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> Timeline of Japanese Children's Literature and Related Events

Timeline of Japanese Children's Literature and Related Events

Explanatory note

This timeline features significant works of children’s literature and picture books published in Japan from the modern period to 1999.
Timelines in the following documents were used as a reference to create this chart.
Koza Nihon jido bungaku bekkan [Lectures on Japanese children's literature, supplementary] vol. 1-2, Nihon jido bungakushi nenpyo [Timeline of Japanese children's literature] 1-2, edited by Shin Torigoe, (Meiji Shoin), 1975-77
Kansho Nihon gendai bungaku [Overview of contemporary Japanese literature] vol.35, Jido bungaku [Children's Literature], edited by Shin Torigoe, (Kadokawa Shoten), July, 1982
Takeo Miyakawa, Gendai jido bungaku no kataru mono [What contemporary children's literature tells us] (NHK Publishing), September, 1996 (NHK Book; 777)
Caption information is provided in the following order:
Author, etc. (author, illustrator, translator, etc.), Romanized Japanese Title [Title translated into English/Title in English], Series title, Publisher. Magazine titles and series titles are noted in brackets after the main title. Publisher is noted when the work is the first issue.
Some linked pages of works in the timeline show their different editions.
Some titles in the timeline are linked to pages of their reprinted editions.

year	History of Japanese children's literature	Social and cultural history
18--	Momotaro [Peach boy] (T. Hasegawa's Tryckeri, crepe-paper book; written in Swedish)
1880	March Eikyu Takeuchi, Akahon. Hanasaka jijii [Reddish cover book, The old man who made the dead trees blossom]	December Education Order revised
1881	March Compiled by the Institute for Musical Inspection (later Tokyo Music School), Ministry of Education, Shogaku shokashu, shohen [Collected songs for elementary schools, the first part]	October Imperial Rescript on Establishment of the National Diet issued
1882		October The Bank of Japan established
1883		April Newspaper Ordinance revised
1884		June The line between Ueno and Takasaki stations was opened
1885
1886	December Momotarô, ou, le Premier-né de la Pêche (Kobunsha, crepe-paper book; written in French)	March to April School Orders (Imperial University Order, Normal School Order, Elementary School Order and Middle School Order) issued May Regulations for the Authorization of Textbooks issued
1887
1888	November Shonen'en [Children's garden] (Shonen'en) first published December Andersen/Koji Zaiitsu, Fusei kidan: Osama no shin'isho [Satirical anecdote: The emperor's new clothes]
1889	July Shokokumin [Young nationals] (Gakureikan) first published October Wilhelm Grimm/Kazutoshi Ueda, Ookami [The wolf and the seven young kids] (Katei sowa [Family collection] 1)	February The Constitution of the Empire of Japan promulgated
1890	January Shonen bunbu [Boys' pen and sword] (Choshikan) first published November Hirotada Miwa, Shonen no tama [Boys' gem] vol. 1-4	July The First General Election of the Members of the House of Representatives October Imperial Rescript on Education promulgated November The First Imperial Diet held
1891	January Sazanami Sanjin, Koganemaru [A dog named Koganemaru] (Shonen bungaku [Children's literature] 1) March Koyosanjin, Ninin Mukusuke [Little Claus and big Claus] (Shonen bungaku [Children's literature] 2) October Koyo Ozaki, Oni Momotaro [Ogre peach boy] (Yonen bungaku [Young children's literature] 1) Shizuko Wakamatsu, Shokoshi [Little lord Fauntleroy] vol. 1
1892	March Edited by Shuji Izawa, Shogaku shoka [Collected songs for elementary schools] 1, edited by Shuji Isawa September Sazanami Ooe, Shochu kyuka [Summer holiday] (Shonen bungaku [Children's literature] 13)
1893
1894	March Yuho Takahashi, Robinson Kuruso zetto hyoryuki [Robinson Crusoe] vol. 1-3 (Sekai bunko [World library] 11-13) July Sazanami Iwaya, Momotaro [Peach boy] (Nihon Mukashibanashi [Japanese folktales] 1)	August First Sino-Japanese War begins
