This is a story by Furuta Taruhi (1927- ) about children who try positively
to change the situation in 1960s Japan at a time of high economic growth
and fiercely competitive entrance examinations. This intriguing story attracted
many readers. A “Treasured Masterpiece” edition and a pocket edition
were published and read widely.
In Chapter One, fifth graders Yoshihiro, Akiko, Mitsue and Saburô
establish “Homework, Inc.” in order to earn money. They undertake their
classmates’ homework effectively and earn a few hundred yen. However,
their class teacher discovers the existence of the company and it is dissolved.
In Chapter Two, they are now sixth graders, and their new class teacher
tells them a story which inspires them to think about future homework and
examinations. They realize that the present ways of homework and entrance
examinations are “barbaric” because they are not kind to people. In Chapter
Three, they realize that the competitive school education system selects
only a few and weeds out the rest, which eventually leads to pyramidal
company organization. They begin to study the Constitution of Japan and
found a union to get rid of homework and examinations.
In Chapters Two and Three, how the transfer of employees is forced
by the electric products manufacturing company where Akiko’s brother worked
and how the labor union resists to it are described. In order to survive
in the “barbaric” situation, children first establish a “company,”
and finally form a “union.” The strong social awareness is characteristic
of this story.
Shukudai Hikiuke Kabushiki Gaisha first appeared serially in a magazine Kyoiku Kenkyu [Study of Education] before it was revised and published in book form. Kume Kôichi’s illustrations were used both in the serialization and in the published edition. Although some pointed out the weakness in the latter half of the story, creation of a new image of children was highly praised and it received Japanese Association of Writers for Children Prize. Shukudai Hikiuke Kabushiki Gaisha was also made into a television drama in 1982. The latter half was widely revised and the new edition was published in 1996, due to the fact that the class teacher’s story cited in the former edition happened to contain a discriminative description of Ainu people.
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