Nankichi Niimi
Niimi Nankichi (Japanese新 美 南吉, real name: Shohachi Watanabe渡 辺 正 八; born July 30, 1913 in Handa, † March 22, 1943 ) was a Japanese writer.
Life
Niimi in 1913 as the second- eldest son of tatami maker Tazo Watanabe (渡 辺 多 蔵) and born his wife Rie. His brother, who was born the year before, died only 18 days after birth. Niimi lost his mother in 1917 when he was only four years old. Two years later his father remarried. Three days after the marriage Niimis younger brother Masakichi was born.
From 1926 on, he visited the prefectural high school in Handa. Around the age of 15 he began to write children's songs and poems. During this time he also came across the magazine Red Bird (赤い 鳥, Akai Tori ) and the collection of Japanese fairy tale of Ogawa Mimei. His literary talent was already evident early, because at the end of the school he impressed with a haiku and his closing speech. In March 1931, he competed at the Teacher Training Institute in Okazaki, but failed the health check. From April onwards, he worked as an assistant teacher at the Second Primary School in Handa, which he left for personal reasons in August again in 1931. In the May issue of the journal Red Bird, meanwhile, he published his first children's song, in the following year the fairy tale Gongitsune.
In the same year, 1932 Niimi went to Tokyo to there at the foreign language school: study (now Foreign Languages University, Tokyo). During his studies he became infected with tuberculosis, which forced him after his graduation in 1936 to return to his hometown. He worked there again as an assistant teacher in a primary school, but was released in the summer of 1937 for health reasons. In 1938 he was a teacher of English, Japanese and agriculture at a girls' school. Three years later he published his first book ( Ryokan monogatari temari to hachi no ko ), in the following year, 1942, the collection of fairy tales Ojisan no rampu ( The lamp of the grandfather ). Niimis health deteriorated dramatically in early 1943. He died in March 1943 at the age of 29 years. Niimi, due to his early death, and his work is often compared as a teacher with the children 's and teen book author Kenji Miyazawa, who died at the age of 37 years.
In his native city Handa was on 5 June 1994, a year after Niimis year of death for the 50th time, his birthday jährte for the 80th time, set up in his honor, the Niimi Nankichi Memorial Museum. Since 1983, his memory and the Niimi Nankichi Youth Literature Prize is awarded as one of the "Three Akai Tori " prices.
Works
Niimi has indeed can publish in his short life not many works, but wrote 123 fairy tales, 57 novels / stories, 332 children's songs, 223 poems, 452 Haiku, Tanka 331, 14 plays and 17 essays. His children's stories are read but even today like to have in Japan.
- Tebukuro o kai ni (手袋 を 買い に) Buying Mittens (English), ISBN 0-8248-2129-7.
- 1932 Gongitsune (ごん狐)
- Ryokan monogatari temari to hachi no ko (良寛 物語 手毬 と 鉢 の 子)
- Ushi where tsunaida tsubaki no ki (牛 を つない だ 椿 の 木)
- 1942 Ojisan no rampu (おぢい さん の ランプ, The lamp of the grandfather ) - is the only collection of fairy tales that are still alive Niimis as part of the series Shijin Dōwashū (新人 童话 集, such as: collection of fairy tales by new authors ) by Tatsumi Seika has been published. Many of the tales contained therein revolve around the boy Kyusuke -kun. The text is written in Chita dialect of the Aizu prefecture.
- Hananoki Mura to Nusubitotachi (花 の き 村 と 盗人 たち, such as: The village Hanaoki and the thieves ) - Third Collection of seven children's stories, which also includes Gongitsune. First Edition: 5000 copies.
Translations
The picture book author and illustrator Kuroi Ken illustrated Gongitsune, which was translated into French:
- Le petit Gon Renard, translated by Hélène Morita, Éditions Grandir
In addition, Kuroi also illustrated Tebukuro o kai ni, which was translated into French, English and Korean. Other works have been translated into Chinese.