1895	January Shonen sekai [Children's world] (Hakubunkan) first published	April Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty signed
1896	October Sazanami Ooe, Yatagarasu [The three-legged crow] (Nihon otogibanashi [Japanese fairy tales] 1) December Jules Verne/Shiken Koji, Jugo shonen [Two years' vacation]	April Civil Code promulgated
1897		March Coinage Act promulgated
1898
1899	January Sazanami Ooe, Sekai no hajime [Begining of the world] (Sekai otogibanashi [Fairy tales of the world] 1) June Mayne Reid/Oson Sakurai, Hatsukokai: Yushonen bokentan [The first voyage: Adventurous story of a boy]
1900	November Shunro Oshikawa, Kaitei gunkan: Kaito boken kitan [A submarine battleship: A mysterious tale of island adventures]
1901
1902	December Daisui Sugitani, Kyoiku shosetsu gakudou nisshi [Cuore (Heart), an Italian school boy’s journal] vol. 1-2	January Anglo-Japanese Alliance signed
1903	July Hector Malot/Sosen Gorai, Katei shosetsu mada minu oya [Nobody's boy]	April Elementary School Order revised Government-designated textbook system adopted
1904	April Otogi etoki kodomo [Picture fairy tales for children] (Jido Biikukai) first published	February The Russo-Japanese War begins
1905	September Shojo chishiki gaho [Girls’ picture magazine of knowledge] (Kinji Gahosha) first published Shonen chishiki gaho [Boys’ picture magazine of knowledge ] (Kinji Gahosha) first published	September Russo-Japanese Peace Treaty signed
1906	January Yonen gaho [Illustrated magazine for young children] (Hakubunkan) first published Nihon shonen [Japanese children] (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha) first published December Louisa May Alcott/Shuho Kitada, Shofujin [Little women]	March Imperial Library opened
1907
1908	February Shojo no tomo [Girls' companion] (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha) first published November Sazanami Iwaya, Otogigacho, ukare kokyu [Fairytale picture book, the joyful fiddle]
1909	January Yonen no tomo [Young children's companion] (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha) first published May Kuni Sasaki, Itazura kozo nikki [A bad boy's diary]
1910	May Hosui Arimoto, Boken shosetsu: Hinaso to kaizoku [Adventure novel: Young priest and pirate] (Nihon shonen [Japanese children] vol. 5, no.6) December Mimei Ogawa, Akai fune [Red boat]	August The Japan–Korea Treaty signed
1911	March Sekka Sanjin, Ooishi kuranosuke azumakudari [Kuranosuke Oishi’s journey to the east] (Tatsukawa bunko [Tatsukawa library] 26) Kazutoshi Ueda, Andorusen katei monogatari [Andersen family tales] September Written by Sazanami Iwaya, illustrated by Sakae Okano/Shokichi Kobayashi/Hisui Sugiura, Nihon’ichi no ebanashi [Japan's best illustrated children's stories] 35-volume set (Nakanishiya Shoten) started publishing
1912	January Shojo gaho [Girls’ picture magazine] (Tokyosha) first published	Constitution protection movement erupted
1913	April Sekka Sanjin, Mito Komon Kyushu man'yuki [Mito Komon's journey to Kyushu] (Tatsukawa bunko [Tatsukawa library] 43) November Yumeji Takehisa, Dontaku [Holiday]
1914	January Kodomo [Children] (Kodomosha) first published March Hosui Arimoto, Hosui shishu [Collected verses by Hosui] April Kodomo no tomo [Children's companion] (Fujin-no-tomo-sha) first published May Momotaro [Peach boy] (T.Hasegawa, crepe-paper book; written in Spanish) June Akiko Yosano, Yatsu no yoru [Eight nights] (Aishi sosho [Books for beloved children] 4) August Yaeko Nogami, Ningyo no nozomi [The hope of dolls] (Aishi sosho [Books for beloved children] 5) November Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club] (Dainihon yubenkai) first published	July World War I begins
1915
1916	January Ryoyu [Good friends] (Kodomosha) first published July (to 1923) Nobuko Yoshiya, Hana monogatari [Tales of Flowers] (Shojo gaho [Girls’ illustrated magazine]) December Miekichi Suzuki, Kosui no onna [A woman of the lake]
1917	April Toson Shimazaki, Osanaki mono ni [To the young] August Mikihiko Nagata, Anderusen otogibanashi [Andersen’s fairy tales] (Mohan katei bunko [Model family’s library])	November Soviet government established (October Revolution)
