Niimi Nankichi - Niimi Nankichi

Children's writer. Born on July 30, 1913 in Handa Town, Aichi Prefecture (now Handa City). His real name was Shohachi. In his late teens he was already submitting works to Akai Tori, with "Gon the Fox" and other works published. In 1932 (Showa 7), he entered the English department of the Tokyo School of Foreign Languages, where he wrote novels, children's stories, and children's songs. After graduating, he worked for a trading company, but returned home after coughing up blood. After a period of hardship, he became a teacher at Anjo Girls' High School in 1938. Thanks to the efforts of his friend Eguchi Shinichi, he published "The Last Kokyu Player" and other works in the Harbin Nichi Nichi Shimbun, as well as "The River" and "Lies" in New Children's Culture, edited by Tatsumi Seika. In 1941, he published "Ryokan Monogatari: Temari to Hachi no Ko" (The Tale of Ryokan: Temari and the Bowl Child), and in 1942, his first collection of children's stories, "Ojiisan no Lamp" (Grandpa's Lamp). In May of the same year, he concentrated on writing several masterpieces, including "The Camellia Tree That Tied Cows" and "The Farmer's Feet, the Monk's Feet," which are written in a folk tale style and depict good people from the old days with his hometown as the backdrop, but he died of throat tuberculosis on March 22nd the following year. After his death, his second collection of children's stories, "The Camellia Tree That Tied Cows" and his third collection, "The Village of Flowering Trees and the Thieves" (both in 1943), were published. His works were highly praised after the Second World War, and he came to be praised on a par with Miyazawa Kenji.

[Takuya Hamano]

"The Revised Complete Works of Niimi Nankichi, 12 volumes and 2 supplementary volumes (1980-83, Dainippon Tosho)" ▽ "Grandpa's Lamp" (Kaiseisha Bunko, Fore Bunko, Poplar Publishing Bunko)" ▽ "The Camellia Tree Where the Cow Was Tied" (Kadokawa Bunko)" ▽ "The Village of Flowering Trees and the Thieves" (Kodansha Bunko)" ▽ "A Study of Niimi Nankichi's Fairy Tales by Sato Michimasa (1970, Maki Shoten)" ▽ "The World of Niimi Nankichi by Hamano Takuya (1973, Shinhyoron/Kodansha Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

児童文学者。大正2年7月30日、愛知県半田町（現半田市）に生まれる。本名正八(しょうはち)。10代の末にすでに『赤い鳥』に投稿、「ごんぎつね」その他が掲載された。1932年（昭和7）東京外国語学校英語部入学、小説、童話、童謡を書く。卒業後、貿易商に勤務したが喀血(かっけつ)で帰郷。不遇な時代を経て、38年安城(あんじょう)高等女学校教諭となる。友人江口榛一(えぐちしんいち)の尽力で『哈爾賓(ハルピン)日日新聞』に「最後の胡弓(こきゅう)ひき」などを、また巽聖歌(たつみせいか)編の『新児童文化』に「川」「嘘(うそ)」などを発表。41年『良寛物語・手毬(てまり)と鉢の子』を、42年第一童話集『おぢいさんのランプ』を刊行。同年5月には、郷里を背景に古き懐かしき時代の善人を民話的スタイルで書いた「牛をつないだ椿(つばき)の木」「百姓の足・坊さんの足」ほか数編の傑作を集中的に書くが、翌年3月22日咽喉(いんこう)結核で没。死後、第二童話集『牛をつないだ椿の木』、第三童話集『花のき村と盗人(ぬすびと)たち』（ともに1943）が刊行された。その作品は第二次世界大戦後高く評価され、宮沢賢治と並び称せられるに至る。

［浜野卓也］

『『校定新美南吉全集』12巻・別巻2（1980～83・大日本図書）』▽『『おじいさんのランプ』（偕成社文庫・フォア文庫・ポプラ社文庫）』▽『『牛をつないだ椿の木』（角川文庫）』▽『『花のき村と盗人たち』（講談社文庫）』▽『佐藤通雅著『新美南吉童話論』（1970・牧書店）』▽『浜野卓也著『新美南吉の世界』（1973・新評論／講談社文庫）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例