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Mieko Uezaki

こうざき みえこ

Uezaki Mieko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1924-11-15 （Nihonmatsu, Fukushima, Japan）
Died
1997-09-02 age 72
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nihonmatsu, Fukushima (birthplace) → Tokyo, Japan (moved at age 6)

Career

Occupations
children's literature author
Active Years
1972-1997

Education

Aoyama Gakuin High School (now Aoyama Gakuin Junior & Senior High School)
Period: 〜1940
Year of Graduation: 1940
Country: Japan
Graduated from the high school division
Aoyama Gakuin Women's College (now Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College)
Period: 在籍後、1年次修了後休学・中退
Country: Japan
Attended but took leave and did not complete the program

Awards

Akai Tori (Red Bird) Literary Prize
1976
Work: Mahou no Bench; Chapu Chapun no Hanashi
Organization: Akai Tori Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner
Sankei Children's Publishing Cultural Award
1976
Work: Chapu Chapun no Hanashi
Organization: Sankei Children's Publishing Cultural Award Committee
Result: winner
Japan Children's Literature Writers Association Prize
1984
Work: Dabu Dabu Daisuki
Organization: Japan Children's Literature Writers Association
Result: winner
Hirosuke Children's Story Award
1994
Work: Ruby-Colored Hotel
Organization: Hirosuke Children's Story Award Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Dog from the Stars

1972 Children's literature (short stories)

A warm children's short story about a child who meets a dog that came from the stars.

friendshipimaginationkindness

The Magic Bench

1975 Children's fantasy/folk tale

A tale of children's little adventures and growth centered on a bench imbued with magic.

magiccoming of agecommunity

The Chapu-Chapun Tale

1975 Children's story

A lively children's story that makes playful use of onomatopoeia.

playwordplaycuriosity

I Love Dabu-Dabu

1984 Children's literature

A humorous depiction of children's emotions and daily life.

everyday lifefriendshiphumor

Ruby-Colored Hotel

1994 Children's literature (storybook)

A fantastical children's story set in a mysterious hotel.

wonderadventurekindness

Bibliography

  • A Dog from the Stars (1972)
  • The Magic Baby (1972)
  • Tora Tora Neko-chan (1973)
  • Obakeyaaai! (1974)
  • Song the Sea Sings (1974)
  • The Chapu-Chapun Tale (1975)
  • The Magic Bench (1975)
  • The Monkey Train (1976)
  • Dreaming Grandpa Kane (1976)
  • Swim, Little One (1977)
  • Moonlit Night Metchara-Kuchara (1977)
  • Tears Go Plop (1977)
  • The Phantom Bus (1978)
  • The Chatty Koala (1978)
  • Soyo-Soyo Mountain (1978)
  • Stylish Cat, Chiro (1978)
  • Mischief Gon and Miho-chan (1978)
  • Saki-chan and the Big Fish (1979)
  • The Singing Washbasin (1979)
  • Rabbit Pantalon (1980)
  • The Song-Loving Flower (1980)
  • The Big Silly Teacher (1980)
  • Rag Cat (1981)
  • Rira and the Magic Goldfish (1981)
  • Big Uncle and the Little Friend (1982)
  • The Cake-Loving Ghost (1984)
  • I Love Dabu-Dabu (1984)
  • Bullies, Go Away! (1984)
  • Potato Uncle with the Long Tail (1984)
  • A Little Date of the Fashionable Ghost (1985)
  • Ice Cream Made by a Witch (1985)
  • The Gluttonous Guest (1985)
  • The Silly Tiger Cat (1986)
  • The Gentle Breeze Fan (1986)
  • The Mysterious Letter Delivered to Yuka (1987)
  • A Very Big Girl (1987)
  • A Present from the Sea (1988)
  • Tiger Cat's Love Letter (1989)
  • The Grateful Crane (1990)
  • Tear-Drop Fox Cub (1991)
  • Ghost Service Company (1992)
  • The Bread I Ate That Distant Day (1992)
  • Ruby-Colored Hotel (1994)
  • The Mysterious Road on a Moonlit Night (1996)
  • Collected Prefectural Folktales of Fukushima (includes "Aka no Manma") (1998)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
gentle narrative voicechild-friendly humorfrequent use of onomatopoeia and fairy-tale expressions
Recurring Motifs
magicanimalsfriendshipdomestic warmth

Health

  • tuberculosis
    戦後まもなく〜約6年間（国立中野療養所に入所）
    She spent a prolonged period in a sanatorium; during that time she immersed herself in children's literature, which influenced her later writing career.

Legacy

After a prolonged period of sanatorium treatment, Mieko Uezaki became active as a children's literature writer from the 1970s onward. She was praised for her warm narrative voice and child-centered perspective, received several children's literature awards, and is featured in regional materials and library collections in Fukushima Prefecture.

Archives

  • Fukushima Prefectural Library (holds materials / features on local children's authors)

Trivia

  • Her given name was Mieko (sometimes rendered as Miedako in other sources).
  • She moved to Tokyo with her family at age six.
  • Shortly after the war she contracted tuberculosis and spent about six years at the National Nakano Sanatorium.
  • She began writing her own children's stories around 1972 and won the Akai Tori Literary Prize in 1976.