Miyazawa Kenji - The poet of wind, earth and prayer gazed upon "true happiness"
Miyazawa Kenji - The poet of wind, earth, and prayer gazes upon "true happiness"
The wind is blowing.
Clouds are passing by.
The earth breathes quietly.
When reading Miyazawa Kenji's works, nature emerges not just as a backdrop, but as the voice of the world itself.
The rustling of the trees, the twinkling of the stars, the smell of the earth—they are all characters in his stories.
Kenji was a poet, a children's story writer, an agricultural instructor, and a religious seeker.
His multifaceted way of life gives his work depth and continues to move the hearts of readers even 100 years later.
Just as WABISUKE continues to search for "beauty in everyday life," Kenji was also a man who saw the brilliance of the universe in everyday life.
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■ Life - A poet rooted in the earth
Miyazawa Kenji was born in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture in 1896.
Although he grew up in a wealthy pawnbroker's family, he was strongly drawn to nature from an early age and collected stones and plants.
He had such a deep interest in minerals and science that he was nicknamed "Stone Ken-san."
He studied agriculture at Morioka Agricultural and Forestry School (now the Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University), and after graduating he became a teacher at Hanamaki Agricultural School.
He passionately taught his students not only agriculture but also literature, music, and philosophy.
However, it was the death of his beloved younger sister, Toshi, that changed his life forever.
Kenji wrote "The Morning of Eternal Farewell" in deep sorrow, and from then on his poetry took on a more prayerful tone.
He later founded the Rasu Jijin Association with the aim of improving the lives of farmers, and devoted himself to agricultural instruction.
However, due to overwork and illness, he passed away at the young age of 37.
Although his life was short, the works he left behind continue to radiate light to this day.
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■ Philosophy — In search of "true happiness"
At the heart of Kenji's thought is his deep faith in the Lotus Sutra.
However, this is more like a feeling that "all life is connected" than a religious doctrine.
As symbolized by the song "Ame ni mo Makezu,"
His ideal in life was "living for others."
If everyone seeks true happiness,
The world will be kinder.
There is no simple opposition between good and evil in Kenji's works.
Both nature and humans exist with light and shadow.
His literature is supported by his attitude of accepting this complexity and still choosing "kindness."
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■ World of the Works - A Symphony of Nature and the Universe
● Night on the Galactic Railroad
A timeless masterpiece depicting death and salvation, friendship and loneliness.
This work is the most beautiful crystallization of Kenji's view of the universe.
● The Restaurant of Many Orders
A fairy tale that contains criticism and satire of civilization.
The film depicts human arrogance wrapped in a light-hearted story.
● Spring and Shura
The poetry collection "Spring and Ashura" created a unique world in which Kenji's inner self and nature blend together.
His works are a mixture of all kinds of knowledge, including natural science, religion, agriculture, music, and astronomy.
It sounds like a "poetry of the universe."
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■ Miyazawa Kenji and WABISUKE — Poetics in everyday life
Kenji saw the truth of the universe in the details of nature.
WABISUKE finds stories of life in the feel of fabric and the sound of metal fittings.
This is very similar.
For example, the moment when a purse makes a clicking sound.
That small sound signals the quiet beginning of the day.
Kenji might say this.
That sound is the departure bell of the Galaxy Express in your heart.
The small beauty in life.
The sensitivity to find this is the path to "true happiness" that Kenji left behind.
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■ In conclusion — Live like the wind, remain like the light
Miyazawa Kenji is a figure that transcends literature.
He turned his "way of life" itself into a work of art.
Free as the wind,
Gentle as the earth,
Shining quietly like a star.
His words still live in our lives today.
The small cloth tools made by WABISUKE are also
Gently supporting someone's daily life,
I want to be a presence that shines a quiet light.
Just like Kenji's works.