Letters from readers Comment

Mina Yamashita (Sun, 9 Sep 02 )

I would like to inform your readers of a new translation of Miyazawa Kenji's poetry. "FLOATING STONE: 21 Thoughts of Kenji Miyazawa" is now available through Amazon in the USA and Japan. It is a bilingual edition in English and Japanese. Photojournalist Kenji Okuhira has taken photographs of Iwate after the 2011 Tsunami to accompany the text in full color.
http://www.amazon.com/Floating-Stone-Thoughts-Kenji-Miyazawa/dp/1617203769/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347166204&sr=1-1&keywords=miyazawa+kenji+floating+stone



lu,leo,mila (Tue, 20 Mar 01 )

I love you.
The books are beautifull!



michaeld (Wed, 27 Dec 00 )

To all of the staff, I love the website, thank you for taking all of your time and effort to bringing information about the great Kenji Miyazawa, to the English speaking world. I am half Japanese, but cannot read Japanese that well. But ever since seeing a special on Japanese television about Kenji Miyazawa's profound imagination, unusual creativity, and mysterious duality of his stories. He was a very complex and unique individual. Honto ni arigatou gozaimashita! Gokurousama!


Nicolas Correa (Tue, 18 Apr 00 )

I would like to request permission to reprint one poem in an anthology of writings by Bronx high school students. The students produced their work during a program at Wave Hill called Urban Nature Writing for Teens, which aims to strengthen literacy skills and connections to the environment. The poem was chosen by the instructor to influence students' writing and analysis. The poem is The Origin of the Deer Dance by Kenji Miyazawa which is from the internet site at http://rainbow.gsh.co.jp/kenji/english/works/text/deer.html.

If you have any questions please e-mail or call the number below.

    Reply to Nicolas from editor

    It is our pleasure that you will reprint a poem in "The Origin of the Deer Dance"
    http://rainbow.gsh.co.jp/kenji/english/works/text/deer.html
    is not open page to the public but page for maintenance.
    You can find the same text in http://www.g-search.or.jp/kenji/english/works/texts/deer.html .

    Kenji Miyazawa died in 1933 so his copyright term expired.
    But poems in "The Origin of the Deer Dance" are quoted from the translation by C.W.Nicol & Gen Tanigawa. So you had better request permission to translators.

    The agent of C.W.Nicol is Mr. Makoto Yasui. Phone. 03-5261-4191 Fax. 03-5261-4195(G3), 7337(G4) #162 366 Fukushima 2Bld. Yamabuki-cho Shijuku-ku,Tokyo,Japan
    The agent of Gen Tanigawa is "Monogatari Bunka No Kai" Phone&Fax. 03-5379-1317 502 Yatsuhashi Bld. 2-10 Yotsuya, Shijuku-ku,Tokyo,Japan

    I am very much interested in your program. Would you please send me works of your students inspired by "The Origin of the Deer Dance".


Juwhan Liu (Tue, 18 Apr 00 )

It's long time since I've written to you.
This letter is to let you know of the progress of my Korean homepage on Miyazawa Kenji. Well, first of all, I have put much effort to translate your pages into Korean. As a result, I have finished translating many of the pages. In some cases the translation required some knowledge on Kenji and his works,so it was not that easy. Hence, some of the pages that is dealing with some specific sub-topics are not yet translated. For example, the pages on Kenji's works were not completed since it required me to read and understand the corresponding works for the correct translation.

I've read about thirty stories in English and Japanese by now. In the case of poems, thanks to a Korean translation of Kenji's poems (by a Japanese literature professor named Han-Bum Ko, at Dong-Seo University), I've read many of Kenji's poems.

I've tried and still am trying to add Korean translations of Kenji's writings and poems. So far, I've completed translating the following works, which are all posted in my homepage:

Stories:
- Night of the Galaxy Railroad
- Gorsch the Cellist
- Restaurant of Many Orders (as translated by some other person)
- The Nighthawk Star
- The Twin Stars

Poems:
- Spring and Ashura, Forward
- Spring and Ashura
- Refractive Index
- Undaunted of the Rain
- The Last Farewell (The Morning of Last Farewell)
- An Outline of the Essential Art of the Peasant

Others:
- An Outline of the Essential Art of the Peasant
- The Song of Stars' Precession
- Forward of "The Restaurant of Many Orders"
- Miyazawa Kenji's Chronology
- Animation "Kenji's Spring", whole script, detailed introduction
- etc.

