The Twelve Kingdoms (aka Juuni Kokki) is a series of novels written by Fuyumi Ono and illustrated by Akihiro Yamada. The series features a variety of stories set in a magical world similar to ancient China. The anime version mainly focuses on the story of a Japanese girl who is transported to this world and finds out she is an empress there.
The novels are currently being published by TOKYOPOP in the U.S. while the anime is available from Media Blasters.
This post features both novel and anime artwork from the series. Thanks to Iris for the request!
