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Part 3 Beginnings of Contemporary Children's Literature: From the Post-War to 1970s

1. Quest for a New Children’s Literature

After the long war ended, a number of children’s magazines dedicated to responsible children’s literature were founded, including Akatonbo [Red dragonfly] and Ginga [The milky way], both launched in 1946.

Although these magazines provided opportunities for publishing, writers were slow to come up with themes suited to the new post-war realities. Akatonbo, Ginga, and other titles were forced to cease publication soon after they had begun.

The foundations for our current era of contemporary children’s literature were laid in the course of public debates in the 1950s. Critical re-examination of the writers of the dowa (children's stories) era, especially Mimei Ogawa, Hirosuke Hamada, and others, helped pave the way for new approaches to children’s literature in Japan. The debates that unfolded at that time have been the subject of critical research, published in such works as Gendai jido bungakuron [Discourse on contemporary children's literature] (1959) by Taruhi Furuta and Kodomo to bungaku [Children and literature] (1960) by Momoko Ishii, et al.

Publication of the Iwanami shonen bunko [Iwanami children’s library] series began in 1950. This series, introducing both classics and contemporary works of children’s literature from overseas, proved a tremendous stimulus in the emergence of original works of Japanese children’s literature.

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3-1Ginga [The milky way]
Shinchosha 1946-1949
Call No. Z32-B250
A magazine started with Yuzo Yamamoto as its editor-in-chief, who encouraged Japanese children growing up in the aftermath of World War II to take a broad perspective of the universe. Shown here is vol. 1, no. 1.

Thumbnail of ノNonchan kumo ni noru [Non-chan rides the clouds]

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3-2Nonchan kumo ni noru [Non-chan rides the clouds]
Written by Momoko Ishii/Illustrated by Yukiko Katsura
Kobunsha 1951
Call No. 児913.6-I583n
First published by Daichi Shobo in 1947. The depiction of a family filled with true love was well received as a fresh ideal after Japan's defeat in World War II. Shown here is the title page.

Thumbnail of Biruma no tategoto [Harp of Burma]

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3-3Biruma no tategoto [Harp of Burma]
Written by Michio Takeyama/Illustrated by Genichiro Inokuma
Akatonbo [Red dragonfly] vol. 2, no.3
Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha 1947
Call No. Z32-61
Serialized in Akatonbo [Red dragonfly] vol. 2, no. 3 to vol. 3, no. 2, this story reflect the author's ideas on how ordinary people should deal with Japan's defeat in World War II and was well received by people in postwar Japan.

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3-4Rakudai yokocho [The flunk side street]
Written by Yoshio Okamoto/Illustrated by Toshio Nakanishi
Ginga [The milky way] vol. 3, no.2
Shinchosha 1948
Call No. Z32-B250
A short novel depicting a boy's discoveries and hopes for the future, while subtly pointing out paradoxes in modern society.

Thumbnail of Shonen shojo [Boys and girls]

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3-5Shonen shojo [Boys and girls]
Chuokoron-Sha 1948-1951
Call No. Z32-B252
Even as Akatonbo [Red dragonfly], Kodomo no hiroba [Children's plaza], Ginga [The milky way], and other magazines ceased publication, this magazine continued as a "morally conscientious children's magazine" and had a major influence on the revival of art and literature after World War II. Shown here is vol. 2, no. 1.

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3-6Takarajima [Treasure island]
Written by Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson/Translated by Naojiro Sasaki
Iwanami Shoten 1950
(Iwanami shonen bunko [Iwanami children’s library] 1)
Call No. 児933-cS84tS
Start of the series Iwanami shonen bunko [Iwanami children’s library], which contained translations of both world classics and contemporary works and was a tremendous influence on the development of children's literature. Shown here is the title page.

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3-7Nijushi no hitomi [Twenty-four eyes]
Written by Sakae Tsuboi/Illustrated by Motoko Morita
Kobunsha 1952
Call No. 児913.6-Tu643n
Although not written as children’s literature, this depiction of people’s kindness and their opposition to war has moved people of all ages.

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3-8Doen [Children’s garden]
Edited by Sodai Dowakai
Sodai Dowakai (the 20th anniversary issue was published by Biwa no mi kai) 1935-1953
Call No. Z32-379
Bulletin of the Soudai Dowa-kai, which was a group of Waseda University students interested in children's stories. Launched in 1935 by Yoshio Okamoto, Haruo Mizuto, and others, many of its members went on to become writers. Shown here is the 20th anniversary issue.

