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Kenjiro Haitani

はいたに けんじろう

Haitani Kenjirō

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-10-31 （Ogawadori, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan）
Died
2006-11-23 （Shizuoka Cancer Center, Nagaizumi, Sunto District, Shizuoka, Japan） age 72
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Awaji Island → Okinawa Prefecture (Okinawa)

Career

Occupations
Children's literature author, Elementary school teacher
Active Years
1974-2006

Education

Osaka Kyoiku University (now Osaka University of Education)
Faculty of Education
Country: Japan
Graduated from Osaka Kyoiku University (now Osaka University of Education)

Awards

Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award (8th)
1975
Work: Usagi no Me (Rabbit's Eye)
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: winner
Robou no Ishi Literature Prize (1st)
1979
Work: Taiyō no Ko (Children of the Sun)
Organization: Robou no Ishi Literature Prize
Result: winner
Shogakukan Literature Prize (27th)
Work: Hitoribocchi no Dōbutsuen (Lonely Zoo)
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: winner
Ōfusa Jirō Prize (finalist)
1996
Work: Ten no Hitomi (Heaven's Eye) — juvenile volumes
Organization: Ōfusa Jirō Prize Committee
Result: finalist

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Usagi no Me (Rabbit's Eye)

1974 Children's literature

A novel drawing on his teaching experience that explores education, discrimination and the value of life from children's perspectives. It became a million-seller and was adapted for TV and film.

educationdiscriminationlifeempathy
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] NHK Youth Drama Series: Usagi no Me
  • [Film] Usagi no Me (film)

Taiyō no Ko (Children of the Sun)

1978 Children's literature

A work about children's growth, solidarity and their relationships with community and society. It sold widely and became influential.

coming of agecommunityhope
Adaptations
  • [Film] Taiyō no Ko (film)

Bibliography

  • Sensei Kerai ni Nare
  • Usagi no Me (Rabbit's Eye)
  • Puu Ittō Agemasu
  • Makochin
  • Rokubee, Wait!
  • Taiyō no Ko (Children of the Sun)
  • Hitoribocchi no Dōbutsuen (Lonely Zoo)
  • Ten no Hitomi (Heaven's Eye)

Adaptations

  • Usagi no Me (adapted into NHK youth drama series and a feature film)
  • Taiyō no Ko (adapted into a film)

Translations by Author

  • Translated 'The Morning Girl' (Michael Dorris)
  • Translated 'The Forest Boy' (Michael Dorris)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
gentle narration sympathetic to children's perspectivesdirect depiction of social issues
Recurring Motifs
childrenlifeeducationcommunity and loneliness

Health

  • Esophageal cancer
    2006（罹患期間の詳細不明）
    Died of esophageal cancer in 2006 at the Shizuoka Cancer Center.

Legacy

Drawing on his teaching experience, he wrote about social issues and life from children's perspectives and had a major impact on Japanese children's literature. His work has also been the subject of controversy over discriminatory expressions, making his legacy complex.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Children's Literature Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library (authority records exist)

In Popular Culture

  • TV drama and film adaptations of 'Usagi no Me'

Quotes

  • Is that so. We're beasts, are we? Then you go on thinking of us that way. Even among beasts there are wild beasts — don't forget that.
    Source: "The Shadow of Laughter" (short story) (1962)

Trivia

  • He was one of the co-owners of the racehorse Amethyst Dream.
  • After serving 17 years as an elementary school teacher he resigned in 1971 and traveled before becoming a full-time writer.
  • Major works 'Usagi no Me' and 'Taiyō no Ko' were adapted into screen productions.