1918	January Sazanami Iwaya/Yumeji Takehisa, Otogi zoshi, dobutsu no maki [Fairy tales, volume of animals] Sazanami Iwaya/Ryushi Kawabata, Otogi zoshi ponchi no maki [Fairy tales, volume of caricature] July Akai tori [Red bird] (Akaitorisha) first published Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Kumo no ito [The spider's thread] (Akai tori [Red bird] vol. 1, no. 1) October Hakushu Kitahara, Akai tori, kotori [Red bird, little bird] (Akai tori [Red bird] vol. 1, no. 4)	August Rice riot occurs November World War I ends
1919	March Otogi no sekai [The world of fairy tales] (Bunkodo) first published May Mimei Ogawa, Ushionna [The cow woman] (Otogi no sekai [The world of fairy tales] vol. 1, no. 2) October Hakushu Kitahara, Tonbo no medama [Eyes of a dragonfly] November Kin no fune [The golden ship] (Kin No Tsuno Sha) first published December Mimei Ogawa, Kin no wa [The golden circle]
1920	February Nobuko Yoshiya, Hana monogatari [Tales of flowers] 1 April Dowa [Children's stories] (Kodomosha) first published November Akai tori no hon [Books of Red Bird] (Akaitorisha) started publishing Miekichi Suzuki, Kojiki monogatari [Records of ancient matters] vol. 1 (Akai tori no hon [Books of Red bird] 1)	January League of Nations founded
1921	January Yaso Saijo, Omu to tokei [Parrots and clocks] (Akai tori no hon [Books of Red bird] 3) May Mimei Ogawa, Akai rosoku to ningyo [The red candle and the mermaid] Hakushu Kitahara, Usagi no denpo [Rabbit telegrams] June Sazanami Iwaya, Koganemaru: 30nenme kakinaoshi [A dog named Koganemaru: Revised in the 30th year] Ujo Noguchi, Jugoya otsukisan [Full moon] August Hirosuke Hamada, Mukudori no yume [A dream of a gray starling] December Kenji Miyazawa, Yukiwatari [Snow treading] (Aikoku fujin [Patriotic women] December issue) →picture book Hakushu Kitahara, Maza gusu [Mother Goose] Rofu Miki, Shinjushima [Pearl island]
1922	January Kodomo no kuni [Children's land] first published June Takeo Arishima, Hitofusa no budo [A bunch of grape] Lewis Carroll/Yaso Saijo, Kagamikoku meguri [Through the looking-glass, and what Alice found there] July Mimei Ogawa, Tsukiyo to megane [The moonlight and glasses] (Akai tori [Red bird] vol. 9, no. 1)
1923	January Bocho Yamamura, Tetsu no kutsu [Iron shoes] Shojo kurabu [Girls' club] (Dainihon Yubenkai) first published April Kenji Miyazawa, Yamanashi [Wild pear] (Iwate Mainichi Shimbun [Iwate daily newspaper]) →picture book July Hakushu Kitahara, Hanasaka jiisan [The old man who made the dead trees blossom] (Hakushu doyo [Children's songs by Hakushu] 5) November Kodomo Asahi [Children's Asahi] (Osaka Asahi Shimbunsha) first published December Yumeji Takehisa, Dontaku ehon [Holiday picture book] 1, 2	September The Great Kanto earthquake occurs
1924	March Yumeji Takehisa, Dontaku ehon [Holiday picture book] 3 June Ujo Noguchi, Aoi me no ningyo [Blue-eyed doll] July Written by Shosei Oda/illustrated by Tofujin, Shochan no boken [Adventures of Sho-chan] 1 November Hirosuke Hamada, Hirosuke dowa dokuhon: daiisshu [Children's story book of Hirosuke, vol. 1] December Kenji Miyazawa, Chumon no ooi ryoriten [The restaurant of many orders]
1925	January Haruo Sato, Pinochio [Pinocchio] May (to December 1928) Eiji Yoshikawa, Shinshu tenmakyo [Shinshu chivalry] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) →published in book form September (to October) Shozo Chiba, Torachan no nikki [Tora-chan's diary] (Dowa [Children's stories]) November Hans Christian Andersen/Masao Kusuyama, Oyayubihime [Thumbelina] (E to ohanashi no hon [Book of pictures and stories] 4) December Masao Kusuyama, Ootoko to Issunboshi [Big man and the Little one inch] (E to ohanashi no hon [Book of pictures and stories] 3)	April Peace Preservation Law promulgated May General Election Law promulgated
