|
Niimi Nankichi
was a Japanese author, sometimes known as the Hans Christian Andersen of Japan. Niimi was born in Yanabe, in the city of Handa, Aichi prefecture, on July 30, 1913. He lost his mother when he was four years old. His literary skill was noticeable at an early age. During his elementary school graduation ceremony, he presented a haiku that impressed most people at the ceremony. :''The Dandelion'' :''So Many Days Trampled'' :''Today’s Flower'' At age 18, Niimi moved to Tokyo to enter the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. He fell sick with tuberculosis while in Tokyo shortly after graduating, and returned to his hometown. He worked there, first as an elementary school teacher, then as a women's high school teacher. He died at age 29. Although not prolific, he shows great talent in all of his writings. His works are known for their accuracy and lively depictions of humans. He is also often compared to Kenji Miyazawa. There is a ''Niimi Nankichi Memorial Museum'' in his birthpl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buying Mittens
is a short story in children's literature by Nankichi Niimi. It was first published in 1943 after his death. The story talks about a fox child who goes to the nearby town to buy some gloves. Plot When a cold winter comes to the forest, a little fox awakens one morning to the magic of a first snow-fall. His romp in the snow is cut short, however, when his cold, wet paws turn peony colored. What he needs, his mother decides, are some woolen mittens the size of his little paws. So begins an overnight journey into the village where humans live, to buy a pair of mittens and where, along the way, the little fox learns that people are more complicated creatures than he thought. at |
