Q & A about Kenji
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Q16 Hello.
I am looking for an English translation of this poem to use in a book. Do you know if there is one somewhere?
Shijirete sugasugashi kumo no asa
Karasu ni wa tani ni yodomu hyoga no kaze no kumo ni tobu
(from “Shi Noto 〓 Poem Note 1034”)

ちぢれてすがすがしい雲の朝
烏二羽
谷によどむ氷河の風の雲に飛ぶ
いま
スノードンの峯のいただきが
その二きれの巨きな雲の間からあらはれる
    「詩ノート1034」
(Edward Levinson)
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Q15 I'm trying to find information on a story I read many years ago in school. I believe the title involved the word Shinkiro / Mirage. It was a short story in a compilation book, but my research leads me to believe it was written by Kenji Miyazawa. I would be very interested to read it again, but cannot find it or find the complete title. If anyone knows of the story I'm searching for I'd be grateful to know what it is.
Thank you!(Brian)
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Q14 I am in a desparate need to find out the source of a very famous Kenji's quote "we must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our hourney". If anyone can tell me which poem this quote came from, I would really appreciate it. (George Kreef)
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Q13 I want everithing about the "restaurant of many order" because I looking for that's file. I writing with the semiotic method so I have to found the sign in this story or I collec the opinion about this story. Thank you very much for yor help. (etik makarti)
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Q12 I am a University of California graduate student doing research on Nichirenshugi and Tanaka Chigaku. I am interested in the connection with Miyazawa. First of all, I heard there was a film about Kenji. If you know the title, can you tell me what it is please? Secondly, if you could refer me to any resources, in Japanese or English, on Kenji's relationship with Tanaka and Nichirenshugi, I would greatly appreciate it.(Gerald Iguchi)
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Q11 It is a cd containing songs in tribute to Kenji Miyazawa. It is called Mental Sound Sketch. I believe that it is a Japanese cd and that it was released in 1995.(Bob)
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Q10 Please can you help me with some information? I would like to know more about the Japanese anime film (made about 1985), "Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo", which was based on Miyazawa Kenji's classic 1927 children's book., "Night of the Milky Way train."

The makers of the film decided to have all the writing in the film(including the chapter titles and credits) appear in Esperanto -- this apparently was in keeping with the author's approval of Esperanto and the eclectically spiritual nature of the story.

What else can you tell me about this film, please and is it commercially available on video tape? I wish to include the information in an article I am writing for the Esperanto Topic on Suite 101. (See below for link).
(David Poulson)
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Q9 Hi, I first heard about Kenji Miyazawa in 1993 when I spent two weeks in Japan with Prof. Kaji Aso and students from his Boston, Massachusetts studio . We spent most of our time visiting different places in and around Hanamaki with the Hanamaki Art Colony. It was a fantastic trip and great experience. At a fire works display in August 1993 in Hanamaki, and at Hanamaki's Town Office buiding I heard music, I believe was written by Kenji Miyazawa. I would like to know if any of Kenji Miyazawa's music has been released on a compact disk? I would very much like to listen to his music again. Thank You. (Mike)
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Q8 I am a student from Geneva Universty. I am now in Tokyo to make some research on Kenji. Is there anyone who is interesting in the Kenji short story called Bijiterian Taisai. I am working on it now for my graduation essay. I have translated it in French, but I would like to share some information about this work, which is unknow by most of japanese people. (Lucia Monnin)
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Q7 I like M.Kenji because I think he has a great imagination of things that he saw, watched turns into a magnificant piece of works. I think there is no such a great literaturist like him in my country, perhaps there is but I don't know... Right now, i'm doing my scription about him and his work, called 'Ki no ii Kazandan', but it seems that i couldn't find more information about this short story, so i'm hoping anyone of you could've help me or give me a good advise for what should i do (silip)
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Q6 I recently returned from teaching in Japan for 5 years. One of my "grandmothers" gave me his book of poetry as a gift. This site has been very insightful for me. I also lived the countryside of Nagano-Ken. I would like to discuss his works with others. (Paul)
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Q5 Hi there~ I'm new to the work of Kenji Miyazawa. I was wondering if there exist any essays that discuss the similarities between him and St. Francis of Assisi? Many thanks! (Daniele Boucher)
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Q4 I'm looking for a picture of the artist? Does anyone have any renditions of what he looked like? (Esther)
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Q3 I really like Miyazawa Kenji's work. Has anyone translated "Haru to Shura" into English? (Marianne)
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Q2 We are a group of students of the faculty of japanese studies at the university of Venice. We would like to know if someone ever translated one of his poem called "Shinku Yobai", which is included in the collection "Haru to Shura" . We made a translation ourselves and now we would like to find an anlysis of it and other translations to compare it. If possible send the answer to this Forum. (Daniela Kappler)

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Q1 I am a PhD student in Japanese Language and Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison doing dissertation research on Miyazawa Kenji's children's stories. I would definitely be interested in communicating with others and their ideas regarding Kenji and his stories.

  1. I am interested in learning how different readers respond to his stories whether they read them in Japanese or in translation.
  2. I am also interested to learn whether people view the stories as stories for children or not and why.
  3. Also, what writers do people see as similar to Kenji? I often think of ALICE and her other world as being similar to many of Kenji's other worlds. (Heather Raabe)
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