‘Kodomo no kuni (Children’s Land) was Japan’s leading illustrated magazine for children in the early decades of the twentieth century. It was founded and published by Kyutaro Takami in 23 volumes and 287 issues from January 1922 to March 1944.
The magazine included pictures, stories, children's songs, dances, plays, and articles on handicrafts for young children. It was published in a format and content pioneering a totally new genre of artistic children's magazines.
The 260 x 185 mm format was somewhat larger than the conventional journal. A heavy matte paper was used, both to enhance the feeling of intimacy for young readers and to sustain repeated turning of the pages.
The effect of color printing on this paper turned out to be outstanding, and eventually provided a vehicle much in demand for numerous talented artists whose creativity was devoted to children.
It was the time of the free spirit of "Taisho democracy," when educators were advocating a child-centered system of education stressing the natural personality and individuality of children.
Editorial advisor Kurahashi Sozo, a leading authority on children's education, strongly believed in the role of art in the pursuit of the ideal way of life. He called on artists to produce varied yet genuinely artistic forms of expression for children. The editorial staff included poets Kitahara Hakushu and Noguchi Ujo as advisors on children's songs, composer Nakayama Shinpei as advisor on musical compositions, Wada Koko as editor-in-chief, and Okamoto Kiichi as chief art editor.
The artists regularly attended editorial meetings of the journal. 0They were encouraged to view children straightforwardly, ask what they were thinking, and to urge young readers to find themselves in the pictures. In the first phase of the journal's publication, from 1922 to 1932, more than one hundred artists contributed, a quarter of whom were women.
The leading artists were Okamoto Kiichi, Takei Takeo, Shimizu Yoshio, Kawakami Shiro, Hatsuyama Shigeru, and Honda Shotaro, all already highly reputed in children's magazines for their work. Tokyosha also brought in the already established artists Takehisa Yumeji and Hosokibara Seiki to join them.
The 1920s was an era of urbanization and technological revolution. The role of art in society was also transformed with the growing importance of such genres as architecture and commercial art. However, Kodomo no kuni maintained its devotion to the nourishment of the minds and hearts of children in the newly modernized Japan. The pages of Kodomo no kuni brought to children pictures not only illustrating poetry and stories but also vividly recording the colorful daily life and fantasies of childhood.’ – From the Kodomo no Kuni website
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