Novelist Kaoru Kurimoto, best known for her epic Guin Saga series, passed away on Tuesday at age 56. She passed from pancreatic cancer in a Tokyo hospital at 7:18 PM. She leaves behind her husband, Kiyoshi Imaoka.

Kurimoto was born Sumiyo Yamada on February 13th, 1953 in Tokyo, and wrote under the pseudonyms Kaoru Kurimoto and Azusa Nakajima. She wrote hundreds of novels and stories - specializing in mystery, fantasy, and historical genres - including The Sword of Paros (Adapted to manga by Yumiko Igarashi) and Makai Sui Koten. Her Guin Saga series spanned 126 main volumes and 21 side story volumes, which sold 30 million copies. It spawned a manga adaptation by Hajime Sawada and a TV anime series that premiered in April.

We at Anime Dream offer our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Kurimoto-san.