Come and Play! It's Children's Day in Japan





Original Chikanobu (1838-1912)

Japanese Woodblock Print Children Playing



Children’s Day, also known as Kodomo no Hi, is a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5, the fifth day of the fifth month. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948. Although it is not known precisely when this day started to be celebrated, it was probably during the reign of the Empress Suiko (593–628 A.D.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Day_(Japan)

Paper or cloth "carp" streamers are flown during the celebration. There is a carp for each child on the family's streamer. The carp on the top is the largest and represents the oldest child, with each carp getting smaller to symbolize the younger and youngest children. The carp, called koi in Japanese is a symbol of strength, courage and determination. The carp kites represent a wish for the Japanese sons and daughters to grow up to brave and strong.

STORIES

The Boy Who Drew Cats – Japan
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/045.html

The Cat’s Elopement

http://tinyurl.com/cllzb9b

The Snow Tomb

http://tinyurl.com/cydbgtb

The Two Frogs

http://tinyurl.com/y9ngkky

Moonflower
http://tinyurl.com/2v33wxt

Snow Woman
http://tinyurl.com/c9q397r

Japanese Legends About Supernatural Sweethearts

Seven supernatural stories from the land of the rising sun.
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/japanlove.html

Kids Web Japan - A number of Japanese folktales for your students to read. Later, they may explore the culture of Japan using different links.

http://tinyurl.com/bqjbur

BOOKS BRIMMING WITH ADDITONAL JAPANESE TALES

Aino Folk-Tales by Basil Hall Chamberlain, 1888 - The Ainu are an ethnic minority in Japan, living primarily on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō.
http://tinyurl.com/899tr6s

Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan by Richard Gordon Smith, 1918. A collection of “historical legends and folktales from Japan; themes include ghosts; unrequited love across social boundaries; Shinto landscape, tree and ocean spirits; and tales driven by Bushido and Buddhist ethics.”

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/atfj/index.htm

Child Life in Japan Child-Life in Japan and Japanese Child Stories by Matilda Chaplin Ayrton, 1909.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28979?msg=welcome_stranger

Green Willow and other Japanese Fairy Tales by Grace Adams, 1910 – Thirty eight stories from the Land of the Rising ballads told to children, complemented by the gorgeous illustrations of Warwick Goble.

http://tinyurl.com/4rzy5pg

Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales - Thirty-three folktales collected by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet and published in 1908. You can download the book for your own files. http://tinyurl.com/ckvg49

Japanese Fairy Tales by Teresa Peirce Williston, 1911; step into the world of fairy tales with these thirteen stories, including The Bamboo Princess, The Great Stone Bowl and The Dragon Jewel.

http://tinyurl.com/l5jjwyj

Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki, 1908. A collection of Japanese fairy tales based on a version written in Japanese by Sadanami Sanjin. According to Ozaki, "These stories are not literal translations, and though the Japanese story and all quaint Japanese expressions have been faithfully preserved, they have been told more with the view to interest young readers of the West than the technical student of folk-lore."

http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/72/japanese-fairy-tales/

Old-world Japan : legends of the land of the gods by Frank Rinder, 1895
http://www.archive.org/details/oldworldjapanleg00rind 

Tales of Old Japan by A.B. Mitford, 1910 
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13015/13015-h/13015-h.htm

The two books below are not available as a download but are available for purchase.

Folktales from the Japanese Countryside. (Fujita & Stallings, Libraries Unlimited 2008).

