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<About the Book>
Kenji Miyazawa, a fairy-tale writer, is famous for "Night on the Galactic Railroad" and "The Restaurant of Many Orders" that often appear in textbooks. This book is a story about the half-life of Kenji Miyazawa from the perspective of Kenji’s father Masajiro (born 1874), titled "The Father of the author of 'Night on the Galactic Railroad'" authored by Yoshinobu Kadoi.
Masajiro runs a wealthy pawn shop in Iwate prefecture. As a family living in three generations of parents and children, the father, Masajiro, must maintain dignity. On the other hand, his son Kenji suffers from the feeling that he was able to live a blessed life with the profits the family business had absorbed from the poor farmers around him. Kenji is known for choosing to be a teacher and a writer, and for his passion
for Buddhism and improving rural life. It is also said that the parent-child relationship was temporarily cut off due to the prodigal reliance of Kenji on Masajiro for funds. Yoshinobu Kadoi wrote an excellent episode in the book about the family, including when the daughter died of pneumonia. It is also known that Masajiro takes care of his children all night every time they get sick.
<Discussions of Book-Club Members>
・ Recently, I read a blog that says "Parents don't talk much about their children's growth, but they go through both happiness and sadness while their children are growing up". My parents must have been the same. So, it was an opportunity to look back on myself while reading this book. I never became a parent, so I did not have the opportunity to grow up with my children, but I think I understood a little about what it takes. Like Kenji Miyazawa's father, who could not say his true intentions to maintain his dignity as father, I can sympathize with the fact that fathers, wherever they are in the world, cannot be overly emotional and affectionate to their children to maintain their paternal dignity.
I read with tears the scene at the time of the daughter's death, while Kenji is pushing his father, he could not write a will. This scene was sad but at the same time in a way was humorous. And Kenji's inconsistent life was also surprising. I was confused between Kenji Miyazawa and Takuboku Ishikawa, who was also from Iwate, but was poor. Kenji with his father's money, always had dreamlike ideas such as building candy factories and artificial jewelries. These dreamlike ideas of Kenji may have led to his fairy tales.
・ I enjoyed reading the story of Masajiro Miyazawa's deep affection for his son, and the story of Kenji Miyazawa’s life told from father's perspectives. There were many scenes where Masajiro kept it close to his chest without saying what he was thinking, but my father was also silent during his lifetime, and when I think about it now, I wonder if he had a lot to say.
· I am happy with the book that makes me feel warm after reading it. At the book club, one of the members had an impression that "I feel Masajiro has very maternal natures."
· Kenji Miyazawa, drawn from the perspective of his father, Masajiro, was interesting! When I started reading, I was wondering "is this a true story?" At first, I was a little surprised at Kenji Miyazawa as profligate son, but I was relieved that it changed toward the end of the story.
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