2. Longer Prose-style Stories

Japan’s contemporary children’s literature is thought to have begun in 1959 with the publication that year of Satoru Sato’s Dare mo shiranai chiisana kuni [The tiny country that nobody knows] and Tomiko Inui’s Kokage no ie no kobitotachi [Yuri and the little people]. Both are full-length fantasies, featuring ‘kobito’ (little people ), and were written based on experiences in the war. They were entirely different from the shorter works of the preceding dowa era.

Dowa had typically depicted imaginary landscapes in poetic and figurative language, while contemporary children's literature described the real circumstances (or society) of children’s lives in ordinary prose writing. The circumstances in question, for instance, included the war the country had just experienced and the society that can bring about war.

Tomiko Inui’s earlier work Nagai nagai pengin no hanashi [A long long story of the penguins] (1957) was an attempt to create dowa for little children in a prose style. Adoption of prose writing style allowed writers to recount events involving children in an orderly sequence of events, and prompted the lengthening of children’s stories.

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3-9Tetsu no machi no shonen [Boys of the ironworks town]
Written by Ichitaro Kokubun/Illustrated by Sadao Ichikawa
Shinchosha 1954
Call No. 児913.6-Ko547t
A story advocating democracy based on the author’s experiences as a laborer during and after the war.

3-10Nagai nagai pengin no hanashi [A long long story of the penguins]
Written by Tomiko Inui/Illustrated by Shoji Yokota
Hobun Kan 1957
(Pengin dowa bunko [Penguin children's stories library])
Call No. 児913.8-I483n
As the title says, this is a long novel written in a straightforward manner. It is considered to have been ahead of its time in pioneering contemporary children’s literature ahead of time.

Thumbnail of Daremo shiranai chiisana kuni [The tiny country that nobody knows]

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3-11Daremo shiranai chiisana kuni [The tiny country that nobody knows]
Written by Satoru Sato/Illustrated by Kei Wakana
Kodansha 1959
Call No. 児913.8-Sa867d
This was the first nevel-length epic fantasy written in Japanese without the conventional elements of dowa (children’s stories). It is based on the author’s own war experiences.

Thumbnail of Kokage no ie no kobitotachi [Yuri and the little people]

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3-12Kokage no ie no kobitotachi [Yuri and the little people]
Written by Tomiko Inui/Illustrated by Tadashi Yoshii
Chuokoron-Sha 1959
Call No. 児913.8-I483k
This story, together with Daremo shiranai chiisana kuni [The tiny country that nobody knows], is said to have been the start of contemporary children’s literature in Japan. Shown here is the title page.

Thumbnail of Akage no Pochi [Red-haired puppy, Pochi]

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3-13Akage no Pochi [Red-haired puppy, Pochi]
Written by Hisashi Yamanaka/Illustrated by Minoru Shirai
Rironsha 1960
(Shonen shojo chohen shosetsu [Full-length novels for boys and girls])
Call No. 児913.6-Y386a
First appearing as a serial publication in the coterie magazine Chiisana Nakama [Little buddies], this is an epic-length example of reaslizm in children’s literature, depicting social paradox and transformation during the protests against the Japan-US Security Treaty.

Thumbnail of Tatsu no ko Taro: Chohen dowa [Taro, the dragon boy: Full-length children's story]

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3-14Tatsu no ko Taro: Chohen dowa [Taro, the dragon boy: Full-length children's story]
Written by Miyoko Matsutani/Illustrated by Koichi Kume
Kodansha 1960
Call No. 児913.6-M415t
An original story told as a folktale and based on the legend of Kotaro Koizumi from Shinshu. The work exhibits the author’s strong commitment to social reform.

Thumbnail of Yama no muko wa aoi umi datta [Over the mountain there was the blue sea]

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3-15Yama no muko wa aoi umi datta [Over the mountain there was the blue sea]
Written by Yoshitomo Imae/Illustrated by Shinta Cho
Rironsha 1969
(Yumoa sanbusaku; daiichiwa [Trilogy of humor; vol.1])
Call No. Y7-1422
This is the first edition of the authoritive version published in 1960. The work first appeared in serial form in the Gifu Nichinichi Shimbun [Gifu Daily News], and was illustrated by Shinta Cho from the beginning. As the author’s maiden work, it is a cheerfully depicts the main character’s journey of self affirmation.

