Ichiyō Higuchi (樋口 一葉 Higuchi Ichiyō, May 2, 1872 – November 23, 1896) is the pen name of Japanese author Natsu Higuchi (樋口 奈津 Higuchi Natsu), also known as Natsuko Higuchi (樋口 夏子 Higuchi Natsuko). Specializing in short stories, she was one of the first important writers to appear in the Meiji period (1868-1912) and Japan´s first prominent woman writer of modern times. She wrote relatively little as a result of living a brief life—she died at 24—but her stories had a large impact on Japanese literature and she is still appreciated by the Japanese public today.