 In 1938, Nakazato became the first woman to win the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, with her short story "Noriai bashi".After World War II, she came to be known for a number of works addressing the issue of international marriage, including "Mariannu monogatari" ("Maryann's Story", 1946) and "Kusari" ("Chain", 1959), which were drawn from her own daughter's marriage to an American.Her novel "Utamakura" ("Song Pillow", 1973) was awarded the Yomiuri Prize.