Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Chiyoko Nakatani

なかたに ちよこ

Nakatani Chiyoko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1930-01-16 （Tokyo Prefecture）
Died
1981-12-26 age 51
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
painter, children's book author
Active Years
1957-1981
Influenced By
Ryuzaburo Umehara

Education

Tokyo Prefectural 11th Girls' High School (now Tokyo Metropolitan Sakuramachi High School)
Country: Japan
Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts)
Oil Painting Department / Oil Painting Department
Country: Japan
Studied under Ryuzaburo Umehara while enrolled

Awards

Shogakukan Art Award (14th)
1965
Work: Hippo's Boat
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: Winner
Kodansha Publication Culture Award (Picture Book Prize, 1st)
1970
Work: Town Mouse and Country Mouse
Category: 絵本賞
Organization: Kodansha
Result: Winner
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (Grand Prize, 21st)
1974
Work: The Fox That Returned
Category: 大賞
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

JioJio's Crown

1960 picture book

A picture book starring the lion JioJio. The author searched zoos for a lion matching the image and redrew original art multiple times.

animalsimaginationchild's perspective

Mr. Hippo

1962 picture book

Depicts a day in the life of a hippo at the zoo. It was translated and published abroad and received positive reception.

animalseveryday lifefor young children
Translations
  • Mr. Hippo — French edition (Castor, 1965)

Fumio and the Dolphins

1969 picture book

A picture book for which the author also wrote the text. An English translation was published in 1970.

seaanimalschild's adventure
Translations
  • Fumio and the Dolphins — English edition (1970)

Bibliography

  • JioJio's Crown (1960)
  • Forest Train (1961)
  • Mr. Hippo (1962)
  • Hippo's Boat (1964)
  • Big Mr. Bear (1964)
  • Lost Chiro (1965)
  • The Frog's House Hunt (1967)
  • Yojiro the Fox (1967)
  • Stories with Wisdom (1968)
  • Fumio and the Dolphins (1969)
  • Ruru's Birthday (1971)
  • Lao's Adventure (translation, 1971)
  • The Farmer (1972)
  • The Little Old Woman of the Strawberry Field (1973)
  • Ken-chan and the Farm (1975)
  • Kazuchan's Errand (1979)
  • Mother and Baby (1980)
  • The Lion Ran (1981)
  • Shirokichi and the Snow (1981)
  • Mari-chan's Helping (1983, illustrations)
  • The Village of the Tanuki (1986)
  • I'm Hanakichi the Elephant (1989)

Translations by Author

  • Lao's Adventure (by Rene Guyot; Japanese co-translation by Chiyoko Nakatani and Ruri Nagano, 1971)

Translations of Works

  • Fumio and the Dolphins — English edition (1970)
  • Mr. Hippo — French edition (Castor, 1965)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
delicate pen drawings using oil paintswarm, child-centered expression
Recurring Motifs
animalssmall discoveries in daily lifechild's viewpoint

Health

  • illness
    1981-04 to 1981-12
    Hospitalized from April 1981 and died in December 1981. Her creative activity effectively ended.

Legacy

Chiyoko Nakatani is regarded as a prominent postwar Japanese painter and picture-book author, known for delicate line work and a warm view of children. Works such as 'Mr. Hippo' were translated abroad and helped pave the way for Japanese picture books overseas.

Archives

  • National Diet Library
  • The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (holds archival records)

Trivia

  • Studied under Ryuzaburo Umehara while at art school.
  • Original artwork for 'JioJio's Crown' was reportedly redrawn seven times.
  • Her close friend was poet Eriko Kishida.