Towards the bright side

Author: Kimiyoноси
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features:, The Chinese meaning of "" is poetry passed down among children, while in Japan, this type of poem is specifically created for children and can be translated as "." The authors are often adults, even great poets. In the early 20th century, from 1912 to 1926, the frail Taisho Emperor reigned, sandwiched between the Meiji and Showa eras, an era of vigorous democratization where urban-based mass culture was beginning to take shape. In 1918, the novelist Suzuki Sanekichi, a self-proclaimed disciple of Natsume Sōseki, founded the children's literature magazine Akutō (Red Bird), sparking a fervent folk song movement. Kimiyoноси was born in 1903 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, a region bordering the Sea of Japan. Wu Fei also lived in that area—the sea, the mountains, the snow, the bells, and the fish were all woven into Kimiyoноси's folk songs. Kimiyoноси often spoke with nature. Her hometown, Seizaki Village (now Chuo City), was once a famous whaling port where people buried the fetuses of whales and held annual ceremonies in their honor, but she heard the cries of young whales in the sea. Her uncle (later her stepfather) ran a bookstore, which meant that everything in Kimiyoноси's life was tied to books. Working in the bookstore, she was surrounded by a vast collection of books, though far from Tokyo, she could read folk songs in magazines and began writing them herself at the age of 20. She submitted her work to four magazines and had all of them published, three of which were edited by Nishijō Hachi. He wrote the following review: "Among adult works, Kimiyoноси's 'Fish' and 'Lucky Hammer' moved me deeply. The language and rhythm were not well-handled, but there was a warm, gentle atmosphere surrounding the entire folk song. This feeling is very similar to that of the British lady Christina Rossetti. In today's world, with no lady poets to speak of, please continue to strive in this direction."