Miekichi considered himself a novelist until 1916 when he turned 35. For the 20 years from that time till his death at age 55 his field was children's literature, and he worked to introduce the famous children's stories of the world to the children of Japan. Akai Tori (The Red Bird), the children's magazine he put out for those 20 years, remains as a beautiful memory in the hearts of many people even today. It is by means of this Akai Tori that children's literature in Japan finally became world class. That composition achieved today's free style and became such splendid literature is another success of Akai Tori. And it is due to Akai Tori that children's songs have come to be created and sung.
It was in July 1919 that Miekichi began to publish these "Kojiki Tales" in Akai Tori. They were called historical stories for children and were published monthly, starting with "The Death of the Goddess" and "The Cave of Heaven." The index of Akai Tori shows 14 installments, through September of the following year. And according to the chronology, the tales were published in two volumes by Akaitorisha that November. That must be the first time the book was published.
Miekichi's feelings about retelling the Kojiki for children are unknown to me. I examined the miscellaneous writings and impressions in his Complete Works, but there was nothing on that point. My speculation, therefore, is that he was thinking of Greek mythology. The impact that Greek myths have on western children is mentioned in various books, and in the biographies of great men of foreign countries. These seem to be among the favorite books of western children. And so they make a strong impression. The influence of these Greek myths is not limited to childhood. They act with great force on western culture, and one who does not know these myths cannot have a correct understanding of the names of stars or flowers. The myths are one source of western culture.
Like the Greek mythology, the Kojiki contains the religious stories of our country. How should these religious stories be interpreted? I don't really know. However, I think it should be noted that when Miekichi published them in Akai Tori, he listed them as historical children's stories. That was 35 years ago now, and it may well have been impossible to call them myths or legends then. But what effect did it have on children to have to accept as history or fact the stories of Takamagahara or of Izanaginokami and Izanaminokami? I don't know about others, but I was raised in that period, and I received that education. And I think I learned a certain form from that education. For example, at teacher at that time taught me thus: "When you arise in the morning, you must stand before your father and mother with hands together and say, 'Good morning, father dear. Good morning, mother dear.'"
Because I was an earnest child of a farm village, the next morning after saying it haltingly to myself any number of times, I actually stood before my mother with my hands joined and said, "Good morning, mother dear." She looked shocked. I can't say how embarrassed I was. I never considered saying such a thing again. From there I went to school, and when I looked at my friends, not one of them looked like they had done that. I couldn't believe that it happened even in the teacher's home. In other words, this was a school thing. It was a classroom story. It was just a story. It wasn't a fact.
Once I understood that, the world became much easier to live in; and things which could not be understood became understandable. The Kojiki was one of them. Even gods like Izanaginomikoto and Izanaminomikoto were stories. They were just stories. However, I could not tell anyone that. That was my understanding. Probably I was not the only one. Everyone since the Meiji period may well have thought that. That's funny, if we all thought that. I may have gotten off the track, but until now our nation has been built on such thinking. But enough of that talk. I just wanted to say why Miekichi called these "Kojiki Tales" historical children's stories. That is, the era would not permit one to write that they were myths or legends. For that reason, there seems to be a little too much honorific language in these tales, but that was inevitable. Myths could be written one way, but this was not just history; it dealt with the ancestors of the imperial family. It had to be written most humbly. You can imagine how painful it must have been to write these "Kojiki Tales." But times are better now. These are times when we can speak the facts to earnest children, hiding nothing. There is no reason at all to prolong a culture built on lies.
This Kojiki was not just painful for Miekichi to write; it would be painful for any Japanese. That may be the reason-- although I have heard that Greeks myths have a strong influence on western children, I have never heard such a thing about the Kojiki and Japanese adults or children. I haven't heard that children love to read it, or that adults find it interesting. The reason of course is that it was considered history, and could not be interesting as a story. There may be something I am not aware of, but there doesn't seem to be any Kojiki for children other than these "Kojiki Tales" by Miekichi. In other words, there is no definitive edition of the Kojiki. It has been revered that much. It has been revered too much. On that point, these "Kojiki Tales" could be called the definitive edition of the Kojiki for children.
Beyond that, what if this Kojiki is compared with Greek mythology as literature? I don't know that much about the Kojiki, but I really can't say anything about the Greek myths. But if I may speak on the basis of an insubstantial feeling, the Greek myths feel much bigger to me, next to which the Kojiki is rather small. It's like comparing a novel to a short story. Michelangelo's paintings and Greek sculpture have a sense of preoccupation which perhaps can be fully embraced. But on the whole, western things are large and complex, perhaps because they are large continents [not small islands like Japan]. When a Japanese folk tale is compared to one of Grimm's Fairy Tales, for example, the Japanese tale looks ridiculous, even if it is the same story with the same plot. It looks like a little story you could hold in the palm of your hand. There are strong points and weak points, but I think this is one feature of the Japanese character.
I don't know whether this is appropriate as a commentary on the "Kojiki Tales." I would feel bad to think I had impugned the master's work, and I hope that many people will consider the above and read that work.