I've adapted the following topics for Korean audience:
- Forum
- Kenji for You
- Gallery

And I've added the following topics;
- Guestbook
- Kenji's Works

With a few exceptions, I've done all the works by myself, and am proud of it. Well, the best thing that happened recently was that I got a contract with a publisher for the translation/publication of none other than the "Night of the Galaxy Railroad"! In fact, I've already handed over the final manuscript to the publisher. After the graphic and other works are completed, and hopefully everything goes as scheduled, the book will be ready for the readers within a few months. It is my desire to let more people know of Kenji and his works, but I decided that my homepage itself is still of limited publicity. Publishing a work by Kenji would do it. So, no doubt I chose the "Night of the Galaxy Railroad", and after a tedious translation and refining work of several months, it is finally ready to go. I appreciate the publisher in that it understood my good intention and chose me to do the work, despite the fact that I did not major in Japanese language or literature at all.

I am now translating such works as "The Biography of Gusko Budory", "Matasaburo of the Wind", "Tribute to the Students", and other short stories. I am also reading "Ena-san, Miyazaya Kenji" by Ichro Fujii and hope to introduce some of the episodes in it. As for the poems, it is much difficult to tackle, since deciphering just one word is often a tremendous task. Definitely I need some help from a Japanese in these aspects... I'd be very appreciated if you can find some Japanese friends for me who are eager to help me in these regards. Anybody who is interested in helping me can send me e-mails in English or Japanese to juwhan@hanbat.cnu.ac.kr. As for my Japanese, I am still not so good at composition or conversation, but have no problem in understanding. This letter got a little lengthy. Well, could you kindly specify the address of my homepage in one of your pages? ( http://kenji.cnu.ac.kr/kenji/ ) I'll be talking to you soon.
Sincerely Yours,


Miho Terada (Wed, 12 Apr 00 )

I thought it was really well done internet homepage and the work was surperb! I am hoping to use some of your imformation for my university Japanese course.Thank you very much for setting up this internet website, and i am sure I will frequently visit your site.


Judith Bonfoey (Wed, 15 Mar 00 )

Hello
While I was looking online for information about Japan, I stumbled on this website, I would love to learn more about this poet.

We hope to travel to Tokyo soon.
How far is this place Kenji lived, from Tokyo?


adie (Wed, 15 Mar 00 )

hello there! i really liked your website. is it ok if i asked a few questions? isn't it that kenji miyazawa's work is the fusion of eastern and western beliefs? can you please indicate how it is so. how about comparing the story "milky way railroad" to antoine de saint-exupery's "the little prince" aren't there a lot of similarities in context? lastly, where do i find kenji miyazawa's books??? i live in the philippines and it's hard to find his books here. so far, i only have one and that is the "milky way railroad". i would really like to collect all of his works. thank you very much for your time... i hope to hear from you soon ;)

    Reply to adie from editor

    Thank you very much for your visiting our website.

    It is wonderful to know many people of different areas and countries are interested in Kenji's works.

    Reading " Milky Way Railroad", you may find elements of western culture and eastern culture. But I think it is not an appropriate expression to say Kenji depict "the fusion of western and eastern beliefs" in this story.
    You can find many elements of western culture in this story. For example the boys traveled to Milky Way have not Japanese names but Italian names, Giovanni and Campanella. (In the English translation by Joseph Sigrist and D. M. Stroud the names of boys were replaced with Japanese names,.Kenji and Minoru ) Kenji did not want reader to imagine boys brought up in Japanese culture. He wanted to depict Milky Way Train as a space beyond specific culture and specific religion and a space beyond ordinary scientific laws.
    In this story Giovanni and Campanella (Kenji and Minoru) encounter with children and their tutor drown at the north sea. You can say this is cross cultural encounter if you like. On the other hand they encounter with people living at Milky Way. The life of these people are restricted by physical laws which is different from the laws on the earth. These encounter was beyond ordinary life.