1926	January Kenji Miyazawa, Otsuberu to zo [Ozbel and the elephant] (Getsuyo [Monday]) →picture book May Mimei Ogawa, Kongo wo dowa sakka ni [Mimei’s intention to dedicate himself to writing children’s stories] (Tokyo Nichi-Nichi shimbun [Tokyo daily newspaper]) September Haruo Sato, Inago no dairyoko [A great journey of a locust] October Rofu Miki, Ohisama: Doyoshu [The sun: Collection of children's songs] December Eiji Yoshikawa, Shinshu tenmakyo [Heavenly horse in the divine land]	August Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation) founded
1927	January (to December) Kinji Ome, Jaga no me [A jaguar's eyes] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) March Yoshio Toshima, Yume no tamago [The dream egg] (Akai tori sosho [Red bird series] 4) Jiro Osaragi, Kakubee jishi [The lion dancer] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) May Koroku Sato, Aa gyokuhai ni hana ukete [Ah! Flowers in a jade cup] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) Nihon jido bunko [Japanese children's library] 76-volume set, (ARS) started publishing Shogakusei zenshu [The complete works for elementary school children] 88-volume set, (Bungeishunju Ltd./Kobunsha Co., Ltd.) started publishing October (to December 1929) Kuni Sasaki, Kushin no gakuyu [Hard days of a fellow student] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) →published in book format November Kinda bukku [Kinderbook] (Froebel-kan) first published
1928	February Shozo Ino, Don don yaki [Japanese savoury pancake] (Puroretaria geijutsu [Proletarian arts]) June Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Mittsu no takara [Three pieces of treasure] September Kodomo ehon bunko [Children's picture book library] (Seibundo)	February First general election held
1929	March Yasunari Kawabata, Kyucho no tantei [Class president as a detective] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) vol. 16, no. 3) →published in book format June Shozo Chiba, Tote basha [The horn of a village omnibus] December Shozo Chiba, Wanwan monogatari [The story of doggie] (Kinran Ebanashi Sosho [Golden picture story series] 2)	October Great Depression begins
1930	March Kuni Sasaki, Kushin no gakuyu [Hard days of a fellow student] April (to September) Minetaro Yamanaka, Tekichu odan sanbyakuri [750 miles through enemies] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) →published in book format November Edited by Hakushu Kitahara, Akai tori doyoshu [Children’s song collection of Red bird]
1931	January (to December) Suiho Tagawa, Norakuro nitosotsu [Norakuro second-class soldier] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) March Minetaro Yamanaka, Tekichu odan sanbyakuri [750 miles through enemies] July Edited by Kusuro Makimoto/Daiji Kawasaki, Chiisai doshi [Small comrades] October übers. von K. Florenz, Momotaro, oder, der Pfirschling, (T. Hasegawa) November Written by Atsuo Ooki/illustrated by Kyoji Yoshimi, Miebo no hiyokko [Medio pollito/half chicken], (Sekai yonen sosho [The world children’s picture story books]) December Seika Tatsumi, Yuki to roba: Doyoshu [Snow and a donkey: The collection of children's songs]	September Manchurian Incident occurs
1932	January Nankichi Niimi, Gongitsune [Gon, the little fox] (Akai tori [Red bird] revised vol. 3, no. 1) Mimei Ogawa, Nandemo hairimasu [Anything can fit inside] (Kodomo no kuni [Children's land] vol. 11, no. 1) March Kenji Miyazawa, Gusuko Budori no denki [The life of Gusuko Budori] (Jido bungaku [Children's literature] 2) April Yoichiro Minami, Hoeru mitsurin [Roar in the jungle] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) →published in book format May Written by Atsuo Ooki/illustrated by Tomoyoshi Murayama, Neko no shippo [Tale of a cat's tail], (Sekai yonen sosho [The world children’s picture story books]) October Yaso Saijo, Shojo junjo shishu [The collection of pure poems for girls]	May May 15 Incident occurs
1933	March Yoichiro Minami, Hoeru mitsurin [Roar in the jungle] (Dainihon Yubenkai Kodansha) →Another edition June Jun’ichi Yoda, Hata hachi kumo [A flag, a bee, and cloud]	March Japan withdraws from the League of Nations