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3-16Boku wa osama [I am the king]
Written by Teruo Teramura/Illustrated by Makoto Wada
Rironsha 1961
(Nihon no sosaku dowa [Japanese original children's stories])
Call No. 児913.8-Te174b
Consists of four stories featuring a king as the main character. First book of the Osama [The king] series.

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3-17Chibikko Kamu no boken [The adventures of little Kamu]
Written by Toshiko Kanzawa/Illustrated by Saburo Yamada
Rironsha 1961
(Nihon no sosaku dowa [Japanese original children's stories])
Call No. 児913.8-Ka483t
This is Toshiko Kanzawa’s first book, featuring revisions of stories that were originally serialized in Haha no tomo [Mother’s companion]. A masterpiece of fantasy.

【Column】 Contemporary Dowa (Children’s Stories) for Young Children

Thumbnail of Nusumareta machi [A stolen town]

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3-18Nusumareta machi [A stolen town]
Written by Taruhi Furuta/Illustrated by Koichi Kume
Rironsha 1961
(Shonen shojo chohen shosetsu [Full-length novels for boys and girls])
Call No. 児913.6-H862n
This author’s first work of children’s literature adopts an avant-garde method of contrasting the ordinary with the extraordinary to depict social issues in postwar Japan. Shown here is the title page.

3-19Iyaiyaen [No-no nursery school]
Written by Rieko Nakagawa/Illustrated by Yuriko Oomura
Fukuinkan Shoten 1962
Call No. 児913.8-N299i
This story depicts the daily lives of children at nurseries and was written by a nursery teacher and illustrated by her sister, Yuriko Omura.

Thumbnail of Piichashan [Mt. Piecha]

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3-20Piichashan [Mt. Piecha]
Written by Yoshiko Okkotsu/Illustrated by Jiro Takidaira
Rironsha 1964
Call No. Y7-13
A pioneering book that created a new style of children's literature on war by writing about war in a fictional world rather than discussing actual experiences. Shown here is the title page.

Thumbnail of Chiisai Momochan [Little Momo]

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3-21Chiisai Momochan [Little Momo]
Written by Miyoko Matsutani
Kodansha 1964
Call No. Y7-69
This autobiographical work for younger children is belived to have been written for the author’s eldest daughter and was later serialized.

【Column】War and Children’s Literature

Thumbnail of Aho no hoshi [The star of a fool]

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3-22Aho no hoshi [The star of a fool]
Written by Gennosuke Nagasaki/Illustrated by Shosuke Fukuda
Rironsha 1964
(Junia roman bukku [Junior roman book])
Call No. Y7-117
This book contains three short stories based on the author’s experiences as a soldier. A masterpiece from a prolific author of children’s literature on war.

Thumbnail of Chokoreto senso [Chocolate war]

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3-23Chokoreto senso [Chocolate war]
Written by Makoto Ooishi/Illustrated by Takushi Kitada
Rironsha 1965
(Rironsha/ dowa purezento [Rironsha/ dowa present])
Call No. Y7-174
An entertaining story, filled with elements depicting how children perceive what happens around them.

Thumbnail of Me o samase Toragoro [Wake up, Toragoro]

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3-24Me wo samase Toragoro [Wake up, Toragoro]
Written by Tadashi Ozawa/Illustrated by Yosuke Inoue
Rironsha 1965
(Rironsha/ dowa purezento [Rironsha/ dowa present])
Call No. Y7-308
A masterpiece of contemporary children’s literature for younger readers, filled with unique ideas, rhythmical sentences, humor, and an entertaining story.

Thumbnail of Higo no ishiku [The mason of Higo]

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3-25Higo no ishiku [The mason of Higo]
Written by Sukeyuki Imanishi/Illustrated by Bunshu Iguchi
Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha 1965
Call No. Y7-383
The first full-length historical novel by the author, who was a pioneer of historical novels in children's literature after World War II.

Thumbnail of Tenshi de daichi wa ippaida [The land is filled with angels]

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3-26Tenshi de daichi wa ippaida [The land is filled with angels]
Written by Ryuji Goto/Illustrated by Sadao Ichikawa
Kodansha 1967
Call No. Y7-669
Written as the author’s graduation thesis, this story describes both the wonders nature and of human beings in language familiar to children.

