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Miyoko Matsutani

まつたに みよこ

Matsutani Miyoko

Pen Names: Miyoko Matsutani（Used as a pen name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1926-02-15 （Iwamotocho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan (formerly Iwai-machi, Kanda Ward, Tokyo)）
Died
2015-02-28 （Tokyo, Japan (hospital)） age 89
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nakano, Nagano Prefecture (evacuated during WWII) → Nerima, Tokyo (established private library "House of Books and Puppets")

Career

Occupations
Children's literature author, Writer, Editor, Folklore researcher, Puppet theatre founder
Active Years
1951-2015
Influenced By
Jouji Tsubota, Kunio Yanagita

Education

Toyo Girls' High School
Period: 〜1943
Year of Graduation: 1943
Country: Japan
Graduated from an old-style girls' high school. Did not attend university; entered workforce.

Awards

Japan Children's Literature Association Newcomer Award (1st)
1960
Work: Ka ni natta kodomo / Taro the Dragon's Child (sources vary)
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1961
Work: Taro the Dragon's Child
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Hans Christian Andersen International Award (Honor)
1962
Work: Taro the Dragon's Child
Organization: International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
Result: 受賞（優良賞）
Noma Children's Literature Award (2nd)
1964
Work: Little Momo-chan
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: 受賞
Akai Tori (Red Bird) Literature Prize
1974
Work: Momo-chan and Akane-chan
Organization: Akai Tori Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Children's Literature Association Award
1979
Work: My Anne Frank (The story of Naoki and Yuko)
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Association
Result: 受賞
Shogakukan Literary Award
1994
Work: Fire from the Afterlife: The Story of Naoki and Yuko
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞
Iwankai Konami Literary Prize
1997
Organization: Iwankai Konami Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Taro the Dragon's Child

1960 Children's literature / Modern folktale

A reimagined folktale telling the story of a boy associated with a dragon; notable for its folkloric retelling.

FolkloreCourageHarmony with nature
Adaptations
  • [Puppet theatre] Taro the Dragon's Child (puppet play) / 瀬川拓男 (1961)

Little Momo-chan

1964 Children's literature

The first of the "Momo-chan" series, depicting everyday life from a child's perspective.

FamilyGrowing upDiscovery in daily life

Peekaboo

1967 Board book for infants

A signature board book for infants; simple text and illustrations engage very young children.

Infant educationParent-child interaction

Kaidan Restaurant (editor)

1996 Children's ghost stories / horror

A children's spooky-story series she edited; it was adapted into an anime and later a film.

Ghost storiesFolkloreChildhood imagination
Adaptations
  • [Anime/Film] Kaidan Restaurant (anime/film) / 落合正幸 (2009)

Bibliography

  • The Child Who Became a Shell
  • Taro the Dragon's Child
  • Little Momo-chan
  • Momo-chan and Akane-chan
  • Peekaboo
  • Studies of Modern Folktales (5 vols.)
  • Fire from the Afterlife: The Story of Naoki and Yuko

Adaptations

  • Kaidan Restaurant (adapted to anime and film)
  • Taro the Dragon's Child (puppet play)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Warm, addressive narrative voiceReconstruction of folktalesConcise and repetitive phrasing for infant books
Recurring Motifs
Family and everyday lifeFolktales and traditionsWar and peace

Legacy

Left a major legacy in children's literature and modern folktale studies, writing works read across generations. Her infant board books and the Momo-chan series became bestsellers and secured her an important place in Japanese children's literature.

Museums

  • Kurohime Fairy Tale Museum (donated works on display) Kurohime Highlands, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Japan Children's Literature Association

Archives

  • Miyoko Matsutani Official Website Archive
  • Collections at the National Diet Library (bibliographies, etc.)

In Popular Culture

  • Kaidan Restaurant (adapted into anime and film)
  • Peekaboo (long-selling infant book)

Trivia

  • 'Peekaboo' (co-authored with Yasuo Segawa) has gone through many reprints and reached very high cumulative circulation by 2020 (per publisher/official reports).
  • The 'Momo-chan and Akane-chan' series became a multi-million-copy long seller.
  • The 1973 story 'The Moon is Peach-Colored' ('Otsukisan Momoiro') drew protests over discriminatory language and was later revised.