1934	June Erich Kästner/Juzaburo Kikuchi, Shonen tantei Emiru [Emil and the detectives] November Takeo Takei, Akanoppo Aonoppo [The red ogre and the blue ogre]
1935	July Joji Tsubota, Maho [Magic] November Yuzo Yamamoto, Kokoro ni taiyo wo mote [Have the sun in your heart] (Nihon shokokumin bunko [Series for Japanese young nationals] 12) December Doen [Children’s garden] (Waseda Daigaku Dowakai kikanshi [Bulletin of children's story group, Waseda University]) first published
1936	January (to December) Rampo Edogawa, Kaijin nijumenso [A mysterious man with twenty faces] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club]) March Mimei Ogawa, Mimei hirakana dowa dokuhon [Mimei's hiragana reader of children's stories] December Kodansha no ehon [Kodansha's picture books] started publishing Nobumasa Ikeda, Nogi taisho [General Nogi]	February The 2.26 Incident occurs
1937	January Kodomo no hikari [Children's light] (Kodomo Kenkyusha) first published March Kusuro Makimoto, Harappa no kodomo kai [Children's meeting in the field] (Shin dowa senshu [New selection of children's stories] 2) August Yuzo Yamamoto/Genzaburo Yoshino, Kimitachi wa do ikiruka [How should you live?] (Nihon shokokumin bunko [Japanese young citizens’ library] 5) →another edition December Shigeru Hatsuyama, Taberu Tonchan [Ton-chan is eating] Yasunari Kawabata, Kyucho no tantei [Class president as a detective]	July Second Sino-Japanese War begins
1938	January Joji Tsubota, Zenta to Sanpei no hanashi [The story of Zenta and Sanpei] April Yuzo Yamamoto, Senso to futari no fujin [Two women and war]	April National Mobilization Law promulgated
1939		September World War II begins
1940	December Jun’ichi Yoda, Yagi to osara [A goat and a dish] A. A. Milne/Momoko Ishii, Kuma no Pusan [Winnie-the-Pooh] →another edition	September Tripartite Pact signed
1941	January Hugh Lofting/Masuji Ibuse, Doritoru sensei Afurika yuki [The story of Doctor Dolittle] →another edition April Kenji Miyazawa, Gusukobudori no denki [The life of Gusuko Budori] October Written by Kazuho Yoshida/illustrated by Shigeru Hatsuyama, Hibari wa sorani [A lark in the sky], (Shin nihon yonen bunko [The new Japanese young children’s library]) November Muku Hatoju, Daizo jiisan to gan [Old Daizo and a wild goose] (Shonen kurabu [Boys’ club] vol. 28, no. 11) →picture book	December Pacific War begins
1942	January Written by Yoshimi Sato/illustrated by Kazu Wakita, Pukuma ukuma [Pooh bear and Ooh bear], (Shin nihon yonen bunko [The new Japanese young children’s library]) September Taku Shimohata, Renga no entotsu [Chimneys of bricks] October Nankichi Niimi, Ojiisan no ranpu [Grandfather's lamp]
1943	May Muku Hatoju, Dobutsudomo [Animals] Shokokumin bungaku [Japanese young nationals’ literature] (Toen Shobo, Nihon Shokokumin Bunka Kyokai Bungakubu kikanshi) first published July Joji Tsubota, Tsuru no ongaeshi [The grateful crane]	December First departure of students for the battlefront
1944	February Written by Kenjiro Tsukahara/illustrated by Akira Nakao, Kawa no ie no tomodachi [A friend living near the river] (Shokokumin ebunko [Young nationals’ picture book library])
1945		August Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan accepts the Potsdam Declaration (Surrenders unconditionally to the Allied Forces) October United Nations founded
1946	April Akatonbo [Red dragonfly] (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha) first published Kodomo no hiroba [Children's plaza] (Shinsekaisha) first published October Ginga [The milky way] (Shinchosha) first published	November Constitution of Japan promulgated
1947	February Momoko Ishii, Nonchan kumo ni noru [Non-chan rides the clouds] →another edition March Michio Takeyama, Biruma no tategoto [Harp of Burma] (Akatonbo [Red dragonfly], to February 1948) Written by Takeji Hiratsuka/illustrated by Ryu Osanai, Nippon no ama [Japanese woman diver] (Shokokumin ebunko [Young nationals’ picture book library])	March Fundamental Law of Education and School Education Act promulgated
