Jun'ichi Yoda was a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 poet and a leading figure among the Japanese children's book authors while the Shōwa period

Showa period

The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...

.

Early life

In 1905, Jun'ichi Yoda was born in Setaka

Setaka, Fukuoka

was a town located in Yamato District, Fukuoka, Japan.On January 29, 2007 Setaka was merged with the town of Yamakawa, also from Yamato District, and the town of Takata, from Miike District, to form the new city of Miyama....

 (Miyama

Miyama, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on January 29, 2007, from the merger of the town of Takata, from Miike District, and the towns of Setaka and Yamakawa, both from Yamato District....

 at present), Fukuoka, as the second son between Yotarō Asayama and Sue, and was adopted out as the heir of the Yodas, a relative of the Asayamas.

Literary career

Teaching at elementary schools in Chikugo

Chikugo, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan.As of May 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 48,808 with 17,322 households and a population density of 1,166.26 persons per km². The total area is 41.85 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1954....

, Yoda studied under Kitahara Hakushū

Kitahara Hakushu

is the pen-name of ', a Japanese tanka poet active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan. He is regarded as one of the most popular and important poets in modern Japanese literature.-Early life:...

. Then he went to Tokyo and became an editor of Akai Tori (Red Bird), an influential children's literature magazine which Miekichi Suzuki published and Nankichi Niimi was active at that time. In 1929, Yoda published his first book for children, Flag, Bee, and Cloud (『旗・蜂・雲』).

From 1950 to 1960 Yoda gave lectures of children's literature at Japan Women's University

Japan Women's University

is the oldest and largest of private Japanese women's universities. The university was established in 20 April 1901 by education reformist .The university has around 6000 students and 200 faculty...

. In 1962 he became the chairman of the Japanese Association of Writers for Children. He was awarded the Sankei Juvenile Literature Publishing Culture Award for the Complete Works of Jun'ichi Yoda (『与田凖一全集』) in 1967 and the Noma Juvenile Literature Prize for Noyuki Yamayuki (『野ゆき山ゆき』) in 1973. Michio Mado

Michio Mado

is a Japanese poet. He was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1994.-Early life:Mado was born as Michio Ishida in Tokuyama, Yamaguchi prefecture. He spent his childhood with his grandfather because his parents went to work in Taiwan. Later he joined his family there...

 and Kimiko Aman were his pupils.

Works

• "A Goat and a Dish" 『山羊とお皿』
• "12 Stumps" 『十二の切株』
• "Bippu and the Town Mayor" 『びっぷとちょうちょう』
• "A Song of Playing with a Ball Hitting with the Hand" 『てまりのうた』
• "The Complete Works of Jun'ichi Yoda" 『与田凖一全集』