Abstract

2026 marks the 130th anniversary of Kenji Miyazawa's birth. This collection includes seven classic stories and two poems, such as "The Biography of Gusukō Budori," "Preface," and "The Morning of Eternal Farewell" (from "Spring and Asura").

◆A new addition to the "Masterpieces to be Read for 100 Years" series.
◆At the end of the book, there is an explanation of the background of each story and "Mental Sketches: Spring and Asura" (with photographs), the only collection of poems that Kenji Miyazawa self-published during his lifetime.
◆Akira Kusaka beautifully and fantastically illustrates the fairy tales, which are deeply connected to the culture and climate of Iwate, and the poem "Preface," which depicts the fundamental nature of life while looking at inner suffering.
◆The large-format softcover makes it easy to read, and all kanji have furigana (phonetic readings). This is a book that can be enjoyed repeatedly throughout one's life, from elementary and junior high school students to adults.

In addition to his representative work "The Biography of Gusukō Budori," the folktale "The Beginning of the Deer Dance," which depicts the traditional dance of his hometown Iwate with special feelings, and local folktales such as "The Story of the Zashiki-warashi," which is based on spirits and yokai beings related to Tohoku, it also includes two poems from his only self-published poetry collection, "Mental Sketches: Spring and Asura": the "Preface," which condenses his thoughts on his own existence and relationship with the universe and can be said to be an entry point to Kenji's philosophy, and "The Morning of Eternal Farewell," which sings of the death of his beloved sister Toshi. At the end of the book, there is an explanation of each story and "Miyazawa Kenji and 'Spring and Asura'" (with photographs).

Author’s Information

Kenji Miyazawa was born in 1896 in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture. He graduated from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry at Morioka Higher School of Agriculture and Forestry. He began writing tanka poetry in his teens and left behind many poems and children's stories. During his lifetime, he published the poetry collection "Spring and Asura" and the children's story collection "The Restaurant of Many Orders." He also established the Rasuchijin Association and worked to improve the lives of farmers, but passed away in 1933 at the age of 37 due to acute pneumonia.

Akira Kusaka is an illustrator and graphic designer. He lives in Osaka Prefecture. He mainly works on graphic design and illustrations for books. His illustrations include "Kenji Miyazawa Children's Story Collection: The Restaurant of Many Orders, Gauche the Cellist, etc.", "Kenji Miyazawa Children's Story Collection: The Cat's Office, Night on the Galactic Railroad, etc.", and "Kenji Miyazawa Children's Story Collection: Undefeated by the Rain, Matasaburo of the Wind, etc." (authored by Kenji Miyazawa, Sekai Bunka Publishing). He also works as part of the art, sound, and word unit "repair," where he is in charge of illustrations and trombone.

Yuji Ono is a professor at Joetsu University of Education. He specialized in modern Japanese literature at the Faculty of Letters, Kanazawa University, and in the doctoral program at the University of Tsukuba. He researches novels and children's stories from the Taisho and Showa periods, including those by Yukio Mishima, Kenji Miyazawa, and Mimei Ogawa. His publications include "Kenji Miyazawa's Theory of Children's Stories: Purification and Refinement" and "Getting to Know Mimei Ogawa" (both published by Sokyu Shorin), as well as numerous other edited works.