Megumi Hatakenaka is a Japanese writer and manga artist recognized as the original creator of the Shabake historical fantasy novel series, which received a television anime adaptation in 2025. Born in 1959 in Kochi Prefecture and raised in Nagoya, she graduated from the Nagoya Zokei University of Art & Design. Her professional career in creative arts began in manga; after working as a manga assistant and a bookstore clerk, she made her debut as a manga artist in 1988. She later studied under the novelist Tozawa Michio, which led her to pursue a career in fiction writing. Hatakenaka made her literary debut with the first volume of the Shabake series, published in 2001, which won the 13th Annual Japan Fantasy Novel Award. Her body of work is extensive, encompassing multiple long-running series. Among the most prominent are the Shabake series, the Tsukumogami Kashimasu (We Rent Tsukumogami) series, the Mannmamakoto series, the Wakasamagumi series, and the Sakura Kiyoshi no Jikenbo series. Her writing is characterized by a fusion of supernatural elements, particularly yokai and tsukumogami, with mystery and historical fiction, frequently set in the Edo period. Several of her series have been adapted into other media. The Tsukumogami Kashimasu novels inspired a television anime that aired in July 2018. The Shabake series has seen the most extensive adaptation history, including two live-action television dramas, a manga adaptation serialized from 2017 to 2023, a net anime special in 2021, and a 13-episode television anime produced by BN Pictures that premiered on Fuji TV’s Noitamina programming block in October 2025. The Shabake novel series has achieved significant commercial success, with over 10 million copies in circulation.