    Kenji thought we have common element beyond culture deep in our mind. I think he needed the situation of "Milky Way Railroad" to search such a field.
    I think it is interesting to compare the story "Milky Way Railroad" to Antoine de Saint-Exupery's"the Little Prince". Would you please send me the list of similarities.

    I wish you would read as many stories and poems written by Kenji as possible. You can read some stories translated into English in our website . We provide a list of translation of his works. You can order some English translations at Amazon. com.

adie villongco (Tue, 21 Mar 00 )

hello there again! thank you for writing back... i really appreciate your descriptive analysis on my questions. anyway, what i wrote to you about the similarities between the book "the little prince" and "milky way railroad" is only my speculation. if it means anything to you, these are some of my insights regarding it:

1. the main characters go on a "journey" and learn many things which are both philosophical and spiritual

2. the setting of the little prince is like milky way railroad. The little prince goes from asteroid to asteroid meeting new people and learning from them.

3. both stories are profoundly melancholy and offer a lot of wisdom.

4. happenings in both stories are beyond ordinary life

these insights are very shallow and general but i think if you could look over the two books maybe you could find unity in them. i'm sure there are more similarities than the ones that i gave above. i'm sorry i cannot offer you detailed explanations and profound insights but i hope i did help a little by intorducing the idea to you. i hope to hear from you again!


Alina (Fri, 25 Feb 00 )

Konnichiwa, Yaammoto-san! I was very glad to recive a letter from you and I am sorry for my later answer.
Now I am only begin to study works of Miyazawa Kenji. I try to find some information about him, but in Russian encyclopaedia, unfortinitely, the articals about him are short.
That is why I translate different articals from Japanese books. Parallely I translate his story from Japanese to Russian. Of course, it needs a lot of time and sometimes it is very difficalt.
Then I plan to compile the small Japanese-Russian dictionary of his language. It will have a form of small ROM(N)BUN. But now I am a student and I only study to do such works.
I listerned, in Japan there are "Museum of Miyazawa Kenji" Is it true? In what city is it situated?

This time in Russia the real spring came. There are no snow and it is not cold. And what about Japan?
With best regards

    Reply to Alina from editor

    Dear Alina san,

    I am very much surprised to hear about your travel---50 hours by train from Novosibirsk to St. Petersburg! It must be hard and exciting travel. You have sometimes recalled scenes of "Ginza tetsudo no yoru" during your long travel, haven't you?

    It is wonderful to hear that you are translating "Ginza tetsudo no yoru" into Russian. It will be a painstaking and meaningful work. I am willing to help you to understand Kenji's complicated texts.

    I hope your exam will be successful.

    Sincerely,

Alina (Sun, 12 Mar 00 )

Konnichiwa, Yaammoto-san!
I am very sorry for my late answer.
Only some days ago I returned from my parents place, Novosibirsk. It needs about 50 hours by train from Novosibirsk to St. Petersburg. It was my first so long travel by train.

Next week I will take part in Japanese language exam, which will be held by Japanese Consulate of my country. This days I am extremelly busy, it is necessary to study hard for me now.
After this exam, 2 students will go to Japan for two weeks.
The last September I traveled to Japan, and now I think, I have small chance to win this trip. But it is a good chance for me to test my knowledge of Japanese language.

When I traveled to Japan I visited Tokyo and Kyoto. In Tokyo I lived at place, which is called Shinagawa. Also I visited Asakusa. But I traveled to Kyoto only for 3 days. I think, it has a lot of ancient temples. I like it very much.

For those reasons last time I translate "Ginza tetsudo no yoru" very slowly. I am sorry. But after this exam I will do it seriously.

Thank You for your answers for my letters. I am very glad to receive its.

