| MONTHLY NEWS October 1996 Centennial of Kenji Miyazawa's Birth Celebrated |
Exhibitions and events marking the centennial of the birth of the poetic and literary giant Kenji Miyazawa were attended by many Japanese over the summer.
Born on August 27, 1896, in rural Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, Miyazawa produced many poems and children's stories while teaching at Hanamaki Agricultural High School. He left the school when he was 30, led a self-sufficient life, and opened classes on various subjects ranging from music to farming techniques. He died in 1933, when he was just 37. The writer's most popular story is The Night Train to the Stars, which recounts a train journey by Jovanni and Kanpanera around the Milky Way. The story has continued to touch the hearts of readers young and old since its publication. |
In Miyazawa's native Hanamaki, an exhibition was held between April 28 and September 8 on a 40,000-square-meter site where many of the writer's literary fantasies were visualized. The exhibit attracted nearly 400,000 visitors from all over the country.
Original manuscripts, photographs, and documents were put on display at local museums, and nearly 30 workshops, concerts, dramatic performances, and symposiums were held in and around the city in August. |
Many multimedia products, including CD-ROMs and Internet sites, are dedicated to Miyazawa's life and work. azawa's life and work.
Photos: (top) Kenji Miyazawa during his teaching days at Hanamaki Agricultural High School; the world of fantasy and imagination portrayed in Miyazawa's stories are recreated at the "Stellar Room," above, and "Water Room," right, of a theme park devoted to the author. Links to other Kenji Miyazawa-related sites 
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