Japanese Literary Awards

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Tomiko Inui

いぬい とみこ

Inui Tomiko

Pen Names: Tomiko Inui (real name)（birth name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1924-03-03 （Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2002-01-16 age 77
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Shizuoka Prefecture (birth) → Azabu, Tokyo (now Minato Ward) (from age 2) → Omori (now Ota Ward), Tokyo (from age 4) → Itami, Hyogo Prefecture (around 1942) → Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture (until 1947)

Career

Occupations
children's author, editor, nursery teacher, translator
Active Years
1950-2002
Affiliations
Iwanami Shoten (worked as editor/assistant), Japanese Association of Children's Literature (member of newcomers' group)
Memberships
Japan Children's Literature Association
Influenced By
Momoko Ishii (editor and children's author), Western children's literature

Education

Tokyo Prefectural Sixth Girls' High School (now Tokyo Metropolitan Mita High School)
Period: 卒業（高等女学校）
Country: Japan
Graduated from girls' high school
Japan Women's University, Department of Japanese Literature (entered, withdrew)
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese Literature
Period: 1941年入学 - 1942年中退
Country: Japan
Withdrew due to father's job transfer
Heian Jogakuin (Heian Women's Academy), Childcare Course
Specialized course / Childcare
Period: 卒業（1944年）
Year of Graduation: 1944
Country: Japan
Graduated from childcare course; later worked at kindergartens

Awards

Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award
1954
Work: Tsugumi
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1957
Work: The Very Long Story of a Penguin
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers (Mainichi Publishing Culture Award)
Result: 受賞
Hans Christian Andersen Award (national award, Japan)
1961
Work: The Little People of the Shady House
Organization: International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) / Andersen-related national award
Result: 受賞（国内賞）
Hans Christian Andersen Award — Honourable Mention
1964
Work: Mushikamiishika of the Arctic
Organization: Andersen Award committee
Result: 佳作賞（受賞）
Noma Children's Literature Prize
1965
Work: The Sky of the Black-tailed Gull
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1982
Work: Fantasy of a Snowy Night
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Akai Tori (Red Bird) Literary Award
1983
Work: The Apprentice Daughter of the Mountain Hag
Organization: Akai Tori Literary Organization
Result: 受賞
Yuzo Yamamoto Memorial 'Roadside Stone' Literary Award
1987
Work: The Day the Light Went Out / The Twin Swan Stories (body of work)
Organization: Roadside Stone Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (30th, 34th)
1983
Work: The Apprentice Daughter of the Mountain Hag (30th award)
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1987
Work: The Day the Light Went Out / The Twin Swan Stories (body of work)
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Very Long Story of a Penguin

1957 children's literature, fantasy

A fantasy children's story depicting a young child's struggles between imagination and reality. One of her representative works, later republished in Iwanami Junior Library editions.

growthimaginationconfrontation with reality

The Little People of the Shady House

1959 children's literature, fantasy

Depicts children and small beings vividly, with themes of independence and adventure.

independenceadventuresecret worlds

Mushikamiishika of the Arctic

1961 children's literature, animal story

A fantasy-tinged tale set in the Arctic about interactions between animals and children.

natureanimalsexotic landscapes

The Polar Bear Flies in the Sky

1962 children's literature

A children's tale with an animal protagonist. Later republished by Poplar Publishing.

friendshipadventure

The Day the Light Went Out

1978 children's literature

A short/medium-length work using a fantastical setting to portray children's growth and courage.

courageloss and renewal

Bibliography

  • The Very Long Story of a Penguin
  • The Little People of the Shady House
  • Mushikamiishika of the Arctic
  • The Polar Bear Flies in the Sky
  • The Sky of the Black-tailed Gull
  • The Day the Light Went Out
  • Fantasy of a Snowy Night
  • The Apprentice Daughter of the Mountain Hag

Adaptations

  • Futago no Koguma (NHK puppet show, 1961, 1962, 1965) / Animated film adaptation in 1979
  • Animated/educational film adaptation of her work dealing with the Bikini Atoll/Fifth Fukuryu Maru incident

Translations by Author

  • Puppy and Kitten Are Merry Companions (co-translated with Hiroko Ide)
  • Honzik's Journey (by Bohumil Říha, co-translated)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
fantasy-tinged children's fictionfocus on realistic growth of young childrenconcise, occasionally poetic narration
Recurring Motifs
animalstwinssea and northern landscapesnature and seasons (snow, sea)small secret worlds

Legacy

Tomiko Inui was highly regarded in postwar Japanese children's literature for her fantasy works that realistically depict children's growth. She received numerous awards, and her work as an editor and translator influenced later writers.

Museums

  • Inui Tomiko Memorial Collection (Yanai Library) Yanai, Yamaguchi, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Japan Children's Literature Association

Archives

  • Yanai Library — Inui Tomiko Memorial Collection
  • Japan Women's University (materials related to memorial exhibitions)

In Popular Culture

  • NHK puppet show 'Futago no Koguma' and the 1979 animated film adaptation

Trivia

  • Worked at Iwanami Shoten as an assistant to Momoko Ishii and helped edit the Iwanami Junior Library series.
  • Co-founded the literary magazine 'Mame no Ki' as part of the newcomers' group of the Japan Children's Literature Association.
  • Several works were adapted into NHK puppet shows and later into film/animation.