With best regards


David Poulson (Sun, 14 Nov 99)

Please can you help me with some information? I would like to know more about the Japanese anime film (made about 1985), "Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo", which was based on Miyazawa Kenji's classic 1927 children's book., "Night of the Milky Way train."

The makers of the film decided to have all the writing in the film(including the chapter titles and credits) appear in Esperanto -- this apparently was in keeping with the author's approval of Esperanto and the eclectically spiritual nature of the story.

What else can you tell me about this film, please and is it commercially available on video tape? I wish to include the information in an article I am writing for the Esperanto Topic on Suite 101. (See below for link).
Contributing editor: Esperanto Topic Suite101 http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/esperanto

    Reply to Mr.Poulson from editor

    Unfortunately I have never heard about the anime film of Kenji's work in Esperanto. Kenji's "Night of the Milky Way train" was made into a beautiful anime film which was drawn by Hiroshi Masumura, but characters of this film speak in Japanese.The anime you mentioned may be Esperanto version of this film. Please tell me if you find Esperanto version.
    I will put your question in our Forum.

    It is certain that Kenji was interested in Esperanto. I can find in complete works of Kenji several drafts of poems in Esperanto.
    For example,

    Lagadeje.
    La suda vilago novludoforma,
    Diras ke nevolas logonte min.
    ----Ah, argentaj monadoj,
    Kaj pluvo de helbet-glanoj.----
    Kia brileco de aero!
    Mi intensas ekkuri.

    How do you think about this poem. I am sorry I cannot understand Esperanto. So I do not know if this is good poem or not.

David Poulson (Wed, 24 Nov 99)

I'm sorry...I misled you. Only the title of the film - "Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo" - was in Esperanto. I am sure that we are definitely talking about the same film.

> It is certain that Kenji was interested in Esperanto.
> I can find in complete works of Kenji several drafts of poems in Esperanto.

Oh boy! Tha's just wonderful!
Well...it's not all written in correct Esperanto. For example, "intensas"should be "intencas" ans I'm not sure what "monadoj"is supposed to mean. The title "Lagadeje" (La Gedeje?) is also incomprehensible.
Helbet is not an Esperanto word, but "hela"means "bright" and "beto" is the word for the vegetable known in English as "beet."
"Mono" is the Esperanto word for money and I think that Kenji is trying to describe a rain of silver coins and beet-seeds which makes him want to run away from the village where he is forced to stay against his will.

Are you able to send me more of his Esperanto poems? I would be so grateful!!! And I am sorry that I cannot write to you in Japanese.

    Reply to Mr.Poulson from editor

    Searching by keyword "Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo" I have found the website of "Japan Esperanto-Instituto" . Reading this site, I have found that Kenji's "Night on the Milky Way Train " was translated into Esperanto by Konishi Gaku. I will order this translation to the bookshop.

    By your mail I have understood that the film Mike referred in your site was not Esperanto version of "Night on the Milky Way Train ". But I am not certain if the film Mike referred was English version (Conversation between characters are translated into English and shown by caption) and if English version of the film have been produced or not. A reader of my website told me that Esperanto is used even in Japanese version of "Night on the Milky Way Train" for example letters on blackboard and signboards in the town. So I wondered if the film Mike referred was English version or not.

    Kenji named his home country "Ihatov" in his stories and poems. It is said that this is Esperanto-like transformation of Iwate which is normal name of his home country. How do you think about this theory.

    I will transcribe other manuscript in Esperanto by Kenji.

David Poulson (Tue, 14 Dec 99)

> By your mail I have understood that the film Mike referred in your site was not Esperanto version of "Night on the Milky Way Train ". But I am not certain if the film Mike referred was English version ... So I wondered if the film Mike referred was English version or not.

I don't know for certain myself, but I think it probably was the English version.

> Kenji named his home country "Ihatov" in his stories and poems. It is said that this is Esperanto-like transformation of Iwate which is normal name of his home country. How do you think about this theory.

I think that the direct Esperanto equivalent would be either Ivate, or Iuwate. The first is pronounced "ee-vah-te," and the second, "ee- oo-wah-te." There is no letter "w" in Esperanto.

