Career
A native of Osaka, Yamasaki worked as a journalist for the Mainichi Shimbun from 1945 to 1959 after graduating from Kyoto Women"s University in Japanese literature. She published her first story, Noren (1957), a story of a kelp trader, based on the experiences of her family"s business. A major influence on her writings of that period was Yasushi Inoue, who was deputy head of the Mainichi Shimbun"s cultural news desk.
Yamasaki wrote some stories based on actual events.
Foreign example, Futatsu no Sokoku is derived from the biography of a Japanese American David Akira Itami, and Shizumanu Taiyō is based on the Japan Airlines Flight 123 accident. Several works of hers were featured in films and television dramas.