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Part 6 Children's Literature in the 21st Century: Children’s Literature

1. Images of Children in a New Century

In 1980, the publication of Masamoto Nasu’s Bokura wa umi e [We'll go out to the sea] (1980) become an opportunity for reconsidering the ideal that persisted in children’s literature of children being capable of overcoming the difficulties they face on their own, as was previously discussed in Part 4. The emergence of realism in children's literature and the telling of stories in realistic detail mae it harder and harder to write stories that followed the tenets of idealism. Since the 1980s, much of children’s literature has been written on the premise that children are not necessarily capable of overcoming every problem on their own.

One author who spent much of the 1980s actually refining his storytelling to embrace idealism was Ryuji Goto. Many of his stories are about children who experience bullying and other forms of violence at school. His five-volume series, Junisaitachi no densetsu [Legend of 12 years old] was published between 2000 and 2004, is written in short chapters, through which the story slowly unfolds as different characters tell their stories in the first person. This creates a mosaic of perspectives, through which the reader begins to understand the atmosphere of the class. There are a lot of twists and turns, but the story eventually moves in a promising direction.

Symbolically speaking, Masamoto Nasu’s Bokura wa umi e and Ryuji Goto’s Junisaitachi no densetsu serve opposing poles between which most works of Japanese children’s literature in the 21st century can be positioned. Here we present some of the works that depict children in the 21st century.

When Ryuji Goto died suddenly in 2010 at the age of 67, Japanese children’s literature lost one of its most significant contributors. One can only wonder in which direction children’s literature will head next.

Thumbnail of Kochira chikyu boeigun [This is the defense force for the Earth]

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6-2-1Kochira chikyu boeigun [This is the defense force for the Earth]
Written by Makiko Sato
Kodansha 2000
Call No. Y8-N00-263
A story depicting the extraordinary experiences of two sixth graders, which started when they found a posting on a train station massage board that said the world would end on October 2, 2000.

Thumbnail of Junisaitachi no densetsu [Legend of 12 years old]

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6-2-2Junisaitachi no densetsu [Legend of 12 years old]
Written by Ryuji Goto/Illustrated by Binko Suzuki
Shin-Nihon Shuppan Sha 2000
(Kaze no bungakukan [Wind’s literature] 21)
Call No. Y8-N00-367
This is the story of a class of sixth graders, which became known as the “Chaos Class” after a total breakdown in classroom discipline during the fifth grade. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different member of the class. This is considered to be one of Goto’s best works.

Thumbnail of Giri-giri toraianguru [Barely a triangle]

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6-2-3Giri-giri toraianguru [Barely a triangle]
Written by Mitsuru Hanagata/Illustrated by Keiko Hamada
Kodansha 2001
(Wakuwaku raiburari [Joyful library])
Call No. Y8-N01-258
Having transferred from a different fifth-grade class, Noriko had no friends until she meets a pair of girls who were misfits themselves. This is a new approach to first person storytelling, in which the protagonist complains constantly about her friends’ wild behavior.

Thumbnail of Yuuki [Something about Yuhki]

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6-2-4Yuuki [Something about Yuhki]
Written by Yu Ito/Illustrated by Shinya Kamide
Fukuinkan Shoten 2003
Call No. Y8-N03-H493
A story set at modern Japan, written by an author famous for fantasy novels set in the Heian era. The protagonist is named Keita learns that even if he could not succeed, he can always try again after meeting four different people, all named Yuhki, which is a homonym of the Japanese word for courage.

Thumbnail of Peta toiu na no okami [A wolf named Peter]

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6-2-5Peta toiu na no okami [A wolf named Peter]
Written by Jun Nasuda
Komine Shoten 2003
(Y.A.books)
Call No. Y8-N04-H165
Rio and Akira set out on a journey to return a wolf cub to his pack, which is now on the run and headed back to its home forest. And in facing reality throughout their journey, they come to understand their own lack of maturity.

Thumbnail of Hafu [Half]

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6-2-6Hafu [Half]
Written by Taki Kusano
POPLAR Publishing 2006
(Teens’ best selections; 8)
Call No. Y8-N06-H716
This is a family novel that sensitively depicts the dilemma of a son who must grow up while repeatedly hearing his father tell him that his mother is a dog.

