Arimoto Hôsui's first collection of verses for children. Hoshino Suiri's Hamachidori [A Little Bird on a Shore] in 1911 and this collection were the beginning of modern verses for boys and girls. From 1912, Arimoto edited the magazine Nihon Shônen [Japanese Boys] at Jitsugyô-no-Nihon-Sha. At the same time, he composed lyrical and sentimental travel verses for children, and his verses gained great popularity. This collection contains work which appeared in Nihon Shônen and ones written for a magazine, Shinsei [A New Voice]
In the preface, Arimoto wrote that this collection was taken from the
memory of his younger days far away. He also said that life was a journey
and he himself was but a traveler. Most of the 127 verses are filled with
nostalgia during his sentimental journeys. They are divided into five chapters:
"Tabi yori Tabi e" ["From Journey to Journey"], "Omoide"
["Memory"], '"Hyôhaku"' ["Wandering"],
"Furusato" ["Home Country"], and "Waga Koshikata
wo Mikaereba" ["Looking back My Life; the Life of Napoleon"].
Soon after publication, this collection attracted young people, and nearly
300 printings were done. Reprints of the 41st edition were published by
Jitsugyô-no-Nihon-Sha in 1960 and by Ozorasha in 1996. |
