A bilingual picture book
created through crowdfunding
We received a lot of support!
A bilingual picture book with three stories in one volume
Japanese and English version
Japanese Folktales Masterpiece Series
Japanese folktales have been handed down from generation to generation. There are heartwarming stories, brave stories, funny stories, and even scary stories, all of which are excellent.
Recently, however, the number of opportunities to find picture books of Japanese folktales has been decreasing.
We would like to pass on the wonderful world of Japanese folktales to the hearts of children once again.
Among the many folktales, this time we have selected the ones that bring a smile to our faces and are filled with the lessons we want to pass on to our children.
Please join us in bringing these Japanese folktales to children, who will be enriched by reading them.
We are so grateful for all the response we’ve received!
Some excerpts
We would like to bring art for the disabled and Japanese culture to the world!
The bilingual picture book "Masterpieces of Japanese Folktales Series" was made possible by the voices of crowd-funding supporters who agreed with this idea!
As of 2019, there are approximately 9.36 million people with disabilities in Japan. The number of people with physical and mental disabilities that make it difficult for them to work in companies is increasing. In fact, these people have a variety of wonderful talents. One of them is drawing.
We started this crowd-funding project with the hope of helping to support the employment of people with disabilities by promoting the works of artists with physical and mental disabilities who have the talent to draw, and connecting them to jobs.
Let's make a picture book of Japanese folktales!
As of 2018, there are 3.85 million people studying Japanese overseas.
While the number of people who are interested in Japan and want to learn Japan is increasing, the most lacking thing for those who want to learn Japanese is "teaching materials". In order to make up for that, We would like to provide something useful to people who want to learn Japanese and Japan.
At that time, we heard that not only manga but also Japanese picture books are popular overseas, so We decided to create a picture book of Japanese folktales and old tales that have been passed down from generation to generation, and deliver it to children in Japan and around the world. We also decided to send out our talents to the world by having artists with disabilities draw the pictures for this picture book.
Great talent keeps coming in!
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Many artists sympathized with our call and gladly joined us
"I love to draw!" "It's always been my dream to draw pictures for picture books! "I love drawing! "I'm so happy to be part of this wonderful project!" "I can't believe my drawings will be published in a book!
And so far, 50 artists with disabilities have participated in this project!
Crowd-funding
We've had support from 190 people in 68 days!
世界に届けたいバイリンガル絵本プロジェクト
A total of 190 people showed their support for the crowdfunding project, and we were able to achieve 176% of our goal.
The result is the bilingual picture book "Masterpieces of Japanese Folktales Series".
Survey of 1,000 mothers and fathers with children
August 2021 Internet survey of 1,000 men and women in their 30s to 50s
More than 70% of parents want their children to read Japanese folktales and myths.
More than 80% of parents want bilingual picture books in both English and Japanese.
Everyone, please go to a bookstore in town now.
There are only a few picture books of Japanese folktales, and most of them are western books or anime picture books, aren't they?
It's not that there is anything wrong with that.
However, Japanese folktales are very good at summarizing important and thought-provoking human stories in an easy-to-understand way.
Kunio Yanagida, the father of Japanese folktales, once said that Japanese folktales are treasures.
With the help of my collaborators, We have been able to create and publish this wonderful Japanese treasure of folktales!
Voices of Collaborators
I agree with the idea of this wonderful project!
May the light of love and peace flood the world through this project.
I pray for your success!
Mariko Oku
A world where we all live together helping each other is Maitreya's world! I heard from this project leader! I really agree with that! Let's realize the purpose of this activity together, where everyone, weak and strong, live together and laugh together.
Shihomi Ookura
That's a very nice project!
As a mother of two living abroad, I would like to support you in any way I can. I hope that children and their families living all over the world will be able to read many stories. I sincerely look forward to your future activities and success!
Ayumi Tran Sakurai
I think I can get positive power from it too.
I wholeheartedly support you in your future endeavors!
This is a wonderful project!
Even in the midst of the chaos of the world, there are people who are continuing activities like this to light up the future.
Kana I.