Thumbnail of Sono nukumori wa kienai [That warmth never fades]

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6-2-7Sono nukumori wa kienai [That warmth never fades]
Written by Joko Iwase
Kaiseisha 2007
Call No. Y8-N07-H1204
A shy and insecure, nine-year-old girl meets and builds a close relationship with a mysterious boy through a number of odd interactions.

Thumbnail of Yabusaka ni fuku kaze [Wind blowing in the Yabu-hill]

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6-2-8Yabusaka ni fuku kaze [Wind blowing in the Yabu-hill]
Written by Hideo Takahashi/Illustrated by Tadao Miyamoto
Komine Shoten 2008
(Bungaku no sanpomichi [Promenade of literature])
Call No. Y8-N09-J36
There are two houses standing at the top of the Yabu hill. One is where fifth-grader Yoshio lives with his grandmother, mother, and step-father. The other is where Kazuo, who is like a brother to Yoshio, lives. The author warmly depicts how Yoshio manages to keep his youthful sensitivity and straightforward perspective even while growing up in poverty against the backdrop of the daily lives of people during the 1960s, when the scars of WWII had yet to heal.

Thumbnail of Fyujon [Fusion]

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6-2-9Fyujon [Fusion]
Written by Kyoko Hamano
Kodansha 2008
Call No. Y8-N08-J275
Tomoka is an eighth-grader who rediscovers herself after being introduced to Double Dutch, a style of competitive jump rope using two ropes.

Thumbnail of Chashu no tsuki [The moon of cha-shu (roasted pork)]

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6-2-10Chashu no tsuki [The moon of cha-shu (roasted pork)]
Written by Rie Muranaka/Illustrated by Makiko Sato
Komine Shoten 2012
Call No. Y8-N13-L37
The strength of children trying to become independent from adults is depicted in this story about children living in a foster home.

2. The Wave of Young Adult Literature (YA) and Acceleration of Nonsense Literature

Contemporary children’s literature uses colloquial language to depict war and the societies that are involved in war. In the latter half of the 1970s, however, children's literature expanded to encompass subjects such as sex, death, broken families, and other aspect of human nature. In this sense, children’s literature has come to deal with the same subjects as other literary genres.

Enriched thematically, contemporary children’s literature now reaches a broader readership than even, to include junior and senior high school students as well as adult readers. In other words, these trends resulted in the formation of the genre now known as young adult (YA) literature, and the development of YA into a distinct genre demonstrates the rich potential of children’s literature. On the other hand, there is concern that more and more authors shifting away from writing traditional children’s literature for elementary school students and focusing on YA literature is indicative of a hollowing out of traditional children’s literature.

The following works are from a new crop of children’s literatures for readers in grades 2 and 3.

【Column】The Waves of Young Adult Literature (YA)

Thumbnail of Dive!! (Mae chugaeri 3kaihan kakaegata [Forward 3 1/2 somersault tuck dive]) 1

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6-2-11Dive!! (Mae chugaeri 3kaihan kakaegata [Forward 3 1/2 somersault tuck dive]) 1
Written by Eto Mori
Kodansha 2000
Call No. KH372-G584
A vivid story of junior high school students, who stake the survival of their rather weak diving team by attempting to make Japan's Olympic team. This story was later made into a movie.

Thumbnail of Rakuen no tsukurikata [How to build a paradise]

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6-2-12Rakuen no tsukurikata [How to build a paradise]
Written by Yoko Saso
Kodansha 2002
Call No. KH526-G614
This is the story of an eighth grader named Yu, whose parents move to a rural area, where he gradually comes to accept the disagreeable reality of transferring to a new school. The story is told in a first-person vernacular voice by a gregarious protagonist. It was also made into a TV series.

Thumbnail of Yokai apato no yugana nichijo [The elegant life in the ghost apartment] 1

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6-2-13Yokai apato no yugana nichijo [The elegant life in the ghost apartment] 1
Written by Hinowa Kozuki
Kodansha 2003
(YA!entertainment)
Call No. Y8-N03-H967
A modern story of growing up, written through the eyes of Yushi, a high-school boy who gradually comes to accept the strange things he experiences as he struggles to overcome the difficult realities of his life.

Thumbnail of Isshun no kaze ninare, daiichibu (Ichi ni tsuite) [Be the wind of the moment, part 1 (On your mark)]

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6-2-14Isshun no kaze ninare, daiichibu (Ichi ni tsuite) [Be the wind of the moment, part 1 (On your mark)]
Written by Takako Sato
Kodansha 2006
Call No. KH537-H600
This book vividly depicts the dilemmas of faced by high school students through the stories of two boys who are sprinters on their school’s field and track team. Also made into a movie and a comic series.

