Yao Kitabatake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kitabatake Yao
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Kitabatake Yao in 1948
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| Native name |
北畠 八穂
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| Born | 5 October 1903 Aomori city, Japan |
| Died | 18 March 1982 (aged 78) Kamakura, Kanagawa Japan |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | novels, children's literature |
Yao Kitabatake (北畠 八穂, Kitabatake Yao, 5 October 1903 – 18 March 1982) was a poet and children's literature writer. She lived and wrote during Japan's Shōwa period.
Contents
Early Life and Writing Beginnings
Kitabatake Yao was born in Aomori city, Aomori Prefecture. She was the sixth of ten children in her family.
Yao started writing when she was in high school. She won several awards for short articles. These articles were sent to different magazines for women.
After high school, she moved to Tokyo. She began studying at Jissen Women's University. However, she had to leave after about 18 months. This was because she became sick with tuberculosis, a serious illness.
In 1924, she went back to Aomori. She worked as a substitute teacher there. Even though she was still struggling with her health, she kept writing.
In 1926, her first works were published. They appeared in a well-known literary magazine called Kaizō. Around this time, she also met another writer, Kyūya Fukada.
Life in Tokyo and Challenges
Yao moved back to Tokyo with Fukada in 1929. They first lived in Abiko, Chiba, then in Honjo.
Yao continued to write many stories. However, her writing style was sometimes affected by her strong accent from the Tōhoku region. She also did not have a lot of higher education. Because of this, she often relied on Fukada to help her prepare her works for publishing.
Fukada sometimes published Yao's writings under his own name. This led to him becoming famous. However, important literary critics like Kobayashi Hideo and Kawabata Yasunari eventually noticed. They realized that some of Fukada's popular works were actually written by Kitabatake Yao. This situation caused problems for Fukada's reputation as a writer.
In March 1940, Fukada and Kitabatake Yao officially got married.
A Career in Children's Literature
In 1947, Yao and Fukada separated. By this time, Yao had already started writing for children. Her first children's story was published in a magazine called Ginga ("Galaxy") in 1946. This story was about children who had lost their parents and siblings during the war. It showed how sensitive and strong they were.
Her next important work was Jiro Buchin Nikki. This story was first published in parts in Ginga magazine throughout 1947. Then, it was released as a book by Shinchosha the next year.
Jiro Buchin Nikki tells the story of a boy named Jiro and his younger sister, nicknamed Buchin. They had returned to Japan from the South Pacific Mandate after the war. They came to live in a village in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. The children missed their parents and older brother very much. But the kind people in the village helped and encouraged them.
In 1948, Yao moved to Kamakura, Kanagawa. She lived there with another writer and critic, Shiroyanagi Yoshihiko. She continued to live in Kamakura until she passed away in 1982 at the age of 78. Her death was caused by jaundice.
Images for kids
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Kitabatake Yao in 1948
