Fumiyo Kōno is a Japanese manga artist born on September 28, 1968, in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. She began drawing manga in junior high school, motivated partly by her parents not often buying manga for her. She studied science at Hiroshima University before moving to Tokyo, where she worked as an assistant to manga creators including Katsuyuki Toda, Aki Morino, and Fumiko Tanigawa. She made her commercial debut in 1995 with the series Machikado Hana Da Yori. She later graduated from the University of the Air in 2001 with a degree in humanities.

Kōno is best known for works that depict everyday life against the backdrop of historical events, particularly World War II and its aftermath in her native Hiroshima. Her 2004 manga Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms, serialized in Weekly Manga Action, earned her significant recognition, winning the Grand Prize in the Manga Division of the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2004 and the Creative Award at the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2005. This work explores the long-term effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima across two interconnected stories.

Her most widely recognized work is the manga In This Corner of the World, which was serialized in Weekly Manga Action from 2007 to 2009 and collected into three volumes. The series follows a young woman named Suzu who moves to the naval port city of Kure during World War II and her daily struggles amid the war's escalating hardships. The manga won the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2009.

In This Corner of the World has been adapted multiple times. A live-action television special aired on NTV in 2011. An anime film adaptation, directed by Sunao Katabuchi and produced by MAPPA, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim. An extended version of the film with additional scenes, titled In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World, premiered in 2019. A nine-episode live-action television drama series aired on TBS from July to September 2018. A stage musical adaptation premiered in 2024.

Beyond these major works, Kōno has created a diverse body of manga across various genres and demographics. Her other notable works include Pippira Nōto, a four-panel comedy manga about a pet parakeet; Kokko-san, a story about a family and a rooster; Nagai Michi, a short-story collection about an unconventional couple; San-san Roku, about a widower adapting to life alone; and Hi no Tori, an essay-style work set in the Tōhoku region after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. She has also worked as an illustrator for children's books and provided character designs for animated projects, including the 2012 NHK disaster memorial song Hana wa Saku.

Kōno's artistic identity is characterized by a focus on daily life, often rendered with minimal use of screentone and a distinctive style that balances detailed backgrounds with simplified character designs. Her work frequently examines how ordinary people endure and find meaning during times of national crisis, with Hiroshima and its history serving as a recurring thematic touchstone. Her significance in the manga industry is marked by her award-winning works and her role in bringing nuanced, historically grounded perspectives on wartime Japan to a wide audience through both print and screen adaptations.