I believe that they exist to think about "What is a better society?
To move from "thinking" to "action" requires a certain amount of power.
I hope that I can be of some help to them.
Hideo Yoshikawa
Picture books, people with disabilities, and Japanese culture, I like it.
I would like to support this project in order to make the world a peaceful place without conflict.
Thank you for the information.
Hitoshi Tamanaha
I support your activities from behind the scenes!
I wish for a world in which everyone on earth can live a life full of individuality and vigor.
Mayumi Shimamura
The colors and atmosphere of the pictures you introduced were really wonderful.
I think it's a great blessing to have the opportunity to have your work seen, and I think it's a wonderful activity in terms of promoting Japanese culture. I will be supporting this project.
Murayama
I felt the gentleness and purity of the pictures drawn by artists with disabilities, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy. It is also unique in that there are sentences in both Japanese and English on the same page, so you can read the book while imagining that it will be delivered to people overseas, which is also a good way to learn English. I am sure that people overseas will be interested in the Japanese language. The stories that Japanese people are familiar with, with their wonderful pictures and multiple languages, will connect our hearts all over the world.
Mariko Kobayashi, illustrator
First impression. Your drawings are so pretty, and the colors are beautiful! The gentle touch conveys a soft feeling. The sentences are short, so I think it's good that it can be recited quickly. Nowadays, there are more and more young children who don't know the folktales. I think that short stories like this will be appreciated. Also, there are many different cultures in the world. I think it would be great to have English and other languages in the book, in order to promote interest in diversity.
Tamako Nakamura, Early Childhood Education Advisor
The pictures are very cute, and I can feel the world of the story!
The English text is simple and easy to understand, and the furigana (furigana in Japanese) make it a good way for children who are just starting to learn English to become familiar with English sentences.
I think this bilingual picture book will be a treasure for parents and children for a long time, as it can be used for reading to babies and for learning English when they are older.
I look forward to your future works!
Manami Naruse、Developmental Science Communication Trainer
I really enjoyed the catchy and expressive pictures in the picture book, which gave me an image of where the story was going. As I read the book, which is in both Japanese and English, I was excited to imagine how the essence of the "Law of Happiness" and the "Essence of Human Nature and Way of Life" that Japanese folktales want to convey can be spread to people all over the world.
I hope that this picture book, filled with my wish that the "spirit of pay forward" conveyed by Japanese folktales will circulate in the world and make the earth full of smiling faces, will serve as a catalyst.
Mika Yabuta, recitation activist
I wonder how the creators of this work and their parents feel about it.
I think they will feel very proud. They may even start to create more works.
I think it is an important part of life to be able to experience that your work is inspiring people. I think this project is very significant because it has given them that opportunity. I look forward to seeing more from you in the future.
Ako Niitsuma, Developmental Science Communication
A new wind has blown into Japanese folktales. That was my first impression.
I was told that the different types of pictures that draw readers into the world of folktales were drawn by people with disabilities living in Japan, which made me understand the power of pictures.
As a nursery school teacher living abroad, I am also fascinated by the fact that I can tell Japanese folktales in English. This is a new wind that has enhanced the good old Japanese folktales. I hope you will continue to ride on this wind and spread your wonderful works all over the world with your thoughtful pictures and bilingual writing!
Akiko Kato, Nursery school teacher/Japanese language teacher
Even if it is the same picture book, the atmosphere of the pictures can change the content into something so warm.
The artist's sensibility is very rich, and the picture book conveys to the reader an image that is difficult to convey through text alone.
The book is also available in English so that bilingual people can read it, and it is expected to be used as an English picture book for Japanese people who want to learn English.
I was thrilled to see that the book brings together an inclusive world that breaks down the barriers of disability!
I can't wait to see what the future holds!
Akiko Taira, Representative of MaCollabo Mental Trainer
The pictures were lovely, the scenes were chosen to be exciting, and I think the three-dimensional effect showed the beauty of Japanese manga.
I thought it would have been easier to read the Japanese text if there was English text underneath the Japanese text.
