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Taruhi Furuta

ふるた たるひ

Furuta Taruhi

Pen Names: Taruhi Furuta（Wrote under his real name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1927-11-29 （Kawanoe, Ehime, Japan (now Shikokuchuo)）
Died
2014-06-08 age 86
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kawanoe, Ehime (now Shikokuchuo), Japan → Dogo Yunomachi, Ehime, Japan → Shiina-machi, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan → Higashikurume, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
critic, writer, children's literature author, university professor
Active Years
1953-2014
Affiliations
Japan Children's Literature Association, Yamaguchi Women's University (Faculty of Letters, Children's Culture)
Memberships
Japan Children's Literature Association, Kodomo no Hon Kujō no Kai (representative member)
Influenced By
Karel Čapek, Genzaburo Yoshino, His father, Hiroshi Furuta (Japanese literature scholar)

Education

Osaka College of Foreign Studies (predecessor institution)
Russian language department / Russian
Period: 1945-1948
Country: Japan
Did not complete degree (withdrew)
Waseda University, Faculty of Letters I
Faculty of Letters (Russian literature) / Russian literature
Period: 1949-1953
Country: Japan
Active in university children's literature circle; withdrew before graduation

Awards

Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award (9th)
1960
Work: Modern Children's Literature
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: winner
Japan Children's Literature Association Award (7th)
1967
Work: Homework Acceptance Co., Ltd.
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: winner
National Youth Reading Essay Contest (designated reading)
1981
Work: Kuro Came to the Cherry Club
Organization: National Youth Reading Essay Contest organizers
Result: designated book
Iwatani Konpachi Literary Prize
1994
Organization: Iwatani Konpachi Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Modern Children's Literature

1959 criticism

A collection of critical essays on modern Japanese children's literature; notable for its critique of Ogawa Mimei.

children's literature theorycritique of modern fairy tales

The Stolen Town

1961 children's literature

A story told from children's perspectives; one of his representative works from the 1960s.

friendshipcommunity

Homework Acceptance Co., Ltd.

1966 children's literature

A humorous work that mixes children's sociality; one of his award-winning books.

humorchildren and work

The Big First-Grader and the Small Second-Grader

1970 children's literature

A picture-book style story about everyday adventures of children; adapted for the 2014 young animator training project (Anime Mirai).

everyday adventurechildren's perspective
Adaptations
  • [Animation] The Big First-Grader and the Small Second-Grader (short animation) (2014)

The Adventure in the Closet

1974 children's literature

A classic about children's imagination and adventurous spirit; manuscripts and drafts have been exhibited and studied.

imaginationadventure

Bibliography

  • Modern Children's Literature
  • The Stolen Town
  • Homework Acceptance Co., Ltd.
  • The Big First-Grader and the Small Second-Grader
  • The Adventure in the Closet
  • Robot Kami
  • Kuro Came to the Cherry Club
  • Takeru on the Water

Adaptations

  • The Big First-Grader and the Small Second-Grader (Anime Mirai short)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Style emphasizing children's point of view in fictionCritical and theoretical approach in essays
Recurring Motifs
everyday life and adventure of childrenhumor and social themesimagination

Health

  • tuberculosis
    1949-1950
    Forced leave/quit teaching job; affected early career
  • tenosynovitis
    1986
    After surgery wrote using word processor
  • heart failure (cause of death)
    2014
    Died of heart failure in 2014

Legacy

He had influence both as a critic and author in modern children's literature; his representative works continue to be read by children and scholars. Manuscripts and donated collections are preserved at Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature and Shiraume Gakuen, with ongoing research projects and exhibitions.

Museums

  • Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
  • Shiraume Gakuen University Library (Furuta donation corner) Shiraume Gakuen (location in Saitama), Japan

Academic Societies

  • Japan Children's Literature Association

Archives

  • Taruhi Furuta manuscripts and creative notes (Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature)
  • Furuta family book collection (donated to Shiraume Gakuen)

In Popular Culture

  • 'The Big First-Grader and the Small Second-Grader' adapted as a short for the 2014 Anime Mirai project

Quotes

  • Say what you think boldly
    Source: Father's teaching (biographical source)

Trivia

  • Known for being a slow writer with poor handwriting
  • Donated about 500 manuscripts and roughly 33,000 volumes
  • One of the core members of Waseda University Fairy Tale Club 'Small Friends'