> I will transcribe other manuscript in Esperanto by Kenji.

Thank you very much for this, I am most grateful.

    Reply to Mr.Poulson from editor

    Would you please ask Mike if the film he referred in your site was English version or not. This is very interesting point for me. I have sometimes received mail from English-speaking people who came across with Kenji seeing anime of "Night on the galactic railroad ". As far as I know English version of this work has not been produced so I thought that they saw Japanese-version anime.
    I have checked the video of Japanese-version anime and found the title to be shown in Japanese and Esperonto as "Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo".

    Michael P. Urban (Mon, 31 Jan 2000)

    The version I saw was the Japanese version, with English dialog translations(and English translations of the chapter titles) projected onto the screen from a second projector. I have never heard of a specifically "Esperanto version" (which, I suppose, would be the Japanese version with subtitled translations of all the dialog in Esperanto). As you mentioned, all the chapter titles appeared in both Japanese and Esperanto, and all the visible writing in the film itself is in Esperanto.

    This was shown as a special program at a local theatre during the 1980s, and was not a "home video" copy of any kind.


Juwhan Liu (Tue, 31 Aug 99)

I hope you remember me. I am managing the Korean Kenji page as a sort of mirror site of your site under your permission. Developing Korean pages is slow but the number of visitors is steadily increasing. Since most of Kenji's works have not been introduced to the Korean audience, I thought it is important to translate and introduce his works. Up to now, several works have been completed. Also, luckily enough, two other persons volunteered to help me in maturing this Korean Kenji homepage.

By the way, may I ask a question? The following passage is from "Gausch, the Cellist," where Gausch is being scolded by the conductor.

「ではすぐ今の次。はいっ。」
 そらと思って弾き出したかと思うといきなり楽長が足をどんと踏んでどなり出しました。
「だめだ。まるでなっていない。このへんは曲の心臓なんだ。...

I cannot figure out what the sentence "そらと思って弾き出したかと思うと" means. What is "sora" in "sorato omotte hikidashitakara..."? Your help would be much appreciated.

    Reply to Mr.Liu from editor

    I was just thinking to send you a mail telling we have opened a new page in our forum. In this page we have introduced projects in progress to translate Kenji's works. Please check whether introduction of your project is appropriate.

    It is wonderful to hear that you have completed translation of several works. Would you please tell me which works have you completed. I will add this information in our page if you do not mind.

    Then answer to your question.
    "sora" in "sorato omotte hikidashitakara..." is a kind of interjection. This means that he thought this is good time to start and started to playing ---.
    In this case "sora"「そらっ」is almost the same as "sore"「それっ」.

    This "sora"「そらっ」is not often used in contemporary Japanese. I can remember a old children's song as an example.
    "Poppopo Hato poppo. Mame ga hoshiika sora yaruzo. Minna de nakayoku tabeni koi."
    「ぽっぽっぽ はと ぽっぽ/豆が欲しいか そらやるぞ。みんなで 仲良く 食べにこい。」
    This is not interesting song because this reflects arrogance of man.


Elizabeth Thomson (Tue, 31 Aug 99)

This website is terrific. I am currently analyzing 'Donguri to Yamaneko' and am interested in finding a review, in English, on the story, an interpretation or response by someone outthere. Can you help?

    Reply to Elizabeth from editor

    Thank you very much for your visiting our website. You can find my review on 'Donguri to Yamaneko' in our site. Please tell me If you have more problems you want to discuss with me.

    By the way, how did you come across with Kenji's works and why have you interested in 'Donguri to Yamaneko'?

Elizabeth Thomson (Fri, 10 Sep 99)

Hontoo ni doomo arigatoo gozaimashita.
Yappari website ni shirabemasu. Hakasei rombun no tame ni, Donguri to Yamaneko o bunseki shite imasu. Sono monogatari wa, Urongong Daigaku no Nihongobun no 2nensei no koosu no naka no kyozai no hitotsu desu. Taihen omoshiroi monogatari to omotte imasu.


