Kaoru Kitamura (北村 薫, Kitamura Kaoru) (born December 28, 1949) is the pen name of Kazuo Miyamoto (宮本 和男, Miyamoto Kazuo), a popular contemporary Japanese writer, mainly of short stories.
However, after graduating from Waseda in 1972, he returned to Saitama to become a language teacher at Kasukabe High School, his alma mater.
This speculation persisted until he revealed his identity upon accepting the Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1991.
He made his literary debut in 1989, with the publication of Soratobu Uma (空飛ぶ馬, "Flying Horse"), and has been writing prolifically since then.
In 2009, after repeated previous nominations, he won the prestigious Naoki Prize (the 141st) for Sagi to Yuki (鷺と雪, "Herons and Snow").