according to mangaupdates chapter 39 should be end
The original novelist for the story of the blind swordman's is dead you are correct, he died in 1968. This manga on the other hand came out on 2008 in Japan. So unless the dead guy wrote the manga in the grave than i would be very impressed. lol
But anyways the one who wrote the manga and drew it was a female by the name of Shinohara Hana is still alive. This manga sadly is completed. In japan there are only 7 volumes (It wasn't as popular so they butchered the manga, and finished it without a proper ending.)
The author is indeed Shimozawa Kan since he wrote a novel by the name of Zatoichi (which has a bunch of movies of it) about a blind swordsman who is male. Ichi is basically the same as the novel just with the difference that the artist decided to change it to female not male.
i think the author is died cause I tried searching him/her up and it shows that that person had died.......which sucks but then it has been like two years since it last updated so it is possible but then I had also found out that there is a movie on this manga too
i hope there is a anime version of it!