Thumbnail of Engei shonen [Gardening boys]

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6-2-15Engei shonen [Gardening boys]
Written by Naoko Uozumi
Kodansha 2009
Call No. Y8-N09-J1007
Three very different boys unexpectedly join the gardening club at their high school and each gradually finds solutions to their own problems as their friendships blossom.

Thumbnail of Sara to kamihikoki [Plates and paper airplanes]

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6-2-16Sara to kamihikoki [Plates and paper airplanes]
Written by Mutsumi Ishii
Kodansha 2010
Call No. Y8-N10-J646
This story depicts the coming of age of Yuka, a high-school girl who lives in the Sarayama Basin area of Kyushu, which is renowned as home to families of potters.

Thumbnail of Tetsu no shibuki ga haneru [Iron splash]

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6-2-17Tetsu no shibuki ga haneru [Iron splash]
Written by Mito Mahara
Kodansha 2011
Call No. Y8-N11-J283
Shin is studying to become a system engineer at a technical high school, when she rediscovers herself while learning about craftsmanship by performing handwork on lathes.

【Column】The Acceleration of Nonsense Literature

Thumbnail of Kamekichi no omakase jiyu kenkyu [Research project of Kamekichi]

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6-2-18Kamekichi no omakase jiyu kenkyu [Research project of Kamekichi]
Written by Shiiko Murakami/Illustrated by Yoshifumi Hasegawa
Iwasaki Shoten 2003
(Ohanashi gaden [Garden of stories] 1)
Call No. Y8-N03-H538
This is a very convincing story that answers the question “Why?” about many of the thoughts that occur to Kamekichi as he thinks about the projects he must do for his summer homework. Humorously told in a charming Osaka dialect.

6-2-19Fushigi no mori no Yaya [Yaya in the wonder forest]
Written by Rintaro Uchida/Illustrated by Jun Takabatake
Kin-no-Hoshi Sha 2004
Call No. Y8-N04-H905
This story depicts the heartwarming interactions of Yaya—a boy with the body of a piglet and the ears of a rabbit—and the weird inhabitants of a mysterious forest. Full of curious dialog such as “Walk, walk, walk—two steps a walk. Walk, walk, walk—a thousand steps a walk.”

Thumbnail of Otomodasa ni narimasho [Let's be friends]

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6-2-20Otomodasa ni narimasho [Let's be friends]
Written by Hoko Takadono/Illustrated by Atsuko Nishimura
Froebel-Kan 2005
Call No. Y8-N05-H570
Haruo is a first grader, who wanders into a rather unusual elementary school for foxes, thereby starting a funny and heartwarming interaction between humans and foxes.

Thumbnail of Kino no yoru, otosan ga osoku kaetta, sonowake wa... [Why daddy came home late last night]

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6-2-21Kino no yoru, otosan ga osoku kaetta, sonowake wa... [Why daddy came home late last night]
Written by Nobuko Ichikawa/Illustrated by Koshiro Hata
Hisakata Child 2010
Call No. Y8-N10-J454
This story begins with Akkun’s father explaining why he came home so late last night and evolves into a mysterious story of his father and animals, delightfully told in rhythmical onomatopoeia.

3. The Death of Taruhi Furuta and The End of Era of Contemporary Children’s Literature; The Maturation of Fantasy and Nahoko Uehashi's Hans Christian Andersen Award

Taruhi Furuta was a writer and critic of children's literature, who died on June 8, 2014. A year earlier, critic and researcher Shin Torigoe had also passed away on February 14, 2013. Many people consider 1959 to mark the start of an era of contemporary children’s literature in Japan. Furuta and Torigoe were at the center of a movement in the 1950s that took the lead in creating children’s literature that uses colloquial language to depict the circumstances of the lives of children growing up in that era. During the 1960s, Taruhi Furuta created many original works, self-consciously leading the movement toward a new form of children’s literature. With Furuta’s death, we have now reached a point from which we can see the concepts behind the emergence of new forms of children’s literature as well as one that marks the ends of this era of contemporary children’s literature.