1948	February Yoshio Okamoto, Rakudai yokocho [The flunk side street] (Ginga [The Milky way], vol. 3, no. 2) Shonen shojo [Boys and girls] (Chuokoron-sha) first published Takeji Hiratsuka, Tamamushi no zushi no monogatari [The tale of tamamushi shrine] (Shonen shojo [Boys and girls] vol. 1, no. 1)	June National Diet Library opens
1949	April Sakae Tsuboi, Kaki no ki no aru ie [The house with the persimmon tree] November Sekai no ehon [World picture books] (Shinchosha Publishing Co., Ltd.) started publishing Original story by Hector Malot/written by Fumiko Hayashi/illustrated by Hisashi Suda, Ienakiko [Nobody's boy] (Sekai no ehon [World picture books] middle-size edition; 1) December Written by Isoji Sekiya/illustrated by Shozo Oonuki and others, Nihon'ichi zukukshi [The best of Japan], (Sekai no ehon [World picture books] large-size edition; 1)
1950	March Mame no ki [Beanstalk] (Dojinshi [coterie magazine]) first published December Iwanami shonen bunko [Iwanami children’s library] started publishing Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson /Naojiro Sasaki, Takarajima [Treasure island] (Iwanami shonen bunko [Iwanami children’s library])	June Korean War begins August National Police Reserve formed
1951	June Miyoko Matsutani, Kai ni natta kodomo [The child who turned into a shellfish] December Jun'ichi Yoda, Goju ichibanme no zabon [The fifty-first pomelo]	September Treaty of San Francisco and Security Treaty between the United States and Japan signed
1952	December Sakae Tsuboi, Nijushi no hitomi [Twenty-four eyes]
1953	September Makoto Ooishi, Fushinki [Wind vane] (Doen [Children’s garden]) December Tomiko Inui, Tsugumi [Thrush] (Mugi [Wheat])	August School Library Act established
1954	December Ichitaro Kokubun, Tetsu no machi no shonen [Boys of the ironworks town] Written by Munro Leaf/illustrated by Robert Lawson, Hana no sukina ushi [The story of Ferdinand], (Iwanami no kodomo no hon, yo ichi ni nenmuke [Iwanami children's books for kindergarten, first and second grade students]; 11)
1955
1956	April Kodomo no tomo [Children's companion] (Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers) started publishing Written by Jun'ichi Yoda/illustrated by Fumiko Hori, Bippu to chocho [Bip and the butterfly], (Kodomo no tomo [Children's companion] no. 1) Sukeyuki Imanishi, Sora no hitsujikai [The shepherd of the sky] May Original story by Kenji Miyazawa/original plan by Yoshimi Sato/illustrated by Takeshi Motai, Serohiki no Goshu [Gauche the cellist], (Kodomo no tomo [Children's companion] no. 2)	October Joint Declaration by Japan and the USSR signed December Japan joins the United Nations
1957	March Tomiko Inui, Nagai nagai pengin no hanashi [A long long story of the penguins] December Edited by Jun’ichi Yoda, Nihon doyoshu [The collection of Japanese children's songs]
1958
1959	August Satoru Sato, Daremo shiranai chiisana kuni [The tiny country that nobody knows] December Tomiko Inui, Kokage no ie no kobitotachi [Yuri and the little people]
1960	July Hisashi Yamanaka, Akage no Pochi [Red-haired puppy, Pochi] August Miyoko Matsutani, Tatsu no ko Taro [Taro, the dragon boy] October Yoshitomo Imae, Yama no muko wa aoi umi datta [Over the mountain there was the blue sea] →another edition	January Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan signed May to June Protests against the United States-Japan Security Treaty expands December Vietnam War begins
1961	January Hachiro Sato, Okasan [Mother] →picture book June Teruo Teramura, Boku wa osama [I am the king] November Taruhi Furuta, Nusumareta machi [A stolen town] December Toshiko Kanzawa, Chibikko Kamu no boken [The adventures of little Kamu]
1962	December Rieko Nakagawa, Iyaiyaen ["No-no" nursery school]
1963	December Written by Rieko Nakagawa/illustrated by Yuriko Oomura, Guri to Gura [Guri and Gura], (Kodomo no tomo [Children's companion] no. 93) Momoko Ishii, Sangatsu hina no tsuki [The dolls' day for Yoshiko]
1964	March Yoshiko Okkotsu, Piichashan [Mt. Piecha] July Miyoko Matsutani, Chiisai Momochan [Little Momo] September Gennosuke Nagasaki, Aho no hoshi [The star of a fool]	October Tokaido Shinkansen opens Tokyo Olympic Games held