Please spread Japanese folktales to the world. I thought it was a wonderful activity.
Saori Natsume, handmade artist
Thanks to reading the bilingual "Masterpieces of Japanese Folktales" series, I realized that the connection around a book is not a straight line between one author and one reader, but a circle connecting collaborators such as translators, illustrators, and editors.
Thanks to the lovely pictures created by artists with disabilities, reading picture books became an experience that made me feel as if I were melting into the world of the story. I believe that this book can be used as a resource to introduce Japanese culture overseas and as a language teaching material.
Alexandra Kinami from Poland
he text is easy to read in both English and Japanese, and it includes furigana, which makes it easy for both Japanese and English learners to enjoy. The pictures are very cute. The kindness of the grandfather and grandmother is well depicted. Even though the Jizo and the others were smiling in the snow, the grandfather found out that the Jizo was cold, which is very Japanese. I was impressed.
There is also a Japanese word for hierarchical relationships that can be used to illustrate scenes from folktales. The illustrations are brightly colored and cartoon-like, but they convey the liveliness of the Issunbosh. The smallness and childishness of Issunboshi is emphasized by his pink cheeks, making it easy to convey.
Petra Karlova from Czech Republic
When I learned about this project, I was very impressed. I thought that many people would be provided with language skills through Japanese folktales, which I have come to love as a Japanologist. When I learned Japanese and other languages, I also used books written in those languages and in English. I was involved in the translation of this picture book. Using my knowledge of culture and literature, I tried my best to translate it into English as naturally as possible. The text is written in a gentle language for children.
As the saying goes, "Learn well, play well," I hope everyone will enjoy reading this picture book of folktales.
Martin Petrov from Bulgaria
First off, the cover is adorable! The title is cute too! That was my first impression. It was also easy to read, so I read it in no time at all. From my point of view as a bilingual person, I think that having children listen to multiple languages from an early age will lead to bilingual human resources in the future. Moreover, I think it is very convenient that the English version has been added with furigana, and I think this is a book that both parents and children can enjoy. It is good to read the book in both Japanese and English from the beginning, or to read it in Japanese when the child is young and use it as an English teaching material after English education starts. I think this is one of the attractive features of this bilingual picture book. When I read the contents of "Kasajizo", I was reminded of the saying, "If you have a fish heart, you have a water heart. Children can learn the lessons of Japan by reading this book. I highly recommend this bilingual picture book.
Andreea Dumitru from Romania
I have lived in Japan for nine years, but this was the first time I read a picture book of folktales, and it was very refreshing.
The gentle Japanese text and cute pictures make it really easy to understand and heal.
When I see the pictures drawn with unique colors and styles, I can feel the various expressions and the personality of the person who drew them. I hope that my friends around the world will be able to encounter Japanese folktales through these picture books.
Tang Thi Huong from Vietnam
Kasajizo" is a picture book that introduces Japanese folktales to children around the world in both Japanese and English. The story tells that if you are kind to people, they will return the favor, but the old couple in "Kasajizo" are not only kind to people, they even take care of the Jizo, and make him wear a hat when he is almost buried in the snow. They teach us to take care of all the things that make up the world. This teaching, which is deeply related to Japanese culture, reaches the hearts of children who cannot yet speak or read Japanese.
With the Japanese and English versions of the book, I can happily and gently share with children around the world the stories of perseverance and courage that have been handed down through long generations in Japan.
Nina Habjan Villarreal from Slovenia
A bilingual picture book with three stories in one volume
Japanese and English version
Japanese Folktales Masterpiece Series
Japanese folktales have been handed down from generation to generation. There are heartwarming stories, brave stories, funny stories, and even scary stories, all of which are excellent.
Recently, however, the number of opportunities to find picture books of Japanese folktales has been decreasing.
We would like to pass on the wonderful world of Japanese folktales to the hearts of children once again.
Among the many folktales, this time we have selected the ones that bring a smile to our faces and are filled with the lessons we want to pass on to our children.
Please join us in bringing these Japanese folktales to children, who will be enriched by reading them.