Machi Tawara is a Japanese poet, translator, and author, recognized as the original creator behind the manga Triangle. Born on December 31, 1962, in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, she developed an early interest in literature. At the age of fourteen, she moved to Fukui Prefecture, and in 1981 she enrolled at Waseda University to study Japanese literature. During her time at university, she began writing tanka poetry under the guidance of the poet Yukitsuna Sasaki, a pursuit that would define much of her literary career. After graduating in 1985, she worked as a high school Japanese language teacher in Kanagawa Prefecture until 1989, when she left teaching to focus on writing full time.

Tawara first gained widespread recognition as a poet. In 1986, she received the 32nd Kadokawa Tanka Prize for a sequence titled August Morning. Her debut tanka collection, Salad Anniversary, was published in 1987 and became an unprecedented bestseller, selling millions of copies and sparking a cultural phenomenon known as the salad phenomenon. The collection was noted for its use of contemporary, conversational language within the classical 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure of tanka, broadening the appeal of the form. She continued to publish acclaimed poetry collections, including The Chocolate Revolution in 1997 and Winnie-the-Pooh’s Nose in 2005. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Modern Poet Association Prize, the Murasaki Shikibu Prize for literary criticism, and the Wakayama Bokusui Prize. In 2023, she was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon for her contributions to literature.

Tawara’s connection to manga and anime stems from her work as a novelist. In 2004, she published her first novel, Triangle, which was later adapted into a two-volume manga. The manga version of Triangle was released by Futabasha on October 28, 2006, with Tawara credited as the original creator. This adaptation represents her most prominent credit within the manga medium. While her literary output is extensive, her role as an original creator for anime and manga is primarily defined by this work. Her broader artistic identity remains rooted in her poetry and translations of classical Japanese texts, such as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and selections from the Man’yōshū, into modern Japanese. Through her poetry, translations, and fiction, she has played a significant role in making traditional Japanese literary forms accessible to contemporary audiences.