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Kenji Kitamura

きたむら けんじ

Kitamura Kenji

Aliases: 北村憲司
Pen Names: Kenji Kitamura（Pen name (real name: Kenji Kitamura)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1929-09-14 （Setaka, Yamato District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan (now Miyama City, Setaka)）
Died
2007-08-21 age 77
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Moved in early childhood to Tado Village, Kuwana District, Mie Prefecture → Longtime resident of Tado (now part of Kuwana City)

Career

Occupations
Children's author, Elementary school teacher, School principal
Active Years
1947-2007
Affiliations
Mie Children's Literature Association, Japan Children's Literary Artists Association, Japan Children's Literature Association
Memberships
Mie Children's Literature Association, Japan Children's Literary Artists Association, Japan Children's Literature Association

Education

Mie University
Faculty of Liberal Arts (teacher training course; now Faculty of Education)
Country: Japan
Graduated from the teacher-training course of the Faculty of Liberal Arts. Exact graduation year unknown.

Awards

Mainichi Children's Novel Award (11th)
Work: Chiisana Eki no Mukurekko
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Nankichi Niimi Literary Prize
1970
Work: I Flew with the Pigeon
Organization: Nankichi Niimi Literary Prize
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (19th)
1972
Work: The Phantom Giant Whale Shima
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Hirosuke Fairy Tale Award (5th)
1994
Work: The Secret Story of the Shii Tree
Organization: Hirosuke Fairy Tale Award
Result: 受賞
Japan Children's Literature Association Award (36th)
Work: The Sky Where the Gin-Yanma Flies
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Children's Literary Artists Association Award (28th) Special Prize
Work: Song from Peacock Fort
Category: 特別賞
Organization: Japan Children's Literary Artists Association
Result: 受賞（特別賞）
Mie Prefecture Cultural Award - Grand Prize (1st)
2001
Organization: Mie Prefecture
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Phantom Giant Whale Shima

1971 Children's literature

A children's novel depicting the relationship between the sea and people; a somewhat fantastical story centered on a giant whale called "Shima."

seanaturefantasy

I Flew with the Pigeon

1970 Children's literature

A children's work about growth and imagination depicted through interaction with a pigeon.

friendshipanimalscoming of age

Bibliography

  • Urinko no Yama
  • I Flew with the Pigeon
  • The Phantom Giant Whale Shima
  • The Bed-Wetters' Tale
  • The House is a Zoo
  • Chobi-ya at the Town Corner
  • The Sea with Tomokazuki
  • The Turtle, Toyan and the Splashes
  • The School with the Sloping Road
  • Sayo's Iso Flute
  • Saroku Wind Chime
  • The Wind Bird Don Saw
  • I've Never Had Such Delicious Food
  • Come On, Wind
  • The Crybaby Class Champion
  • A One-Way Ticket to the Circus
  • Yachabou is in Third Grade
  • Fuki-chan, the Little Sea Woman
  • Two People's Sunset
  • The Foxes of Kikyoya
  • Who Blew the Whistle?
  • Mr. Tomato's Sneeze
  • The Day I Became a Samurai
  • I Hate Mr. Matsumoto
  • The Seagull Glowed and Flew
  • The Skull Flag is Laughing
  • The Two Lonely Babysitters
  • I Am a Stray Cat Transfer Student
  • A Snail to Give to Tecchan
  • The Tree Spirit Kodama Story
  • My Egg War
  • Class 4-1 Laughed, the Stuck-Out-Tongue
  • The Completely Full Train with No One On It
  • The Secret Story of the Shii Tree
  • The Tiny Sea Rabbit
  • The Girl Who Made a Paper Airplane
  • The Kid-Goat Tree
  • The Sky Where the Gin-Yanma Flies
  • The Mysterious Hide-and-Seek
  • Kappo Horse Road, Fish Road
  • May Picture Book
  • Welcome to the Acorn Onsen
  • Poe the Water Rat's Fireworks
  • Hana the Dog of Kazuden
  • Kawataro Flies in the Sky
  • Song from Peacock Fort

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Simple, warm prose suited for childrenDepictive portrayals of nature and animals in an accessible way
Recurring Motifs
nature (sea, trees, wind)animalsfriendship and coming of agefantastical elements

Legacy

A children's author based in Mie Prefecture who left numerous children's books; donated materials to local libraries and a hometown literature museum and contributed to the development of children's literature regionally.

Museums

  • Kuwana City Central Library (Kitamura Collection) Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture, Japan
  • Furusato Tado Literature Museum (Kitamura Kenji Corner) Tado (now part of Kuwana City), Mie Prefecture, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Mie Children's Literature Association
  • Japan Children's Literary Artists Association
  • Japan Children's Literature Association

Archives

  • Kuwana City Central Library Local History Room (Kitamura Collection)

Trivia

  • In his later years he donated children's literature materials to the Kuwana City Central Library, organized as the "Kitamura Collection."
  • He retired from teaching in 1991 after serving as a principal and thereafter devoted himself to writing.
  • In 2001 he serialized "Kawataro the Flying Kappa" in the Osaka edition of the Mainichi Shimbun.