of the celebrated painter Kawanabe Kyōsai, tracing her pursuit of artistic expression in the changing world of late nineteenth-century Japan.