Coco Mack (Tue, 22 Jun 99)

HI
I am really influenced by Kenji Miyazawa.
I am a artist in LA. I have visited his museum once. I love his works. Especally, I love "Night Train to the Stars" This time, I will have my art exhibition, and the show is based on "Night Train tothe Stars" Also, I try to use the five sense into my art works because I hope to communicate with all people. I translated my poem to Braille. Kenji was a great humanist, and I want to be like him as a human.


marymst (Sat, 08 May 99)

I appreciate the tale of the Deer Dance that you have. It is helpful for me in understanding the deer dances I saw in Guatemala

    Reply to Marymst from editor

    Thank you very much for your visiting our web site.

    I have heard that Native American (Cheyenne) women came to Japan and heardthe Kenji's story "The origin of the Deer Dance" and deeply impressed by the story and translated it into her language.
    It seems that the deer dance of Iwate (Kenji's home country) and Native American's deer dance share common spirit.

    I did not know the deer dances in Guatemala. Is it originally a ritual dance of native people?


Melvin Geronimo (Fri, 7 May 99)

Hi, i am a student at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. In English class we read a poem by Kenji Miyazawa. The poem is called "November 3rd." I was just wondering why Kenji named this poem, November 3rd. If you could answer this question for me, i would really appreciate it.

    Reply to Melvin Geronimo from editor

    Thank you very much for your visiting our web site.

    "November 3rd" is not original title of the poem which begins with the line "Strong in the rain/Strong in the wind"(translated by R. Pulvers). This poem was written in his notebook and dated November 3rd. So English translator titled the poem "November 3rd", I think. In Japan this poem is known as "Ame nimo makezu"(Strong in the rain).

    By the way do you like this poem?


PARK Haeyoung (Thu, 6 May 99)

It is not long, since I got to know 'Miyazawa Kenji's literary works. But I've to say, to read his works was a real amazing and graceful experience for me. As korean I'd felt myself not throughly free from a certain emotinal defiance against anything of Japanese. However unexpected 'Miyazawa kenji' made me a real Japanophile! It's but very sorry, in this beautiful, and informative site for, and about Miyazawa Kenji, one should shop him, very to appreciate any bit of his poetries. I don't believe, he would be agreed with this kind of total commercializing of his 'Geist (soulful works)'.

    Reply to Mr.Park Haeyoung from editor

    Thank you very much for your linking from your site to our site.

    I have seen your interests and easily understood why you were deeply impressed by Kenji's works. Buddhism,Asian Spirituality,C.G.Jung,New Physics,Ecology-----. I will put your site in our websits collection when we renew "Links".
    It is reasonable that Kenji's poem is important for you.

    Unfortunately we have few pages concerning Kenji's poems in our English web site. This is not owing to our commercialism to sell translation files of poems but to simple technical reason. It is difficult for me to discuss Kenji's poems and I had to think deliberately before writing text on his poems. So I wrote essays on his stories first and his poems later. I have put many pages concerning Kenji's poems on our Japanese web site already. Now we are preparing for translating them into English.

    I hate Japanese militarism and imperialism which distressed Asian people. This is one of the reason why I selected Kenji as a person whom we introduce to the world through our website. As I wrote in "Who is Kenji" I think I can find in his works alternative way to Japanese ethnocentrism.


Catilina 19 (Sun, 02 May 99)

My teacher at my Japanese School taught me something very interesting about "Gingatestudou no yoru.". She said that Kenji was referring to himself when in the part where there is an architect digging out bones at "hakuchou" station. Is this true? If you know anything about this, please tell me. Thankyou,

    Reply to Catilina 19 from editor

    As you say it is very interesting that Kenji was referring to his experience in this part of "Gingatestudou no yoru."
    I wrote an essay on this point in our web page, but English translation of this page is not yet acomplished.

    When Kenji was a teacher of the agricultural school he used to take the students to the west bank of the Kitakami river for swimming. This side of the river looked like a seashore. Actually, it was a seashore many thousand years ago. Since the mud rocks were white, Kenji used to call the place the English Beach.
    One day, a student discovered fossilized animal foot-prints in a rock. And next day Kenji and his students went there to excavate them.
    Kenji told this experience in a story "Igirisu Kaigan (the English Beach)".

