Haruki Murakami''s Upcoming Novel ''The Tale of KAHO'' Features First Female Sole Protagonist

Apr 24, 2026, 11:25

Introduction

Haruki Murakami''s new novel, ''The Tale of KAHO,'' is scheduled for release in Japan on July 3 in both print and digital formats. The work is notable as the first full-length novel by the author to feature a woman as the sole protagonist. The central character is Kaho, a 26-year-old picture book author.

Main Body

The novel represents Murakami''s first full-length work in three years, following ''The City and Its Uncertain Walls,'' which centered on a male protagonist. According to publisher Shinchosha Publishing Co., Kaho is the first lone female protagonist in a Murakami novel. The narrative originated as a short story titled ''Kaho,'' which Murakami performed at a reading event at Waseda University two years prior, alongside author Mieko Kawakami. That story was published in the June 2024 edition of Shincho magazine. Murakami subsequently released three additional installments in the same magazine, with the most recent appearing in the March 2025 edition. The four parts are titled ''The Anteater of Musashi-sakai,'' ''Kaho and the Termite Queen,'' and ''Kaho and the Motorcycle Man, and Scarlett Johansson.'' The new 352-page novel integrates these segments into a single work. The plot follows Kaho, described as having average looks and intelligence but strong curiosity. After a male stranger tells her, ''To be honest, I have never seen anyone as ugly as you,'' she becomes puzzled rather than offended and seeks to decipher his hidden message. This quest leads her into a series of bizarre occurrences. A promotional teaser from the publisher states, ''I must find the way out of this world.'' Murakami wrote much of the novel after recovering from a serious illness. He characterized the work as ''more optimistic'' than his previous output and noted that writing from a female perspective felt surprisingly natural, remarking that he ''became her.'' An English translation of the first story, rendered by Philip Gabriel, was published in The New Yorker in 2024.

Conclusion

The release of ''The Tale of KAHO'' on July 3 marks a narrative shift for Murakami, as it is his first full-length novel with a female protagonist. The book is expected to be available in both print and digital editions.

Vocabulary Learning

decipher
To interpret or decode something that is difficult to understand, such as a hidden message or code.解讀；破譯（難以理解的東西，如隱藏信息或密碼）。
Example:She seeks to decipher his hidden message.
installments
Each of several parts of a story or serial that are published or broadcast separately over time.分期連載的部分；系列故事中的每一期。
Example:Murakami subsequently released three additional installments in the same magazine.
integrated
Combined or unified into a single whole; to bring separate parts together.整合；合併成一個整體。
Example:The new 352-page novel integrates these segments into a single work.
lone
Being the only one; solitary. Used to describe a protagonist without any other main character.唯一的；孤單的。用於描述沒有其他主角的角色。
Example:Kaho is the first lone female protagonist in a Murakami novel.
rendered
Translated or expressed in a particular language or form. In literary context, to translate a text.翻譯；表達（以特定語言或形式）。在文學語境中指翻譯文本。
Example:An English translation of the first story, rendered by Philip Gabriel, was published in The New Yorker.

Sentence Learning

The narrative originated as a short story titled 'Kaho,' which Murakami performed at a reading event at Waseda University two years prior, alongside author Mieko Kawakami.
The main clause is 'The narrative originated as a short story titled 'Kaho',' which contains a past participle phrase 'titled 'Kaho'' modifying 'short story'. This is followed by a non-restrictive relative clause 'which Murakami performed at a reading event at Waseda University two years prior', providing additional information about the story. The clause ends with a prepositional phrase 'alongside author Mieko Kawakami'.主要子句是 'The narrative originated as a short story titled 'Kaho''，其中包含過去分詞短語 'titled 'Kaho'' 修飾 'short story'。隨後是一個非限制性關係從句 'which Murakami performed at a reading event at Waseda University two years prior'，提供關於該故事的額外信息。該從句以介詞短語 'alongside author Mieko Kawakami' 結尾。
After a male stranger tells her, 'To be honest, I have never seen anyone as ugly as you,' she becomes puzzled rather than offended and seeks to decipher his hidden message.
The sentence begins with an adverbial clause of time 'After a male stranger tells her, 'To be honest, I have never seen anyone as ugly as you,'' which includes direct speech and a comparative structure 'as ugly as you'. The main clause is 'she becomes puzzled rather than offended and seeks to decipher his hidden message', where 'rather than offended' is a contrastive elliptical phrase, and the verb 'seeks' is followed by an infinitive phrase 'to decipher his hidden message'.句子以時間狀語從句 'After a male stranger tells her, 'To be honest, I have never seen anyone as ugly as you,'' 開頭，其中包含直接引語和比較結構 'as ugly as you'。主要子句是 'she becomes puzzled rather than offended and seeks to decipher his hidden message'，其中 'rather than offended' 是對比省略短語，動詞 'seeks' 後接不定式短語 'to decipher his hidden message'。
He characterized the work as 'more optimistic' than his previous output and noted that writing from a female perspective felt surprisingly natural, remarking that he 'became her.'
The main clause is 'He characterized the work as 'more optimistic' than his previous output', which uses a comparative adjective phrase. This is coordinated with 'and noted that writing from a female perspective felt surprisingly natural', where 'noted' takes a 'that' noun clause as its object. The sentence ends with a present participial phrase 'remarking that he 'became her'', which functions as an adverbial of manner, containing another 'that' clause.主要子句是 'He characterized the work as 'more optimistic' than his previous output'，使用了比較形容詞短語。該句與 'and noted that writing from a female perspective felt surprisingly natural' 並列，其中 'noted' 後接 'that' 名詞從句作為賓語。句子以現在分詞短語 'remarking that he 'became her'' 結尾，作為方式狀語，包含另一個 'that' 從句。
The novel represents Murakami's first full-length work in three years, following 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls,' which centered on a male protagonist.
The main clause is 'The novel represents Murakami's first full-length work in three years', followed by a present participial phrase 'following 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls'' which modifies 'work'. This is further modified by a non-restrictive relative clause 'which centered on a male protagonist', providing additional detail about the previous novel.主要子句是 'The novel represents Murakami's first full-length work in three years'，隨後是現在分詞短語 'following 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls'' 修飾 'work'。該短語進一步被非限制性關係從句 'which centered on a male protagonist' 修飾，提供關於前一部小說的額外細節。
Murakami subsequently released three additional installments in the same magazine, with the most recent appearing in the March 2025 edition.
The main clause is 'Murakami subsequently released three additional installments in the same magazine', followed by an absolute construction 'with the most recent appearing in the March 2025 edition'. This absolute phrase consists of 'with' + noun phrase 'the most recent' + present participle 'appearing' + prepositional phrase 'in the March 2025 edition', providing additional circumstantial information.主要子句是 'Murakami subsequently released three additional installments in the same magazine'，隨後是獨立主格結構 'with the most recent appearing in the March 2025 edition'。該獨立主格結構由 'with' + 名詞短語 'the most recent' + 現在分詞 'appearing' + 介詞短語 'in the March 2025 edition' 組成，提供附加的環境信息。