Ujoo Noguchi: The Children’s Poet

Set back from the two lane road winding along the seashore, a large house sits stately and serenely in the idyllic Ibaraki prefecture of Japan. Formerly the home of one of Japan's most respected and admired poets, the traditional style of the gray-tiled house and surrounding gardens evokes an era long past. Ujoo Noguchi, the author of such beloved children's songs as “Nanatsu no ko” and “Akai kutsu,” resided here for most of his long life. Known for the controversial themes in his poems and articles, Ujoo wrote often upon such topics as poverty and discrimination, anarchism, prostitution, and environmental disaster among others.

Ujoo Noguchi was born in 1882 in Ibaraki Prefecture in central Japan to a wealthy, influential and politically active family. His father was considered a village leader, and his uncle was often involved in politics. At the age of 16, Ujoo traveled to Tokyo to attend junior high and high school. He found the city to be a hotbed of political activities and remained to attend Tokyo Semongakko (now Waseda University) and study literature.

Unsurprisingly, Ujoo's first published works, the poems “The Peace of Our Village” and “Aim Towards Freedom,” appeared in political magazines. Although these early poems were not intended for children, due to the mature issues involved, Ujoo did eventually enter the realm of younger audiences. However, he could not keep his strong opinions completely masked even as he wrote the poems Nanatsu no ko, Akai kutsu and Aoi me no ningyoo for children.

“Nanatsu no ko” was first published in Kinnohune magazine, during July of 1921. The title can be translated as either seven children or seven-year-old child, and was never clarified by the poet. The song refers to a mountain, seven children (or child), and a crow crying kawai. Kawai is the Japanese word for cute, and Ujoo thought children would enjoy a crow crying familiar words. Ujoo often told the story behind the poem: A crow flies in the direction of a mountain, and two boys stand below watching. One boy says to the other, why does the bird fly and cry at the same time? His friend says, because her babies are waiting on the other side, and she is calling kawai, kawai to them since they are her cute children. Based upon commentary the poet made later in his life, Ujoo subscribed to a belief that all living things are worthy of love and respect, and reflected this view by including birds in a poem for children.

Ujoo wrote many poems on the subject of orphans and separation between parents. He experienced a divorce in his own life, and often saw the results of family separation during his childhood as a result of his father's status in the village. In the song “Akai kutsu” (translated Red Shoes), Ujoo tells the story of a girl who was adopted by an American family and left her Japanese culture behind, becoming an American during a period of strong culture wars between the USA and Japan.

The poem is reportedly based upon the life of Iwasaki Kimi, a young Japanese girl who was born to an unmarried mother and adopted by an American missionary couple at age 3. Kim did not live with the couple; they simply supported her and planned to take her home to America with them when they returned. When Kimi was 9, the couple decided to return to their homeland, and Kimi was expected to join them. However, she fell sick and died of tuberculosis before they could leave Japan. It is suspected by many that Ujoo, while knowing of Kimi's adoption plans, never heard of Kimi's death. This may be why the subject of “Akai kutsu” does indeed go to America, unlike Kimi.

In contrast to “Red Shoes,” Ujoo purposed to write a poem about the increasing presence of American influence in Japan. The result, “Aoi me no ningyoo,” or “Blue-eyed Doll,” tells of a little foreigner coming into Japan, showing the Japanese people's admiration for western society. This foreigner happens to be a plastic toy, a blue-eyed and blonde-haired doll made for enjoyment by Japanese girls. The doll is bedecked in the accoutrements of American fashion: elegant hair and a magnificent wardrobe. She is the embodiment of all that is American, and perhaps Ujoo intended to point out the loss of Japanese culture to mass-produced plastic toys.

Ujoo Noguchi was a man of great talent, and put those skills to good use. Although he wrote articles and poems as well as children's rhymes, the enduring charm of the youthful songs outshine all his other literary accomplishments. Perhaps Ujoo saw this coming, and thus left his political and social messages cleverly hidden in the immortal poems schoolchildren still sing today.