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Jun'ichi Yoda

よだ じゅんいち

Yoda Jun'ichi

Aliases: 與田凖一 / 与田準一

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1905-06-25 （Setaka, Yamato District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan）
Died
1997-02-03 age 91
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan (birth and childhood) → Tokyo, Japan (moved to Tokyo for literary and editorial work)

Career

Occupations
children's author, poet, lyricist, translator, editor, teacher, lecturer
Active Years
1924-1997
Affiliations
Japan PEN Club, Japanese Association of Children's Writers (6th President), Japan Women's University (Lecturer)
Memberships
Japan PEN Club
Influenced By
Hakushu Kitahara
Influenced
Mado Michio, Kyoko Iwasaki, Miko Shogenji, Kimiko Aman, Riko Kanazawa

Awards

Children's Culture Award (1st)
1940
Organization: Japan Culture Association
Result: Winner
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award
1967
Work: Collected Works of Jun'ichi Yoda
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: Winner
Noma Award for Children's Literature
1973
Work: No-yuki, Yama-yuki
Organization: Noma Cultural Foundation
Result: Winner
Mobil Children's Culture Award
1990
Organization: Mobil
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Collected Works of Jun'ichi Yoda

1967 Collected works

A complete collection including fairy tales, poems, and essays; an overview of his long contribution to children's literature.

childrennaturepoetic expression

Flags, Bees, Clouds (Children's Songs Collection)

1933 Children's songs

An early collection of children's songs emphasizing rhythm and sound, with poems and songs for young audiences.

rhythmnaturechildlike imagination

The Piano Egg

1961 Children's story

A collection of short children's stories themed around music and growth.

musicgrowing upimagination

No-yuki, Yama-yuki (Poems and Songs for Youth)

1973 Poetry and song collection

A collection of poems and song-lyrics for children and adolescents; many pieces became popular as songs.

natureadventurechildren's perspective

Bibliography

  • Flags, Bees, Clouds (1933)
  • The Monkey and the Crab Factory (1935)
  • The Goat and the Plate (1940)
  • Sea Boy Aviators (1944)
  • The Song of Rails (1949)
  • The Fifty-First Pomelo (1951)
  • Balloon Notice (1959)
  • The Piano Egg (1961)
  • Collected Works of Jun'ichi Yoda, 6 volumes (1967)
  • No-yuki, Yama-yuki (1973)
  • Poplar Star (series) 1974-1979
  • It's Spring, Mama! (1982)

Translations by Author

  • Marie and the Lamb (Françoise) 1956
  • Beauty and the Beast (Madame de Beaumont) 1963
  • The Little Bird (M. W. Brown) 1978

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise narrative from a child's perspectivepoetic style emphasizing rhyme and rhythmdepicts quiet emotional moments in everyday life
Recurring Motifs
nature (mountains, sea, forests)animalschildren's adventure and growth

Legacy

A leading figure in Showa-era Japanese children's literature, he nurtured successors through both education and creative work. A memorial museum and monument in Miyama commemorate his contributions, and an annual festival maintains his local cultural legacy.

Museums

  • Jun'ichi Yoda Memorial Museum Setaka (Miyama), Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan Opened in 2009

Academic Societies

  • Japanese Association of Children's Writers
  • Japan PEN Club

Archives

  • Jun'ichi Yoda Memorial Museum archives

In Popular Culture

  • Jun'ichi Yoda Children's Literature Festival (Mukkikki Festival)

Trivia

  • He was the father of lyricist Jun Hashimoto.
  • A monument and a memorial museum were established in Miyama; an annual literature festival is held in his honor.
  • He was associated with the 'Akai Tori' (Red Bird) movement and worked in creating and editing children's songs and stories.