Thumbnail of Yan

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3-27Yan
Written by Yasuo Maekawa/Illustrated by Koichi Kume
Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha 1967
(Sosaku shonen shojo shosetsu [Original novels for boys and girls])
Call No. Y7-854
The inspiration for this book came from the author’s experience when sent to the war front as a student soldier. It encapsulates the author’s approach to the concepts of war and nation.

Thumbnail of Berodashi chonma [Chomma (Chomatsu) poking out his tongue]

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3-28Berodashi Chonma [Chomma (Chomatsu) poking out his tongue]
Written by Ryusuke Saito/Illustrated by Jiro Takidaira
Rironsha 1967
(Rironsha no aizoban watashi no hon [Rironsha collector’s edition. My books])
Call No. Y7-933
This is an anthology of short stories for children. The common thread running through each story is the author’s conviction that people are connected by the kindness of their hearts.

Thumbnail of Kuruma no iro wa sora no iro [Taxi driver Matsui’s special customers]

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3-29Kuruma no iro wa sora no iro [Taxi driver Matsui’s special customers]
Written by Kimiko Aman/Illustrated by Takushi Kitada
POPLAR Publishing 1968
(Popurasha no sosaku dowa [POPLAR Publishing's original children's stories] 3)
Call No. Y8-N03-H1000
An anthology of eight short stories that warmly depict the encounters that a taxi driver named Matsui has with his passengers.

Thumbnail of Horobita kuni no tabi [A travel through a ruined country]

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3-30Horobita kuni no tabi [A travel through a ruined country]
Written by Taku Miki/Illustrated by Suekichi Akaba
Seiko-Sha 1969
(Chohen sosaku shirizu [Series of full-length novels])
Call No. Y7-1940
A story that uses time travel as a technique for introducing the subject of war to children.

Thumbnail of Kyoshitsu niimarugogo [Classroom no. 205]

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3-31Kyoshitsu niimarugogo [Classroom no. 205]
Written by Makoto Ooishi/Illustrated by Hiroyuki Saito
Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha 1969
(Sosaku shonen shojo shosetsu [Original novels for boys and girls])
Call No. Y7-1473
A story that portrays the 'idealism' of children's literature through the experiences of boys who first hide away to escape the hardships of reality before finally daring to step out into the future. First serialized in the magazine Biwa no mi gakko Daiikki [Loquat fruit school first semester] no. 13-30.

Thumbnail of Kuma no ko Ufu [Oof, the bear cub]

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3-32Kuma no ko Ufu [Oof, the bear cub]
Written by Toshiko Kanzawa/Illustrated by Yosuke Inoue
POPLAR Publishing 1969
(Popurasha no sosaku dowa [POPLAR Publishing's original children's stories] 11)
Call No. Y7-1711
A fantasy adventure story created through a process in which the author attempted to convey the essence of the story without relying on plot.

Thumbnail of Bokuchan no senjo [My battle field]

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3-33Bokuchan no senjo [My battle field]
Written by Tsuguo Okuda/Illustrated by Minoru Shirai
Rironsha 1969
(Rironsha no junia raiburari [Rironsha's junior library])
Call No. Y7-1903
This anti-war story was published some 20 years after World War II and provides a raw depiction of human nature as seen in the experiences of children evacuated from cities.

Thumbnail of Gurikku no boken [Enchanted journey]

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3-34Gurikku no boken [Enchanted journey]
Written by Atsuo Saito/Illustrated by Masayuki Yabuuchi
Maki Shoten 1970
(Shin shonen shojo kyoyo bunko [New educational library for boys and girls] 27)
Call No. Y7-1992
Tells the story of an epic adventure by a pet chipmunk who is turned into a human and goes to find his roots in the forest.

Thumbnail of Saraba haiuei [Farewell to highways]

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3-35Saraba haiuei [Farewell to highways]
Written by Hiroshi Sunada/Illustrated by Toshi Onoda
Kaiseisha 1970
(Shonen shojo sosaku bungaku [Original literature for boys and girls])
Call No. Y7-2320
A picaresque novel examining modern social issues related to car accidents and kidnapping. Serialized in Nihon jido bungaku [Japanese children’s literature] prior to publication as a book.

