Abstract

A new collection of 10 "Hirosuke fairy tales" illustrated with the free-flowing artwork of picture book author Kikuchi Chiki, featuring his masterpiece "The Crying Red Ogre."

◆A new addition to the "Masterpieces to be Read for 100 Years" series.
◆This collection includes 10 "Hirosuke fairy tales" that we want to pass on to future generations, including "The Crying Red Ogre," which is also featured in textbooks, as well as "The Dragon's Tears" and "The Starling's Dream."
◆Picture book author Kikuchi Chiki breathes new life into "Hirosuke fairy tales," depicting a world of kindness, goodwill, and lingering free spirit.
◆At the end of the book, there is an explanation for each story and a section with photographs introducing the world of "Hamada Hirosuke" literature, where you can learn about the author and the background of the stories.
◆The large-format softcover makes it easy to read, and all kanji have furigana (phonetic readings). A book that can be enjoyed again and again throughout one's life, from elementary school students to adults.

Born in Takahata Town, Yamagata Prefecture, Hirosuke Hamada wrote approximately 1,000 fairy tales and nursery rhymes throughout his life. His works, known as "Hirosuke Fairy Tales," are loved across generations and are also known as "oral literature," meant to be read aloud and enjoyed by ear. We present 10 of his masterpieces, filled with goodwill and love, including "The Crying Red Ogre," "The Dragon's Tears," "The Starling's Dream," and "The Calling Bird," accompanied by the free-flowing illustrations of Chiki Kikuchi, one of Japan's leading picture book authors. At the end of the book, you will find explanations of the works and a section on "The World of Hirosuke Hamada's Literature" (with photographs).

Author’s Information

Hirosuke Hamada was born in 1893 in Takahata-machi, Yamagata Prefecture. He attended Yonezawa Junior High School and then Waseda University. While still a university student in 1917, his story "The Golden Rice Bundle" won a prize in a fairy tale contest held by the Osaka Asahi Shimbun. From then on, he aspired to become a children's story writer and began contributing to the magazine "Ryoyu." In 1921, he published a collection of children's stories, "The Starling's Dream." From 1923, he dedicated himself to writing. His children's stories were known as "Hirosuke's Fairy Tales." He passed away in 1973 at the age of 80.

Chiki Kikuchi is a picture book author. He was born in Hokkaido in 1975. He debuted in 2012 with "Shiro Neko Kuro Neko" (Gakken). In 2013, he won the Golden Apple Award at the Bratislava World Picture Book Illustration Exhibition. In 2019, "Momiji no Tegami" (Komine Shoten) won the gold medal at the same exhibition. In 2020, "Shiro to Kuro" (Kodansha) won the Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award Fuji Television Prize. Other works include "Densha Kuru Kana?" (Fukuinkan Shoten) and "Yuki no Yuki-chan" (Mishima-sha).

Takeo Miyakawa is a children's literature researcher and Professor Emeritus at Musashino University. After graduating from the Faculty of Letters at Rikkyo University, he pursued doctoral studies in Japanese children's literature, modern and contemporary Japanese literature, and Japanese language education at the Graduate School of Letters, Rikkyo University. He is active in children's literature criticism and research. He is the chairman of the Osaka International Children's Literature Promotion Foundation, former president of the Japan Society for Children's Literature, and a member of the Japan PEN Club. His numerous publications include "Between Japanese Language Education and Modern Children's Literature" (Nihon Shoseki).