The picture books "Little Daruma and Little Tengu"( Daruma-chan and Tengu-chan) and "Karasu no Pan-ya-san" are long sellers loved by children and adults of all ages. Many of you may have read them in the past or are reading them with your children now. The author, Satoshi Kako, was born in Echizen City. Over the past half-century, he has published more than 600 books.

His works inspire many places in Echizen City. Among them, the "Kako Satoshi Furusato Picture Book Museum Raku" opened in 2013, where most of his picture books and picture story shows can be viewed, attracting many Kako Satoshi fans from all over Japan. In this issue, we interviewed Ms. Chiyoko Tanide,Former Director of the Picture Book Museum, about the life of Kako Satoshi.

▲There are many places in Echizen City where his works are used as motifs.

Kako Satoshi lived in Echizen City until the age of seven. He then moved to Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, where he graduated from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering and joined Showa Denko. He first encountered children's theater in a theater study group during his college years, and after finding employment he became involved in Setsurument (volunteer activities for children) in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

"Setsurument produced picture story shows for children on a variety of topics, including nature and chemistry. When a child is interested, they will gaze at something intently it, and if they are not interested, they will immediately go away. There were days of trial and error, like ......, trying to figure out how to attract children."

One day, a postcard he had drawn happened to catch the eye of a staff member at a publishing company that deals with children's books, and he decided to work on a picture book. Later, while working as an office worker, he made his debut in his early thirties with a picture book about dam construction, "Damu no Ojisan-tachi" ("middle-aged-man working at the dam"). He retired at the age of 47 to devote himself as a picture book author.

Still, why was his debut film "The Dam"? Mr.Tanide says that "water" the theme of Kako Satoshi's works, has something to do with this.

"The basis of his work is his childhood experience in Echizen City. Born and raised near the Hino River, which runs through the city, Kako played on the banks, caught fish, and sometimes watched the river overflow due to rain, and felt the importance of water in our daily lives." he said.

For the subject matter of his debut novel, the editor had mentioned three options: shipbuilding, steel manufacturing, and dams. It is said that Kako Satoshi chose the dam because he thought that "hydraulic power" was important if the work was to be about the future.

One of his other representative picture books, "Kawa" (River), describes the relationship between human activities and rivers, and "To have fun with Daruma-chan: Japanese children's playbook" (Japanese children's playbook) introduces games using plants and flowers in nature. Kako Satoshi himself had various experiences in nature at the Hino River, which can be seen through his various works.

The "A picture on a full spread" are also a distinctive feature of his work.

"Kako's work is filled with drawings. Moreover, rather than simply drawing numbers, it is a good way to play with words and get a good taste of the Japanese language. The view of the world is expanded by the many pictures drawn from a single theme."says Mr.Tanide.

Some of Kako Satoshi's works deal with chemistry and technology, themes that at first glance may seem difficult even for adults. However, he does not make a fool of himself with superficial explanations because this is something for children to read, and always makes it a point to convey the truth correctly. This is because of the experience of experiencing the pure eyes and raw reactions of children felt through Settlement's activities.

His picture book production is based on his own exhaustive research. It is not unusual for a single book to take 10 years to complete. He breaks down even the most difficult words and presents them in a plain and easy-to-understand manner, which is probably one of the reasons why he is loved by all generations.

Kako Satoshi passed away at the age of 92, but a new picture book, "Autumn", was published three years later in 2021. An unpublished picture story show based on Kaoko Satoshi's own war experiences was found. Mr. Tanide describes those days as follows.

"Kako has been working on picture books in a variety of fields, but none of his works have directly dealt with the subject of war. The original picture storyboard that Kako Satoshi's relatives found was drawn before his debut as a picture book artist. The book was not published at the time, but the notes he left behind showed his desire to 'somehow go viral.'"

"Autumn" has a different touch from the picture books by Kako Satoshi generally known. The title "Autumn" is in three colors: the orange of the clear autumn sky, the pink of the cosmos, and the black of war casting a dark shadow.

The daily life of a series of air raids, fighter planes crashing in the clear autumn sky, aviators falling because their parachutes failed to open, the news that a doctor who had once taken care of them had been killed in the war.... The world of the book, which depicts beautiful nature and the vivid daily life of the time, is filled with his grief over the war and his strong desire for peace. Reading "Autumn" will give you a better understanding of the works of Kako Satoshi that you have read so far.

▲Picture Book Museum attracts many visitors not only from within the prefecture, but also from outside the prefecture.

Kako Satoshi, more than anyone else, has continued to create picture books with strong conviction and sincerity, thinking of children. Not only children but also many adults can be seen in the Picture Book Museum. Some visitors were moved to tears, saying, "It brings back memories of being read to when I was little".

All the books he produced over his lifetime contain the gifts of pictures and words that he bequeathed to those of us living today, and that we want to inherit forever.

Text / Ai Ishihara