【Column】Reality and Children's Literature

Thumbnail of Tonkachi to hanashogun [Tonkachi, a little boy’s adventure]

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3-36Tonkachi to hanashogun [Tonkachi, a little boy’s adventure]
Written by Yoshihiko Funazaki and Yasuko Funazaki
Fukuinkan Shoten 1971
Call No. Y7-2445
The first work of a husband-wife writing team and a pioneering work of nonsense tales. Illustrated by Katsuhiko Funasaki.

Thumbnail of Umi no shirouma [White horse of the sea]

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3-37Umi no shirouma [White horse of the sea]
Written by Haruo Yamashita/Illustrated by Shinta Cho
Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha 1972
(Yonen edowa [Young children's stories with pictures])
Call No. Y7-3335
In this work, the author depicts the heart-warming relationship between a fisherman and his grandson, almost as if he were returning to his own childhood.

Thumbnail of Jibetakkosama [Earth god]

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3-38Jibetakkosama [Earth god]
Written by Akira Saneto/Illustrated by Yosuke Inoue
Rironsha 1972
(Rironsha aizoban watashi no hon [Rironsha collector’s edition. My books])
Call No. Y7-2983
An anthology of short stories that lyrically depict the cruel side of human nature in a folktale-like narrative.

Thumbnail of Kaze to ki no uta[A song of wind and a tree]

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3-39Kaze to ki no uta [A song of wind and a tree]
Written by Naoko Awa/Illustrated by Osamu Tsukasa
Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha 1972
(Shonen shojo tanpen meisakusen [The best selection of short novels for boys and girls])
Call No. Y7-3119
An anthology of short stories, such as Kitsune no mado [The fox’s window] and Sanshokko [The girl who lived in a pepper tree], expressing a mystical connection between ordinary life and a different world.

【Column】Folklore and Children’s Literature

Thumbnail of Dendenmushi no keiba [Snail's contest]

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3-40Dendenmushi no keiba [Snail's contest]
Written by Mikio Ando/Illustrated by Shosuke Fukuda
Kaiseisha 1972
(Shonen shojo sosaku bungaku [Original literature for boys and girls])
Call No. Y7-3315
An anthology of short stories depicting the daily lives of street children facing poverty and discrimination during the war.

Thumbnail of Kotoba asobi uta[Word games: Nonsense pictures and rhymes]

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3-41Kotoba asobi uta [Word games: Nonsense pictures and rhymes]
Written by Shuntaro Tanikawa/Illustrated by Yasuo Segawa
Fukuinkan Shoten 1973
(Nihon kessaku ehon shirizu [Series of the best Japanese picture books])
Call No. Y17-4075
Repeated sounds and visual effects make this an enjoyable anthology of nonsense poems, many of which have been used in textbooks since the 1980s.

Thumbnail of Hikariguruma yo maware! [Spin round, O wheels of light!]

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3-42Hikariguruma yo maware! [Spin round, O wheels of light!]
Written by Taijiro Amazawa
Chikumashobo 1973
(Chikuma shonen bungaku kan [Chikuma’s literature for children] 4)
Call No. Y8-N11-J279
An epic tale of fantasy that goes beyond the framework of dualism between good and evil, written by an author who was a poet, a writer and a researcher of Kenji Miyazawa. Illustrated and formatted by Osamu Tsukasa.

Thumbnail of Poppen sensei to kaerazu no numa [Professor Poppen and the swamp of no return]

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3-43Poppen sensei to kaerazu no numa [Professor Poppen and the swamp of no return]
Written and illustrated by Yoshihiko Funazaki
Chikumashobo 1974
Call No. Y7-4113
This second volume of a popular series of nonsense stories by an author with extensive knowledge of natural science discusses topics such as the food chain and reincarnation.

3-44Otosan ga ippai [So many fathers]
Written by Nobuyuki Mitamura/Illustrated by Maki Sasaki
Rironsha 1975
(Rironsha no roman book [Rironsha's roman book])
Call No. Y7-4718
A five-volume series depicting a mysterious world that is separate from ordinary life.

