Jiro Osaragi (1897~1973) was born in Yokohama. After completing his studies at the Tokyo Imperial University (present the University of Tokyo) and teaching at a girls' school, he joined the Treaties Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While at the Bureau, he translated foreign literature, including Romain Rolland's Clerambault. In 1924, he published Hayabusa no Genji (Genji the Falcon) and Kimen no Rojo (The Old Woman in the Devil Mask) under the name of Jiro Osaragi for the first time. The latter is the first novel in Kurama Tengu series. Apart from historical novels, he wrote nonfictions, such as Paris moyu (Paris Burning) and Panama Jiken (The Panama Incident), and Children's literature, such as Suiccho Neko (The Cat who swallowed a Cricket).