{"id":21710,"date":"2015-02-12T11:15:37","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T02:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/?p=21710"},"modified":"2015-02-16T19:30:08","modified_gmt":"2015-02-16T10:30:08","slug":"eiko-kadonos-message-for-the-second-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/21710","title":{"rendered":"Eiko Kadono\u2019s message for the 21st century"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spreading imagination across the globe<\/h2>\n

Eiko Kadono has been writing inspirational children\u2019s literature for over 40 years.\u00a0 \u2018Kiki\u2019s Delivery Service,\u2019 one of her most well-known works has had 5 sequels published in the past 24 years and in 1989 was adapted into a blockbuster anime feature film by Hayao Miyazaki. In this article, the creative Eiko Kadono shares her inspirations and her memories as a student.<\/p>\n

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Eiko Kadono<\/p><\/div>\n

Waseda University\u2019s relaxed atmosphere and sense of freedom made me into who I am today<\/span><\/h4>\n

-Can you please tell us about your life as a student?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My student days were a number of years after the war.\u00a0 At that time, a vast amount of foreign music, movies, and literature was flooding into Japan. I wanted to study English and learn more about foreign countries and therefore enrolled in Waseda University\u2019s English Literature Department where I attended Professor Naotaro Tatsunokuchi\u2019s seminar.\u00a0 Professor Tatsunokuchi was well known for his translation of \u2018Breakfast at Tiffany\u2019s.\u2019 I would often talk with Professor Tatsunokuchi about various topics while drinking coffee in the research lab, and sometimes he would welcome me into his home where we would continue our discussions. I often talked about movies and literature with my friends at cafes but when it came to tests, I would barely get by. I probably wasn\u2019t that great of a student. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t the type of person that wanted to push my way to the top.\u00a0 However, Waseda University\u2019s environment allowed all types of students to succeed. Professors were free to express their ideas and interact openly with everyone, and all individuals were treated as equals.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The words that inspired me to become an author<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

-I understand you traveled to Brazil when you were 25 and debuted as a writer after returning to Japan. Can you please tell us about this experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I did not want to become a writer when I was a student. After graduation, I worked for a publishing company for one year and then got married. I really wanted to live overseas so I immigrated to Brazil and lived there for 2 years. With the money I saved in Brazil I traveled to Europe, America, and Canada and returned to Japan in 1961. At that time, Tokyo was preparing for the Olympics and a sense of internationalization could be felt throughout the city. Years after I graduated, Professor Tatsunokuchi contacted me and asked, \u201cNow that you\u2019ve arrived back in Japan, why don\u2019t you write a book about your experience in Brazil?\u201d It was these words that inspired me to write.\u00a0 My debut novel was titled \u2018Brazil and My Friend Luizinho,\u2019 and starred a Brazilian boy as the lead character.<\/p>\n

When I was in my 3rd<\/sup> year of university, I told Professor Tatsunokuchi that I would like to try translating children\u2019s literature. Professor Tatsunokuchi told me that I should write my own material rather than translate. At first I was disheartened by his comments because I assumed he thought I wasn\u2019t capable of translating because I couldn\u2019t understand English. However, now that I think about it, Professor Tatsunokuchi seemed to be pointing something out about myself that I wasn\u2019t even aware of.<\/p>\n

-What is your happiest memory as a writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a job that I will never get tired of. When writing my first two stories, I found myself revising and re-writing my works over and over again. However, I never became restless or frustrated and it was during this time that I realized I love writing.\u00a0 The vague anxiety I had about my future disappeared and I felt completely satisfied. My love for writing continues to this day and I intend to create many more stories.<\/p>\n

Students should be brave and venture out into the world<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

-How would you define a global-oriented individual?\u00a0 Also, what do you think students should do going into the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I believe people that interact globally have vast imaginations. Although I did not understand Portuguese when I moved to Brazil, I would think about how to use the handful of words I knew to express myself and was able to communicate by combining certain words and adjusting my tone of voice. I believe the ability to imagine is one of the greatest traits of human beings. Not only does it help one to communicate, but it opens the doors for creation and global interaction.<\/p>\n

I understand there are many introverted individuals among today\u2019s students and I would like them to take risks and be adventurous. Among my generation, there were many people that wanted to accomplish things that had never been done before.\u00a0 It may be difficult to be as adventurous today, but I would like people to engage themselves in things that are new and exciting.<\/p>\n

Eiko Kadono<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Eiko Kadono was born in Tokyo in 1935 and in 1957 graduated from Waseda University. After graduation, she started working at a publishing company and in 1960 she immigrated to Brazil where she lived for 2 years.\u00a0 She debuted as an author in 1970 and in 1989 her book, \u2018Kiki\u2019s Delivery Service\u2019 was adapted into an anime, a musical, and a live action film.\u00a0 In 2002, she won the Medal with Purple Ribbon \u2013 awarded for contributions to education and culture \u2013 and in 2014 was awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette \u2013 awarded for international achievements.<\/p>\n

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