The Night Hawk Star

by Junko Morimoto, Kenji Miyazawa, Helen Smith (Translator)

Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Junko Morimoto (1932–) graduated from Kyoto University of Fine Art and worked as an art teacher at an Osaka high school before becoming Art Director of the Children's Art Studio in Osaka. Her books, which include The Inch Boy, Mouse's Marriage, and My Hiroshima, have been published in the United States, Japan, Australia, England, and other European countries. My Hiroshima is now used as a text in Hiroshima high schools to study English and to promote peace. Junko currently lives in Australia.

Reviews

[Cheryl]

I want it for the illustrations. The story (perhaps by a different translator) is here:

http://tonygonz.blogspot.com/2006/05/...

Translations & Such
Creative Commons licensed translations of Japanese fiction

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2006
The Nighthawk’s Star [Miyazawa Kenji]

[Andopoulos · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know this is a hundred year old Japanese fable, but the content it covers is really dark. It basically celebrates the loss of hope.

A little nighthawk is relentlessly teased, bullied, threatened and forced to shame himself (wearing a sign reading "pipsqueak") by a menacing hawk who apparently doesn't like that the smaller bird shares its name.

The nighthawk reflects on the struggle of life after eating some insects and decides to commit suicide ("Night Hawk realised he could never escape from Hawk as a mere earthbird."). It ends up in the heavens as a Night Hawk Star, and the author suggests people look to it when the "world feels heavy"

Grim! I wouldn't let my child go near it.

[Horace Mann Family Reading Challenge · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a really ugly bird that a species of a night hawk. One day, a regular hawk says to change the name of the species. K.T.