【Column】Nonsense Literature for Children

ColumnContemporary Dowa (Children’s Stories) for Young ChildrenBack

Many dowa for young children published in the 1960s have stirred controversy. Among these are Tadashi Ozawa’s Me wo samase Toragoro [Wake up, Toragoro], in which a tiger named Toragoro encourages readers to consider who and what they really are, and Teruo Teramura’s Boku wa osama [I am the king], which presents nonsensical situations that, paradoxically, enable readers to consider other possibilities. Toshiko Kanzawa’s Kuma no ko Ufu [Oof, the bear cub] contains stories for young children with questions for titles, such as “Why don’t fishes have tongues?” and “Is Oof made of pee?”

In the 1990s, Hiroshi Ito’s Osaru no mainichi [A day in a monkey's life] tells the story of a monkey whose life repeats the same pattern over and over each day. It bucked the trend of contemporary children’s literature that depicted characters growing up on the straight and narrow, and conveyed the message : Take life slowly, you don't have to be in hurry to grow up.

ColumnWar and Children’s LiteratureBack

Contemporary children’s literature also tells children about war and the circumstances under which wars are fought. Although there are many works that depict personal war experiences, though the intervening decades following Japan's defeat in WWII, it has become more and more difficult for young readers to relate to stories about personal war experiences.

Ultimately, writers began to create fictional worlds for young readers to visit. Using the techniques of science fiction and fantasy, authors have attempted to provide children with a virtual experience of war through their stories. Early examples of such works are Yoshiko Okkotsu’s Piichashan [Mt. Piecha], Taku Miki’s Horobita kuni no tabi [A travel through a ruined country] and Miyoko Matsutani’s Futari no Iida [Two little girls called Iida].

ColumnReality and Children’s LiteratureBack

Makoto Oishi’s Kyoshitsu niimarugogo [Classroom no. 205], Masamoto Nasu’s Bokura wa umi e [We'll go out to the sea], and Tatsuya Saragai’s Umi no medaka [Killifish in the sea] depicts life's harsh realities to children, Hiroshi Sunada’s Saraba haiuei [Farewell to highways] illustrates the problem of owing defective car through the relationship of a boy and a taxi driver, Ryuji Goto’s Tenshi de daichi wa ippaida [The land is filled with angels] tells the story of children living in the countryside of Hokkaido as narrated by a sixth grader, and Toshihide Kunimatsu’s Okashina kin'yobi [Funny friday] depicts a month that brothers spent alone after abandoned by their parents.

Contemporary children’s literature attempts to illustrate the reality of children, where the challenge is to turn the reality of children in the story toward an idealistic future.

ColumnFolklore and Children’s LiteratureBack

There is a deep relationship between orally transmitted folklore (old stories and legends) and children’s literature. Many folklores were retold by Sazanami Iwaya in the Meiji era and Joji Tsubota in the Showa era. In this case, ‘retold’ means to rewrite a story specifically for young readers.

Miyoko Matsutani played a major role in the contemporary children's litarature with har adaptation of folklores from the Shinshu region about Kotaro Koizumi into a full-length children’s novel entitled Tatsu no ko Taro [Taro, the dragon-boy]. Neither Ryusuke Saito’s Berodashi Chonma [Chomma (Chomatsu) poking out his tongue] nor Akira Saneto’s Jibetakko sama [Earth god] are based on an existing folklore but adopt a style that conveys the beliefs of ordinary people, which are sometimes referred to. These works are sometimes referred to as ‘sosaku minwa (original folklore)’ or ‘minwafu sosaku (original works in a folklore style)’.

ColumnNonsense Literature for ChildrenBack

“Iruka iruka / inaika iruka / inai inai iruka”*

This is the beginning of the poem Iruka, written by Shuntaro Tanikawa. Written entirely in the hiragana slllabary, it is unclear whether Iruka means ‘dolphins’ or asking ‘Is (something) here?’ This poem is a pun that does not immediately make any sense.

*Iruka can mean either “Dolphin” or “Is (something) here?”

Inaika can mean “Isn't (something) here?”

Inai can mean “(Something) is not here.”

Since the 1970s, works such as Yoshihiko and Yasuko Funazaki’s Tonkachi to hanashogun [Tonkachi, a little boy’s adventure] (1971) and Nobuyuki Mitamura’s Otosan ga ippai [So many fathers] (1975) have become popular for their wordplay and other aspects of nonsense literature. The world of 'nonsense' is one in which words pile up one after the other without ever seeming to make any sense. The nonsense genre in contemporary children's literature allows readers to escape the kind of stories in which a protagonist grows up to be successful just as dutifully as the sentences in the story connect one word after the other to build meaning.