In March 2014, Nahoko Uehashi was the recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing, making her only the second Japanese to win this award, following Michio Mado, who won in 1994. A new era of contemporary Japanese children’s literature began in 1959 with 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] and these work mark a point of departure for Japanese fantasy. Similarly, Nahoko Uehashi’s receipt of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing marks a point of maturation and acceptance by readers all around the world for Japanese fantasy.

【Column】The Death of Taruhi Furuta and the End of 'Contemporary Children’s Literature'

Thumbnail of Shukudai hikiuke kabushiki gaisha [Homework, Inc.]

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6-2-22Shukudai hikiuke kabushiki gaisha [Homework, Inc.]
Written by Taruhi Furuta/Illustrated by Koichi Kume
Riron-Sha 1996
Call No. Y9-3091
Originally serialized in a magazine, this story was published in book form in 1966. It depicts children thinking and acting for themselves as they face a variety of issues at school and in society. This book contains a message for today's children from the author, who lost the basis of his own value system in Japan’s defeat in WWII.

Thumbnail of Okii ichinensei to chiisana ninensei [Big first grader and little second grader]

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6-2-23Okii ichinensei to chiisana ninensei [Big first grader and little second grader]
Written by Taruhi Furuta/Illustrated by Masami Nakayama
Kaiseisha 1970
(Sosaku dowa kessakusen [The best selection of original children's stories] 1)
Call No. Y7-2030
This is the story of Masao, who is a big first grader, and Akiyo, who is a small second grader. It is a painstaking depiction of how young children mature as they face problems, think for themselves, and go on small adventures in their daily life.

Thumbnail of Robotto Kamii [Kammy, the robot]

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6-2-24Robotto Kamii [Kammy, the robot]
Written by Taruhi Furuta/Illustrated by Seiichi Horiuchi
Fukuinkan Shoten 1970
Call No. Y7-2039
Originally published by Shogakukan as Yoji no tame no ohanashi 12 kagetsu [12 months of stories for younger children] in a 1967 bonus issue of Youji to hoiku [Children and nursing]. Using stories from preschools to elaborate on the originals, Fukuinkanshoten first published them in Haha no tomo [Mother's companion] with illustration by Seiichi Tabata.

Thumbnail of Gendai jido bungakuron: Kindai dowa hihan [Discourse on contemporary children's literature: Criticism of modern children's stories]

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6-2-25Gendai jido bungakuron: Kindai dowa hihan [Discourse on contemporary children's literature: Criticism of modern children's stories]
Written by Taruhi Furuta
Kuroshio Shuppan 1959
Call No. 909-H862g
First anthology of critical essays by the author, originally published as Sayonara Mimei [Good bye,Mimei]. The working title was Mimei to no ketsubetsu [Separate from Mimei], but this was changed since the kanji for ketsu (訣) was not approved for daily use in Japan. In the postwar years, the position of children's literature was subject to critical exploration, which by the 1950s had evolved into a movement to escape from the traditional framework of children's stories established by Mimei and others. Shown here are the book slip and the opening of the book.

Thumbnail of Ogawa Mimei shinshu dowashu [New collection of children's stories by Mimei Ogawa] 1

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6-2-26Ogawa Mimei shinshu dowashu [New collection of children's stories by Mimei Ogawa] 1
Written by Mimei Ogawa/Edited by Yuji Ono
Nichigai Associates 2014
Call No. KH897-L732
This six-volume series includes the complete Teihon Ogawa Mimei dowa zenshu [Collection of children's stories by Mimei Ogawa], which comprised 16 volumes containing 723 stories and was published by Kodansha between 1976 and 1978, as well as 374 pieces not included in that series together with 80 newly discovered works for a total of 454 new works that were tabulated chronologically. This series provides a complete overview of more than 1,200 works by Mimei and includes commentary by the author at the end of each volume.

Thumbnail of Umi no ginga: Genso kaiyo shogakko hatsu [Milky way in the sea: From the visionary marine elementary school]

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6-2-27Umi no ginga: Genso kaiyo shogakko hatsu [Milky way in the sea: From the visionary marine elementary school]
Written by Arie Toki
Kodansha 2003
(Kodansha, bungaku no tobira [Kodansha’s door to the literature])
Call No. Y8-N03-H611
Vividly depicts emotions experienced by marine animals in nature by personifying them through the perspective of a boy that goes to a marine elementary school.