    You can read beginning part of this story in our web page "Kitakami river".

    If you compare "Igirisu Kaigan (the English Beach)" with "hakuchou station" of "Gingatestudou no yoru", you can find that the experience written in "Igirisu Kaigan" was transformed into the scene at "hakuchou station".

    I am willing to help you to learn more about Kenji's works.


Catilina 19 (Sat, 20 Mar 99)

I am a 12 year old student who attends Japanese School once a week. Recently, in class, we read the story, "gingatestudo no yoru" which was about a mysterious train ride. I really liked that story, and I though I would share my opinon with you. Also, it's really great that you have an internet page like this dedicated to an important person.


Paul (Fri, 8 May 98)

Hi, my name is Paul. I had written earlier that I had lived in Nagano-ken for 5 years and was interested in learning more about Kenji. I had been reviewing my thoughts about authors from the USA & England. The Romantic Period (1798-1832) of English Literature share some common themes with Kenji Miyazawa. For example, some characteristics of Romantic Period Writers are :
1) they stressed imagination & emotion; 2) they were concerned with people as individuals not as part of society which was common in 18th century writings 3) they cherished the idea of freedom. The writers of the Romantic Period, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Lamb, Jane Austin, George Gordon (Lord Byron) , Percy Bysshe Shelley & John Keats cherished the idea that writers must be free to explore their own worlds. They loved the unspoiled natural world without all of the problems of modern cities. And these writers had a particular concern for the downtrodden & oppressed. I thought this reflected some ideals which Kenji Miyazawa cherished. Another British writer also came to mind his name is C.S. Lewis . Here is a web site The C.S. Lewis Page Lewis Bio One American writer who also extolls many similar ideas to Kenji Miyazawa is Walt Whitman (1819-1892) Yahoo! Arts:Humanities:Literature:Poetry:Poets:Whitman, Walt (1819-1892)
Walt Whitman valued the expression of the individual. He also insisted on the unity of personality & the also thought all experience was significant in our lives. He believed that the spiritual nature of man was acting in the everyday occurences of people. I plan to continue giving my thoughts on Kenji's works. One of my favorites is his poem "Ame ni mosukezu" Strong in the Rain. It's simply written but conveys a great mesage to us to model. The web sites analysis of characters has been very helpful in appreciating the works of Kenji Miyazawa. Thank You! Some of the sources I used to provide information are from the Norton Anthology of American Literature & the Norton Anthology of English Literature. I'm sure Maruzen or Kinokunia carries them.


Paul (Sat, 28 Mar 98)

I think the translations of Kenji M. Poems by Roger Pulvers are very good. His essays on the main site provided alot of useful information. I lived in Japan for 5 years.


Yuko Ito (Fri, 9 May 97)

I was really bored so I put my father's name in it,,and then I found out about Kenji Miyazawa. I used to like his books a lot when I was in Japan, and I think this is very good thing that you guys transrated his work and evrything. Now I am in IN, the US and I am like American, but It remains me about Japan, and sure I will show this page to all of my American friends, so that they will know more about Japanese books. P.S I wanted you to transfer AMENIMO MAKEZU,,,,, That was the best one.


Markee (Mon, 21 Apr 97)

I had not heard of Kenji before. I like his philosophy and will see if I can order his books for my bookstore in Cedaredge, Colorado. I came to this website by chance.


Tom Drake (Wed, 9 Apr 97)

As a Japanophile, I have read numerous short stories and plays translated from renowed Japanese authors. Also, on a subject unrelated to literature, I have in the library, a copy of Dr. Kindaichi Haruhiko's book "Nihongo," who covers a range of topics relating to the Japanese language as contrasted with western and other world languages. I must now study the works of Kenji whose background and literary style, I confess to being unfamiliar.


hisama (Wed, 2 Apr 97)

I like Mr. Miyazawa and this is a good project. I would like to know how the English version was derived. For example, were there more than one person involved for the translation? Thank you,BR>


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