Art Encouragement Prize for Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1951) award
Momoko Ishii
いしい ももこ
Ishii Momoko
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1907-03-10 （Urawa (now Urawa Ward, Saitama City), Saitama Prefecture, Japan）
- Died
- 2008-04-02 （Haramachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan (Zuikōji temple)） age 101
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Urawa, Saitama (birthplace) → Ogikubo, Tokyo (long-term residence) → Uguisuzawa, Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture (wartime farming) → Tokyo (work and later life)
Career
- Occupations
- Children's literature author, Translator, Editor
- Active Years
- 1940-2008
- Affiliations
- Bungeishunjū, Shinchōsha, Iwanami Shoten, Kobunsha
- Memberships
- Japan Art Academy (member)
- Influenced By
- A. A. Milne, Kan Kikuchi, Hanako Muraoka
- Influenced
- Sawako Agawa, Rieko Nakagawa, Kyoko Matsuoka, Hayao Miyazaki, Kaori Ekuni
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Women's University | — | Department of English Literature | — | 1924-1928 | Japan |
Japan Women's University
Department of English Literature
Period:
1924-1928
Year of Graduation:
1928
Country:
Japan
While a student she worked under Kan Kikuchi summarizing foreign magazines and original works.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) | Non-chan Rides the Cloud | — | Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1953 | Kikuchi Kan Prize | — | — | Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1984 | Children's Library Service Award | — | — | Itochu Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1993 | Japan Art Academy Prize | — | — | Japan Art Academy | 受賞 |
| 1995 | Yomiuri Literary Prize | The Phantom Red Fruit | — | Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
| 2007 | Asahi Prize | — | — | Asahi Shimbun | 受賞 |
| 2008 | Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1951
Work:
Non-chan Rides the Cloud
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Prize)
Result:
受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1953
Organization:
Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Children's Library Service Award
1984
Organization:
Itochu Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Japan Art Academy Prize
1993
Organization:
Japan Art Academy
Result:
受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize
1995
Work:
The Phantom Red Fruit
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Asahi Prize
2007
Organization:
Asahi Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon
2008
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Awards & Nominations
Kikuchi Kan Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (1954) award
Japan Art Academy Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 49 (1993) award
Yomiuri Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 46 (1994) award
Works
Major Works
Non-chan Rides the Cloud
1951 Children's literatureA representative work that warmly depicts everyday life and imagination from a child's perspective. It became a bestseller and was adapted into a film (1955).
childhood and growthfriendshipimagination
Adaptations
- [Film] Non-chan Rides the Cloud (1955)
The Phantom Red Fruit
1994 Autobiographical novelA long autobiographical novel based on her own experiences, interweaving family, memory, and life before, during, and after the war.
autobiographymemorywar and reconstruction
The Children's Library
1965 Children's literature / Library studiesA work discussing the role of children's libraries and home libraries. It influenced the spread of children's rooms in public libraries and home-library movements.
library advocacychildren's serviceseducation
Children and Literature
1960 Essays / CriticismA collection of essays on children's literature and children's reading.
children's literature criticismreading education
Winnie-the-Pooh (translation)
1950 Translation (children's literature)A Japanese translation of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh. A representative translation widely read in postwar Japan.
translationchildlike lyricismfriendship
Peter Rabbit (translation)
1971 Translation (picture book)One of her translations/adaptations of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit stories.
translationpicture booksanimals
Bibliography
- Non-chan Rides the Cloud (1951)
- How to Guide Children's Reading (1960)
- Children and Literature (1960)
- The Children's Library (1965)
- Tom of the Mountain (1957)
- Lost Angel (1959)
- The Phantom Red Fruit (1994)
- Journeys in Children's Literature (1981)
- Non-chan related works and essays (various)
Adaptations
- Non-chan Rides the Cloud (film adaptation, 1955)
Translations by Author
- Winnie-the-Pooh (A. A. Milne)
- The House at Pooh Corner (A. A. Milne)
- Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Concise, warm narrative voicePlain language adopting a child's point of view
- Recurring Motifs
- childhood and growthnature and animalshome and the joy of reading
Legacy
She made major contributions to the spread of children's literature and the establishment of children's libraries and home libraries in Japan. Through translation, original works, and advocacy she left a multigenerational legacy.
Museums
- Tokyo Children's Library (co-founder) Tokyo, Japan Opened in 1974
Academic Societies
- Family Library Study Group
- Japan Art Academy (member)
Archives
- Archive materials held by the Tokyo Children's Library
- Iwanami Shoten related materials (publication records, etc.)
In Popular Culture
- Film adaptation of Non-chan Rides the Cloud (1955)
- Retrospective exhibitions and scholarly publications (e.g., posthumous exhibitions and studies)
Quotes
-
Friendship, after all, cannot hold someone to that extent.
Source: Momoko Ishii, "Dazai-san" (in Momoko Ishii Collected Works) (1999)
Trivia
- She remained single throughout her life.
- Lived to 101 and contributed to children's literature in Japan for many decades.
- Traveled and studied abroad with support from the Rockefeller Foundation.
- Well known for translations of major children's books (Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Rabbit, etc.).