Thumbnail of Fujin hisho [Secrets of the wind god]

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6-2-28Fujin hisho [Secrets of the wind god]
Written by Noriko Ogiwara
Tokuma Shoten 2005
Call No. Y8-N05-H568
This work is a sequel to the author's epic fantasy novel based on Japanese myths, Magatama sanbusaku [The Jade trilogy]. It depicts love stories between young men and women with special artistic powers during the late Heian era. The author's interest in the Kumano region (an area on the border between Mie and Wakayama) can also be seen in the Red Data Girl series.

Thumbnail of Kawatare: Sanzaigaike no kappaneko [The tale of Kappa, the water sprite]

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6-2-29Kawatare: Sanzaigaike no kappaneko [The tale of Kappa, the water sprite]
Written by Sho Kutsuki
Fukuinkan Shoten 2005
Call No. Y8-N05-H1101
Asa is struggling to cope with the death of her parents when she meets Hassun, the last living member of the Kappazoku (a tribe of supernatural humanoids), and begins to regain her sensibilities. Sho Kutsuki's first long fantasy.

【Column】Maturation of Fantasy and Nahoko Uehashi Receiving the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing

Thumbnail of Koteki no kanata [Beyond the fox whistle]

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6-2-30Koteki no kanata [Beyond the fox whistle]
Written by Nahoko Uehashi/Illustrated by Yumiko Shirai
Riron-Sha 2003
Call No. Y8-N04-H12
A fantasy novel set in Japan. Sayo, a girl who lost her mother at a young age, Koharumaru, a boy confined in the Morikage mansion, and Nobi, a ghost fox living between this world and the world of gods, meet each other during a war between neighboring countries.

Thumbnail of Kemono no soja, 1 (Toda hen) [The beast player, 1 (The fighting snake part)]

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6-2-31Kemono no soja, 1 (Toda hen) [The beast player, 1 (The fighting snake part)]
Written by Nahoko Uehashi
Kodansha 2006
Call No. Y8-N06-H1192
An epic fantasy novel set in another world by Nahoko Uehashi. It is a nerve-wracking depiction of Erin, a girl whose life is rocked by politics. The Kemono no soja [The beast player] series comprises five volumes in total, including a volume of non-canonical stories.

ColumnThe Waves of Young Adult Literature (YA)Back

Eto Mori and Takako Sato both began their writing careers as author of children’s literature but eventually turn to adult fiction. Just as adult readers have became attracted to YA novels, authors of YA novels have also ventured into writing literature for adults. With the disappearance of clearly defined borders between children’s and adult literature, authors continue to explore the essence of children’s literature.

ColumnThe Acceleration of Nonsense LiteratureBack

Literature for young children includes any number of new and interesting stories created as part of a radical experiment that combines wordplay and the spirit of nonsense.

ColumnThe Death of Taruhi Furuta and End of an Era of Contemporary Children’s LiteratureBack

Taruhi Furuta (1927–2014) was part of the generation who grew up during the fifteen-year period from 1931-1945, when Japan's was at war with other countries. In Shukudai hikiuke kabushikigaisha [Homework, Inc.] and other works, Furuta portrays children who observe the world around them and debate its meaning. In some ways, he might have been reexamining his own childhood through these works.

Furuta self-consciously attempted to create a new form of children’s literature that would contrast with the poetic and idealistic abstractions used by Mimei Ogawa and other writers in earlier dowa (children’s stories), thereby providing a means for reconsidering these earlier works of children’s literature.

ColumnThe Maturation of Fantasy and Nahoko Uehashi Receiving the Hans Christian Andersen Award for WritingBack

Nahoko Uehashi (1962–) debuted as an author of children’s literature with the publication of the fantasy works Seirei no ki [The sacred tree] in 1989 and Tsuki no mori ni kami yo nemure [O God of the moon forest, sleep] in 1991.

The Kemono no soja [The beast player] series presents a world that is quite different from the dualism of shadow and light or consciousness and unconsciousness that pervades the Moribito [Guardian] series. In both series, dualism represents conflict, but unlike Balsa, the bodyguard and heroine of Moribito, Kemono no soja heroine Erin is not a fighter. Instead, Erin constantly tries to reach out to Ouju (king of beasts) Lilan. Thus, Kemono no soja breaks away from the limitations of action-filled Moribito in which Balsa defeats her enemies with a lightning fast counterattack. Uehashi appears to be developing as an author, deepening the content of her stories. It would appear that Japanese fantasy will continue to mature in this manner.