Kenji Miyazawa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kenji Miyazawa
Kenji Miyazawa
Native name	宮沢 賢治
Born	(1896-08-27)August 27, 1896 Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan
Died	September 21, 1933(1933-09-21) (aged 37) Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan
Occupation	Writer, poet, teacher, geologist
Nationality	Japanese
Period	Taishō and early Shōwa periods
Genre	Children's literature, poetry
Japanese name
Hiragana	みやざわ けんじ
Katakana	ミヤザワ ケンジ
Kyūjitai	宮澤 賢治
Shinjitai	宮沢 賢治
Transcriptions Romanization Miyazawa Kenji

Kenji Miyazawa (宮沢 賢治, born August 27, 1896 – died September 21, 1933) was a famous Japanese writer and poet. He wrote many popular stories for children. He lived during the late Taishō period and early Shōwa period in Japan.

Kenji Miyazawa was also a teacher who taught about farming. He was a vegetarian and played the cello. He was a very religious person who followed Nichiren Buddhism. He also worked to help people in his community.

Some of his most famous works include Night on the Galactic Railroad, Kaze no Matasaburō, and Gauche the Cellist. Many of his children's stories have been made into anime movies and shows. His poems are still loved by many people around the world today.

Kenji Miyazawa's Life Story

Kenji Miyazawa was born in Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan. He was the oldest son of a wealthy family. His parents, Masajirō and Ichi, ran a pawnshop. This meant they lent money to people and held their valuable items as a guarantee. His family also followed a type of Buddhism called the Pure Land Sect.

From a young age, Kenji was interested in nature. He also loved poetry. He was bothered by his family's focus on money. He felt sad about the poor farmers in his area.

After finishing middle school, he helped in his father's pawnshop. But he preferred writing stories and poems. He became very interested in a different type of Buddhism called the Hokke sect, after reading a special book called the Lotus Sutra. This caused some disagreements with his father.

In 1918, Kenji graduated from Morioka Agriculture and Forestry College. He was a very smart student. He became a research student in geology, studying soil and fertilizers. Around this time, he also became a vegetarian.

Later, he moved to Tokyo for a short time. He tried to share his Buddhist beliefs with people on the streets. But he soon returned home because his younger sister, Toshi, became very ill. He loved his sister deeply.

Kenji then became a teacher at an agricultural high school in Hanamaki. He taught students about farming science. He believed that learning should come from real-life experiences. He often took his students outside the classroom to explore nature. They also put on plays that they wrote themselves.

Sadly, his sister Toshi died in 1922. This was a very difficult time for Kenji. He wrote three poems about his sadness, called "Voiceless Lament."

In 1924, Kenji published his first collection of poems, Haru to Shura (meaning "Spring and the Demon"). He also published a book of children's stories called The Restaurant of Many Orders. These books were not very popular at first. However, other poets like Kōtarō Takamura and Shinpei Kusano admired his writing. They helped introduce his work to the wider literary world.

Helping Farmers and Community

In 1926, Kenji left his teaching job. He wanted to become a farmer himself. He hoped to help other farmers in his poor region of Japan. He shared his knowledge of farming science and new ways to grow crops. He also taught them about music and poetry. He even played classical music for them using his gramophone.

In August 1926, he started a group called the Rasu Farmers Association. He taught young farmers about agriculture. The group also enjoyed reading, plays, and music together. However, this group was later closed down by the authorities in 1928.

Not all farmers liked Kenji's ideas. Some made fun of him. Others were disappointed when his natural fertilizers didn't work as well as they hoped. Farmers in his area followed the Pure Land Sect, like his father. Kenji's switch to the Lotus Sect also made some people view him differently.

Kenji also learned Esperanto, an international language. He even translated some of his Japanese poems into Esperanto.

Illness and Passing

Kenji became very ill in 1928 with a serious lung infection called pneumonia. His strict vegetarian diet made it hard for him to get enough nutrients. He struggled with lung problems for many years.

In 1931, his health seemed to get better for a while. He even took on some work for a rock-crushing company. But his health got worse again. In September 1933, he caught pneumonia during a trip to Tokyo. He had to return home.

In the autumn of 1933, he seemed a little better. He was watching a local festival from his doorway. A group of farmers came to talk to him about fertilizer. He talked with them for about an hour. The next day, he passed away, likely from exhaustion after the long conversation. He was only 37 years old.

Before he died, he asked his father to print 1,000 copies of the Lotus Sutra. He wanted them to be given to friends and others. His family first buried him in their family temple. But in 1951, his family also became Nichiren Buddhists. They moved his grave to a Nichiren temple called Shinshōji. After his death, people in his area began to call him Kenji-bosatsu, which means Kenji the Bodhisattva (a wise and compassionate being).

Kenji's Amazing Stories and Poems

Kenji started writing poetry when he was a schoolboy. He wrote over a thousand short poems called tanka from the age of 15. Even his early poems showed his unique imagination and strong feelings.

He read many modern Japanese poets. But his life among farmers and his love for nature influenced his writing even more. His Buddhist beliefs, especially his devotion to the Lotus Sutra, also had a big impact on his stories and poems.

By 1921, he mostly wrote longer, free-verse poems. He also wrote many children's stories during this time. He once sold one of his stories for five yen. This was the only payment he ever received for his writings during his lifetime.

Critics say that Kenji's poetry is special because of his high ideals and his unique way of seeing the world. He wanted to bring together different parts of modern life into one clear picture.

He wrote a huge amount of poetry very quickly. He often wrote from his feelings, without planning how long a poem would be. His love for music, especially classical music, also influenced his poetry. He listened to composers like Bach and Beethoven.

Most of Kenji's modern poetry was written in everyday Japanese. Sometimes he even used local dialects. His poems often included scientific words, Buddhist terms, and even some Esperanto words.

His most famous poem is "Ame ni mo makezu" (meaning "Undefeated by the Rain"). He wrote it in his notebook in 1931. Even though he was sick and dying, this poem shows his strong spirit and determination.

Kenji wrote many children's stories. Many of them were meant to teach good lessons. His most well-known stories include:

• Night on the Galactic Railroad
• The Life of Guskō Budori
• Matasaburō of the Wind
• Gauche the Cellist
• The Night of Taneyamagahara

Kenji's Religious Beliefs

Kenji was born into a family that followed Pure Land Buddhism. But in 1915, he became a follower of Nichiren Buddhism after reading the Lotus Sutra. He was deeply moved by it. This change in his beliefs caused some tension with his family.

He tried to share his new faith with others. He even walked the streets, calling out Buddhist chants. He tried to convince his family to become Nichiren Buddhists, but they didn't at first.

Kenji remained a devoted follower of the Lotus Sutra until he died. He continued to try and share his beliefs with those around him. He included many Buddhist words and ideas in his poems and children's stories. He was inspired by visions where he saw Buddhist figures and even demons.

In 1925, Kenji helped raise money to build a Nichiren temple in Hanamaki. This temple, Shinshōji, is where his grave is located today, after his family also converted to Nichiren Buddhism in 1951.

Images for kids

• 

  A friendly robot

See also

In Spanish: Kenji Miyazawa para niños