Stories to Play With (Fujita & Stallings, August House 1999) 

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Comparing Japanese Folktales with American Tall Tales

http://www.colorado.edu/cas/tea/curriculum/texts-and-contexts/momotaro/comparing-folktales-and-tall-tales-lesson.pdf

Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs by J.M.W.Silver, 1867

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13051/13051-h/13051-h.htm

Japanese Folktales Lesson Plans for K-8

http://tinyurl.com/btzck2

Kites in the Classroom - Kites can be a remarkably efficient teaching tool, allowing teachers to integrate many subjects-science and technology, reading, writing, social studies, visual arts, math-within a single lesson or sequence of lessons. http://www.aka.kite.org/docs/Handbooks/ki

Kamishibai (kah-mee-shee-bye) Kamishibai is a form of Japanese street storytelling dating back to the 1920’s. If you would like to know more about this charming art of storytelling, or incorporate it into your lesson plans, visit these sites:

Integrating Japanese Folk Tales into the Classroom Using Japanese Kamishibai

Addresses grades 2- 6 in the areas of social studies, language arts, and art http://www.grandviewlibrary.org/pdfs/IntegratingJapaneseStorytelling_Kamishibai.pdf

Teachers Guide to Kamishibai
This unit addresses the themes of Love of Family, Compassion, Courage and Sacrifice.

http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/outreach/educators/storytelling/kamishibai.shtml

Teacher’s Resource Guide: Japanese Art and Culture Outreach Kit - Although you may not be able to borrow the actual kit, there are many helpful curriculum ideas in this guide you may duplicate on your own.
http://jsma.uoregon.edu/sites/jsma.uoregon.edu/files/PDF/JapaneseArtandCultureKit.pdf

CRAFTS

Activity Village – Make your own carp kite or origami to celebrate Kodomo no hi (Children’s Day). There are many other crafts, activities and printables to make this Japanese national holiday shine!
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/childrens_day_japan.htm

Enchanted Learning – Japanese Activities and Crafts: Lots of wonderful crafts, including easy origami, and classroom activities.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/japan/

Japanese Fans made with paper plates.

http://arteascuola-miriampaternoster.blogspot.com/2013/04/oriental-fans-with-paper-plates.html?m=1

Storybug.net – If you are interested in learning more about origami, visit my previous blog post with additional resources.

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/03/celebrating-akira-yoshizawa-grandfather.html

CHILDREN’S GAMES

Traditional Japanese Games

“Japan has many games that have been passed down through the generations. Rules and materials may change over time, but even today Japanese children are fond of pastimes from the old days. Some of the games introduced on these pages are probably similar to those in your own country.”
http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia26/en/topic/

Japanese Games

http://www.k12connections.iptv.org/documents/Japanese_games.pdf

Karen Chace 2014 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Remembering Those Who Serve

My step-father Joe served during World War II and when he died in 2008 at the age of 90 we found an old metal box among his belongs. The contents gave us a completely different picture of the man we thought we knew; a quiet man who could lean towards the cantankerous, yet took great joy in patiently searching for four leaf clovers in my backyard. We were given a rare gift, a glimpse into his past.

Inside the cold, grey metal box we found remnants of his youth. First, his Army dog tags. I was struck by how incredibly light they were, too light for the heavy significance they bear. Then, two letters written to his first wife Dorothy in 1943, one as he left the railroad station to go to training camp, and another on his first New Year's Day away from home. Joe only went to school up to the fourth grade and although his spelling was rough, the sentiments he shared were gentle, lovingly sprinkled with "honey" and  "I love you" throughout.

There was also the original Western Union telegram sent to Dorothy when he was wounded in Germany, as well as the postcards the Army sent updating her on his hospital status. The messages were brief and to the point and I couldn't help think how difficult it  must for her to read those few words, devoid of any real emotion, nothing but "just the facts".  And last, folded neatly at the bottom a signed letter by President Harry Truman, on White House stationary, thanking him for his service to our country. Those letters, now creased and yellowed with time placed a real face on one of the hundreds of thousands of who left their homes to fight in WWII.

During his tour Joe received the Purple Heart and was buried with Military Honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Months later, when his stone was placed to mark his grave we went back to honor him once more. The picture at the top of this page is of his stone, nestled among the thousands of others who served. It is a humbling experience to walk among the rows, reading the names of those gone far too soon.