1965	January Makoto Ooishi, Chokoreto senso [Chocolate war] August Tadashi Ozawa, Me wo samase Toragoro [Wake up, Toragoro] October (to August 1968) Makoto Oishi, Kyoshitsu niimarugogo [Classroom no. 205] (Biwa no mi gakko daiikki [Loquat fruit school, first semester]) →published in book format December Sukeyuki Imanishi, Higo no ishiku [The mason of Higo]	June Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea signed
1966	December Written by Minami Nishiuchi/illustrated by Seiichi Horiuchi, Gurunpa no yochien [Grumpa's kindergarten], (Kodomo no tomo kessakushu [Masterpieces of Children's companion] 32)
1967	February Ryuji Goto, Tenshi de daichi wa ippaida [The land is filled with angels] Rewritten by Tadashi Matsui/illustrated by Suekichi Akaba, Daiku to oniroku [Oniroku and the carpenter], (Kodomo no tomo kessakushu [Masterpieces of Children's companion] 36) April Written by Miyoko Matsutani/illustrated by Yasuo Segawa, Inai inai ba [Peek-a-boo] September Yasuo Maekawa, Yan November Ryusuke Saito, Berodashi Chonma [Chomma (Chomatsu) poking out his tongue]
1968	March Kimiko Aman, Kuruma no iro wa sora no iro [Taxi driver Matsui’s special customers] June Michio Mado, Tenpura piripiri [Tempura piripiri (sizzling)] Chihiro Iwasaki, Ame no hi no orusuban [Staying home alone on a rainy day]
1969	April Written by Leo Lionni/ illustrated by Shuntaro Tanikawa, Suimi: Chiisana kashikoi sakana no hanashi [Swimmy: Story about a little wise fish] May Taku Miki, Horobita kuni no tabi [A travel through a ruined country] June Makoto Ooishi, Kyoshitsu niimarugogo [Classroom no. 205] Toshiko Kanzawa, Kuma no ko Ufu [Oof, the bear cub] December Tsuguo Okuda, Bokuchan no senjo [My battle field] Kayako Nishimaki, Watashi no wanpisu [My miracle dress]	July Apollo 11 lands on the moon.
1970	February Atsuo Saito, Gurikku no boken [Enchanted journey] November Hiroshi Sunada, Saraba haiuei [Farewell to highways]	March Japan World Exposition held
1971	February Written by Funazaki Yoshihiko/ illustrated by Funazaki Yasuko, Tonkachi to hanashogun [Tonkachi, a little boy’s adventure] March Mitsumasa Anno, Fushigina e [Topsy-turvies: Pictures to stretch the imagination] (Kodomo no tomo kessakushu [Masterpieces of Children's companion])
1972	February Akira Saneto, Jibetakkosama [Earth god] May Naoko Awa, Kaze to ki no uta [A song of wind and a tree] August Mikio Ando, Dendenmushi no keiba [Snail’s contest] October Haruo Yamashita, Umi no shirouma [White horse of the sea] November Written by Arnold Lobel/translated by Taku Miki, Futari wa tomodachi [Frog and toad are friends]	May Okinawa returned to Japan September Japan-China Joint Communique signed
1973	March Jun’ichi Yoda, No yuki yama yuki: Shonen shojo shikyokushu [To fields, to mountains: The collection of boys' and girls' poems and songs] April Taijiro Amazawa, Hikariguruma yo maware! [Spin round, O wheels of light!] Seizo Tajima, Fukimanbuku [The girl and the butterbur sprout] October Shuntaro Tanikawa, Kotoba asobi uta [Word game: Nonsense pictures and rhymes]	November Outline of emergency measures on oil adopted (1973 oil crisis)
1974	March Yoshihiko Funazaki, Poppen sensei to kaerazu no numa [Professor Poppen and the swamp of no return] June Kenjiro Haitani, Usagi no me [A rabbit's eyes] August Written by Yoshio Nakae/illustrated by Noriko Ueno, Nezumikun no chokki [Little mouse’s red vest] November Written by Taruhi Furuta/illustrated by Seiichi Tabata, Oshiire no boken [Adventure in the closet]
1975	May Nobuyuki Mitamura, Otosan ga ippai [So many fathers] June Daihachi Ota, Kasa [Umbrella] (Joifuru ehon kessakushu [Best of joyful picture books] 10) October Sachiko Kashiwaba, Kiri no muko no fushigina machi [The marvelous village veiled in mist] December Hiroo Sakata, Sacchan [Satchan]
1976	February Shuntaro Tanikawa, Daremo shiranai [Nobody knows] June Shuhei Hasegawa, Hasegawakun kiraiya [Can't stand Hasegawa] →another edition October Written by Shuntaro Tanikawa/illustrated by Shinta Cho, Watashi [Me], (Kagaku no tomo [Children's science companion] no. 91)	February Lockheed bribery scandals occurred
