Author · 1882–1961
小川未明Ogawa Mimei · おがわ みめい
Ogawa Mimei was a Japanese writer from Niigata Prefecture. He is often called the father of modern Japanese children's literature, and he is sometimes described as 'the Japanese Andersen.' He studied at Tokyo Senmon Gakkō (now Waseda University), where his teacher Tsubouchi Shōyō is said to have given him the pen name Mimei. He wrote both fiction for adults and fairy tales, and he later devoted himself mainly to children's stories. His tales are known for their lyrical, often melancholy atmosphere and their concern for the weak and the lonely. Among his best-known works is 赤い蝋燭と人魚 (The Red Candles and the Mermaid).
Stories by Ogawa Mimei
赤いろうそくと人魚 — The Mermaid and the Crimson Candles
This is a literary fairy tale (童話) by Ogawa Mimei and one of his best-known works. A mermaid living in a cold, dark northern sea decides that her child should grow up among humans, whom she has heard are kind. She leaves her newborn…
赤い蝋燭と人魚 — Red Candles on the Shrine Hill
赤い蝋燭と人魚 (Red Candles on the Shrine Hill) is a literary fairy tale by Ogawa Mimei. It opens on a lonely rock in the cold northern sea. A mermaid, expecting a child, decides that her baby should grow up among human beings, whom she has heard…
野ばら — A Wild Rose on the Border
野ばら is a short fairy tale (童話) by Ogawa Mimei. On a quiet mountain border between a large country and its smaller neighbour, one soldier from each side is posted to guard the boundary stone. One is an old man and the other is young. They…