Japanese Children's Literature: A history from the International Library of Children's Literature Collections

* This exhibition has ended.

Front cover of “Akai Tori” vol.1 No.4
Front cover of “Chumon no oi ryoriten”
Front cover of “Dare mo shiranai chiisana kuni”
  1. Akai tori, repr.vol.1, no.4. Nihon Kindai Bungakukan 1968(cover illus. by Yoshio Shimizu)
  2. Chumon no oi ryotiten, by Kenji Miyazawa with illus. by Takeo Kikuchi, Nihon Kindai Bungakukan 1969(Meicho fukkoku zenshu, no.91)
  3. Dare mo shiranai chiisana kuni, by Satoru Sato with illus. by Kei Wakana, Kodansha 1959.

The ILCL's first long-term exhibition of its collections of children's books and magazines, "Japanese Children's Literature: A History from the International Library of Children's Literature Collections" presents works of the leading authors and illustrators in each period - from the Meiji era to the present.

  • Part I The Dowa Era: From the Launching of Akai Tori to 1945
  • Part II Beginnings of Today's Children's Literature: from 1945 to 1970s
  • Part III Children's Literature Today: from the 1980s to 1999
  • Part IV Picture Books Todays: from 1945 to 1999
  • Part V The Beginning of Children's Literature

At the exhibition, you can also see children's songs and poems, and the stories in today's Japanese-language textbooks - almost all of them were originally published as individual works of children's literature.

"Japanese Children's Literature: A History from the International Library of Children's Literature Collections" gives you agreat opportunity to see the history of Japanese children's books and their messages for children.

List of exhibited books (in Japanese):

Japanese Children's Literature: A history from the International Library of Children's Literature Collections
Period 2011-02-19 (Sat.)-2015-10-31 (Sat.)
Closed Mondays,public holidays(except Children's Day on May 5), The third Wednesdays
Hours 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Venue 3F Museum, International Library of Children's Literature (Ueno Park)
[ACCESS]
Admission Free

"Japanese Authors of Children's Literature," a special-feature section of outstanding authors

  • The 1st author: Momoko Ishi (2011.2.19-2011.8.21)
  • The 2nd author: Mimei Ogawa (2011.8.23-2012.2.12)
  • The 3rd author: Shuntaro Tanikawa (2012.2.14-2012.8.19)
  • The 4th author: Kenji Miyazawa (2012.8.21-2013.2.24)
  • The 5th author: Nankichi Niimi (2013.2.26-2013.8.18)
  • The 6th author: Masamoto Nasu (2013.8.20-2014.2.23)

"Children's Literature in the 21st Century," a special-feature section of children's literature published since 2000.

  • Part 1: Picture Books (2014.2.25-2014.11.30)
  • Part 2: Picture Books (2014.12.2-2015.10.31)

Japanese