1977	April Written by Yoriko Tsutsui/illustrated by Akiko Hayashi, Hajimete no otsukai [Mii-chan’s first errand], (Kodomo no tomo kessakushu [Masterpieces of Children's companion])
1978	February Masamoto Nasu, Soreike zukkoke sanningumi [Let's go, funny trio] August Toshihide Kunimatsu, Okashina kin'yobi [Funny Friday]	August Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China signed
1979	November Taro Gomi, Saru, rururu [Monkey, rururu]
1980	January Masamoto Nasu, Bokura wa umi e [We'll go out to the sea] June Toshi Maruki, Hiroshima no pika [The Hiroshima story] September Shiro Yadama, Hare tokidoki buta [Fair, then partly piggy] Shinta Cho, Kyabetsukun [Cabbage boy]	September Iran–Iraq War begins
1981	July Eiko Kadono, Zubon senchosan no hanashi [Tales of an old sea captain]
1982	January Naoko Kudo, Tetsugaku no raion: Kudo Naoko shonen shishu [Philosophical lion: The collection of children's poems by Naoko Kudo] August Kimiko Aman, Chiichan no kageokuri [Chii-chan and the shadow figures] October Gen'ichiro Yagyu, Hana no ana no hanashi [The holes in your nose] (Kagaku no tomo kessakushu [Masterpieces of Children’s science companion])
1983	June Yuhi ga senaka wo oshitekuru [The sunset pushes my back], written by Hiroo Sakata/illustrated by Jun Takabatake	April Tokyo Disneyland opens
1984	February Edited by Jun’ichi Yoda and others, Kaneko Misuzu zenshu [Complete works of Misuzu Kaneko] May Naoko Kudo, Nohara uta [A field sing-a-long] 1
1985	April Miyako Moriyama, Kiiroi baketsu [The yellow bucket] June Makoto Kawashima, Denwa ga natteiru [The telephone is ringing] December Tadaaki Mori, Shonen jidai no gashu [Collected pictures of childhood]
1986	March Takaya Hama, Hi no o tanjo [Birth of the fire king] December Jun Okada, Gakko usagi wo tsukamaero [Catching the school rabbit] Shuzo Oka, Boku no oneesan [My older sister]
1987	May Hiroshi Saito, Rudorufu to Ippaiattena [Rudolf the black cat] September Tatsuya Saragai, Umi no medaka [Killifish in the sea]	April Privatization and separation of Japanese National Railways
1988	January Ken Katayama, Oyasuminasai Kokkosan [Good night, Kokko] August Noriko Ogiwara, Sorairo magatama [Dragon sword and wind child] →revised version	March Seikan Tunnel opens
1989	August Kaori Ekuni, Tsumetai yoru ni [At the cold night]
1990	June Yoko Tomiyasu, Kunugibayashi no Zawazawaso [Apartment Zawazawa in oak woods] August Hiko Tanaka, Ohikkoshi [Moving] December Yosuke Inoue, Magareba magarimichi [Around the corner] (Kodomo no tomo [Children's companion] no. 417)
1991	May Hiroshi Ito, Osaru no mainichi [A day in a monkey's life]	January Gulf War begins
1992	May Kazumi Yumoto, Natsu no niwa: The friends [The friends] →revised version September Written by Michio Mado/edited by Hideharu Ito, Mado Michio zenshishu [Complete works of poems by Michio Mado] →revised edition	Bubble Economy bursts
1993
1994	April Kaho Nashiki, Nishi no majo ga shinda [The witch of the west is dead] →another edition
1995	March Written by Misuzu Kaneko/selected by Setsuo Yazaki, Akarui ho e: Kaneko Misuzu doyoshu [To a brighter place: The collection of children's songs by Misuzu Kaneko]	January Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake occurs March Tokyo subway Sarin attack occurs
1996	June Yoko Saso, Bokura no saite no natsu [Our worst summer ever] July Nahoko Uehashi, Seirei no moribito [Moribito: Guardian of the spirit] December Atsuko Asano, Batteri [Battery]
1997	October Joko Iwase, Arumajiro no shippo [The tail of the armadillo] Takako Sato, Iguanakun no ojamana mainichi [Day for day with our troublesome iguana]
1998	July Eto Mori, Karafuru [Colorful] August Hiroshi Abe, Gorira nikki [Gorilla diary] October Written by Yu Ito/illustrated by Daihachi Ota, Oni no hashi [A bridge to the other world]
1999	August Written by Hiroshi Osada /illustrated by Ryoji Arai, Mori no ehon [A forest picture book] September Hoko Takadono, Juichigatsu no tobira [The door of November]