⽇本語No. 91

中⽂

When the season changes into autumn, you will often read or hear expressions like
“Autumn is the best season for such and such”, or a “ ~ no Aki” in Japanese, inmagazines or on television. It is said that this happens because the weather inAutumn is finally bearable again and it's a good time to take up a challenge.
You will hear and see lots of '~ no Aki' such as ‘Geijutsu (Art) no Aki’, ‘Sports no Aki’or ‘Shokuyoku (Appetite) no Aki'. This time, as we are taking ‘Dokusho (Reading) noAki’ as a theme, we will introduce Kenji Miyazawa, a writer from Iwate.
Kenji Miyazawa is one of the great figures representing Iwate. Last year marked the120th anniversary of his birth. Although he was born in Hanamaki, he was also
deeply connected with Morioka where he spent his student years. Morioka appears in
one of his stories, ‘Pollanno Square (Pollanno no Hiroba)’ as ‘Morio city’, an imaginarycity in a beautiful forest. Why don’t you try one of his books in this season that's bestfor reading?

Life of KenjiKenji Miyazawa

The world of Kenji Miyazawa was multifaceted and prismatic, showing hisfascination with science, art, space, religion and agriculture, beyond time andspace. However, his work and life-style were scarcely known when he was alive.
He died at the early age of 37, but he had produced about 900 tanka poems, 800
otherKenji, when he was 5 grade ofMorioka Secondary School.

poems and 100 children’s stories. Among them, only a few works were publishedduring his lifetime, and he received a manuscript fee for his writing just once forthe children’s story ‘Yuki Watari’. It was after his death that his works, such as‘The Night on the Galactic Railroad’ or ‘Matasaburo of the Wind’ were publishedfrom among the 3,400 pieces of his writing. Gradually, his practical life, based on
the wish for ‘real happiness for everyone’, became widely known, and Kenjihimself, highly regarded.

Chronology of Kenji’s Miyazawa’s life

1921 (Taisho10)

Born in present-day Hanamaki city, on August 27th
Entered Hanamaki Kawaguchi Jinjo Koto Elementary Schoolin April.
Entered Morioka Secondary School (current Morioka DaiichiHigh School) in AprilEntered Morioka Agriculture and Forestry College (Current
Faculty of Agriculture at Iwate University), second division offaculty of agriculture as a top student of the faculty in April.
Became a research student of Morioka High School ofAgriculture and Forestry after graduating from the school inMarch.
Completed Morioka High School of Agriculture and Forestry
as a research student in May.
Employed as a teacher of Hienuki Agricultural School (currentHanamaki Agricultural High School) in December.

1923 (Taisho12)“Yuki watari” was appeared in the December and January(1923) issue of “Aikoku Fujin” magazine.
Management of the agricultural school was transferred from
Hienuki county to Iwate prefecture. The name of the school

1896 (Meiji 29)
1903 (Meiji 36)
1909 (Meiji 42)
1915 (Taisho 4)1918 (Taisho 7)
1920 (Taisho 9)1924 (Taisho13)
1926 (Taisho15)
1928 (Showa 3)1931 (Showa 6)1933 (Showa 8)changed to Hanamaki Agricultural School in April.
Image sketch “Spring and Damon (Haru to Shura) ” waspublished in April.
“The Restaurant of Many Orders” was published in December.
Resigned from Hanamaki Agricultural School voluntarily inMarch.
Fell ill with high fever in August. Confined in bed after that.
Recovered from illness and started to work at Tohoku RockCrushing Factory from January.
Fell ill again in September. Under medical care at home afterthat.
Died from acute pneumonia at 1:00 p.m. on September 21st.
He was 37.

The Best-known Works of Kenji

There are still many old buildings in Morioka, providing a lot of facilities where you can learn about its history andculture. Why don’t you go to the sightseeing spots where you can explore the history and culture of Moiroka, which
you don’t experience so much in ordinary, daily life?
Night on the Galactic Railroad (Ginga Tetsudo no Yoru)

Giovanni is a lonely boy who is teased by his classmates because his father has not been home for a longtime. While watching a starry sky on the night of the Star Festival, he hears a voice out of nowhere announcing,“Galaxy Station”. He finds himself on board a mysterious Galactic train travelling with his best friend Campanella
through a galaxy. What are the encounters with people during this time, and the journey itself, meant to tell
Giovanni? Also, what is the sad reality he discovers after the journey?

The Restaurant of Many Orders (Chumon no Ohi Ryoriten)

One day, two young gentlemen are walking deep in the mountains with two dogs that look like white bears and ahunter who acts as a guide. The area forest they are walking in is so deep that they become separated from theguide and the two dogs die, foaming at the mouth. Some time later, a restaurant called ‘Western style dishes:
Yamaneko-Ken’ appears in front of the, by now, ravenous hunters. They are very dubious about entering thisrestaurant. However, they are desperately hungry and want to eat something as soon as possible. So, they go
deeper and deeper into the ‘Restaurant of Many orders’ without any concern.

The Nighthawk Star (Yodaka no Hoshi)

The nighthawk is such an ugly bird that other birds dislike it, even just seeing its face. In particular, the hawk
hates the nighthawk because it partly shares the same name, ‘hawk’. One day, the hawk finally tells thenighthawk it will seize and kill it, if the nighthawk does not change its name. The nighthawk asks the sun andstars to take it into their world, but no one will listen. The nighthawk becomes desperate for its life, abandons its
homeland and flies high above the sky.

Matasaburo of the Wind (Kaze no Matasaburo)

There is a legend in the village of this story about the son of the God of Wind called ‘Matasaburo of the Wind’. Oneday, a mysterious new student named Saburo comes to the school in the village. His classmates wonder if Saburo
is Matasaburo of the Wind as his words and actions are so strange. However, he gradually makes friends with theother classmates. Is Saburo really ‘Matasaburo of the Wind’ or just a mysterious new student?
Kenji left so many other works in addition to the works introduced above. They include many poems and children’s
stories since translated into foreign languages. We would like to introduce some of his work that has beentranslated into English or Chinese that you can borrow from libraries in Morioka.

《English》
Tonan Library (24-90-2, Nagai, Morioka)
・Little Masterpieces of Kenji Miyazawa 1 Includes: Yuki watari, Futago no Hoshi (Twin stars) etc.
・Little Masterpieces of Kenji Miyazawa 2 Includes: Gauche the Cellist, Okinagusa (Nodding anemone) etc.
Morioka city library (9-45,1 chome Takamatsu, Morioka), Shibutami Library (55 Aza Tsuruduka, Shibutami,Morioka), Tonan Library
・The Best of Kenji Miyazawa Short Stories. Includes: The Restaurant of many Orders, Gauche the Cellist etc.
《Chinese》
Iwate Prefectural Library (7-1 1chome, Nishi-dori Morioka-eki, Morioka）
・Children’s Stories of Kenji Miyazawa 1 Includes: Matasaburo of the Wind, Pollano Square etc.
・Children’s Stories of Kenji Miyazawa 2 Includes: The Restaurant with Many Orders, Wildcat and the acorns,etc.
・Children’s Stories of Kenji Miyazawa 3 Includes: Night on the Galactic Railroad, The Nighthawk StarIs there any other book you'd like to read? Kenji Miyazawa’s unique view of the world has attracted many people.
Many of his stories have been adapted as animations, films, or musicals. Why don’t you enjoy the best season forreading with the works of Kenji, the writer who represents Iwate prefecture?

Materials provided by Rinpoosya