The first collection of children's verses written by Shimaki Akahiko, a leader of tanka poets of the Araragi school. He was against dôshin shugi (a theory which highly valued the child's innocent mind) which was popular at that time. He criticized it as inciting sentimental softness and superficial interests. According to Shimaki's view, grown-ups who create verses for children should themselves have a simple and unsophisticated mind in order to associate with children.
The book contains 44 verses. Most of them first appeared in children's magazines such as Shôgaku Josei [Elementary Schoolgirls] and Dôwa [Stories for Children]. Verses sketching natural life such as "Kitsusuki Dori" ["A
Woodpecker"] and humorous narrative verses such as "Emma Sama"
["The King of Hell"] are included.
Bindings were done by Morita Tsunetomo, frontispiece by Hirafuku Hyakuho,
and illustrations by Kawakami Shirô, all of them were on friendly
terms with Shimaki.
Before publication, printing of music notes created good demand, however, Shimaki decided not to print them fearing that they might be only shallow, fashionable tunes.
Although it was not highlighted so much, the book was welcomed by those
who regarded it as a new challenge to the world of children's verses in
the Taisho era. It was reprinted many times. A second collection was published
in 1923, and a third in 1926 posthumously.
In 1947 Akahiko Dôyô Shû was reprinted by Daiichi-Shobô in almost the same style as the first edition. A reprint of the original was published by Holp Shuppan in 1974 and by Ozorasha in 1997. |
