Tsuboi Sakae, born Iwai Sakae (岩井栄) in Sakate, Shozu, Kagawa, Japan, was a Japanese children's literature novelist and poet.

She was the fifth daughter of Iwai Tokichi (岩井藤吉), a soy sauce barrel craftsman. After her family’s business failed, she worked as a babysitter while attending Sakate Elementary School (坂手小学校) and Utsumi Higher Elementary School (内海高等小学校). After graduating, she assisted her father in his maritime work. In 1915, she began working at a post office and a municipal office, but years of overwork led to health issues, including pleuritis and spinal caries. In 1922, she contracted measles and became critically ill due to inadequate medical care.

Her writing career began in 1928 when her diary submission, Diary of a Professional Writer’s Wife (プロ文士の妻の日記), won a prize in Fujokai (婦女界). However, it was not considered her official debut. In 1934, she published The House Under the Cliff (崖下の家) under the pen name Tsuboi Toyoko (壺井豊子) in Shinpo (進歩), but it was not widely recognized. Encouraged by Sata Ineko (佐多稲子) in 1936, she shifted to children's literature, publishing Daikon no Ha (大根の葉) in Bungei (文藝), which became her official debut.

She married poet Tsuboi Shigeji (壺井繁治) in 1925.

From 1961, Tsuboi was frequently hospitalized due to asthma. She passed away from an asthma attack on June 23, 1967, at age 67.

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