I hope in between the hot dogs and fun these last few days, each of us took time to reflect, remember and say "thank you," not only for the chance to spend time with our family and friends this weekend in peace, but for the many days to come. May all of our men and women be home soon.



"Peace is more than the absence of war.
True peace is justice, freedom, the recognition of human rights.
So it is with nations, so it can be within each of us.
I will be at peace when I tender justice to others, and when others are just with me.
I will be at peace when I yield freedom to others, and when others free me.
I will be at peace when I recognize the rights of others, and when others value My rights as highly as theirs.
I need not look for peace. Peace will find me when I seek it for others."
                                                                                              ~ Hiba Taha 


The Real Meaning of Peace
Author Unknown

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall.

This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart."

"That is the real meaning of peace."


 
When the Twins Went to War - A Fable of Far East Russia
Adapted by Aaron Shepherd

On the Amur River, in the tribe of the Nanai, the ones who most loved to fight were the men of the Beldy clan. They were always rushing off to attack another clan’s village, or defending themselves from a clan that had come for revenge.

They neglected their hunting. They neglected their fishing. They got so bad, they felt lost when they weren’t fighting. They just sat around and waited for the next war.

And every year, there were fewer of them left alive.

Now, into this clan was born a pair of twins whose names were Chubak and Udoga. The Beldies were careful to honor the boys, because they knew that twins are good luck.

Besides, there was something special about those two. By the time they were five years old, they were wiser than anyone else in the village. So both the men and the women of the clan often came to them for advice.

One day, a Beldy hunter found that one of his traps had been sprung, but the animal was missing. He could tell from the signs that the animal was a weasel and it had been taken by a man of the Zaksuli clan.

The hunter went to tell the Beldy chief.

“This is a great insult!” roared the chief. “Prepare for war!”
To read the rest of the story click here http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/047.html

 
WEBSITES

Beyond the Fire: Teen Experiences of War - Real-life stories of 15 teenagers, now living in the U.S., who have survived war in seven war zones: Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq. Includeslesson plans and conflict timelines, and links to related sites. Copyright 2005 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII. http://lii.org/
http://archive.itvs.org/beyondthefire/  

What Did You Do in the War, Grandma? - Twenty-six interviews with women who served in WW II.
http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/tocCS.html

Veterans History Project - Focuses on World War I, World War II, Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars.
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/about.html

New Songs for Peace - This UNESCO-endorsed "New Songs for Peace" project is intended to encourage people to think about peace, talk about peace, and write a new song that we will collect and self-publish in a book. These new songs will promote peace, cultural acceptance and understanding for those who work towards peace throughout the world.
http://www.newsongsforpeace.org/

Seeds of Peace - "Treaties are negotiated by governments. Peace is made by people." And so begins the opening of Seeds of Peace, "a non-profit, non-political organization dedicated to preparing teenagers from areas of conflict with the leadership skills required to promote coexistence and peace. Seeds of Peace has focused primarily on bringing Arab and Israeli teenagers together before fear; mistrust and prejudice blind them from seeing the human face of their enemy. Seeds of Peace goes beyond international agreements and treaties. It reverses the legacy of hatred by nurturing lasting friendships that become the basis for mutual understanding and respect. By training these young leaders in conflict resolution skills, Seeds of Peace helps them become the seeds from which an enduring peace will grow."
http://www.seedsofpeace.org/

The World & I - Since 1986 this online monthly publication has offered information "that presents thought-provoking reading in politics, science, culture, humanity." It offers a wide range of articles, a Teacher's Guide with activities that meet State Standards, and seven specialty sections that includes World Wide Folktales. There is a reasonable subscription fee for those interested in this insightful publication. http://www.worldandi.com/

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Taking With Children About War and Terrorism

http://www.nctsn.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/edu_materials/talk_children_about_war.pdf

 
CRAFTS FOR CHILDREN
 
Children of the World Necklacehttp://tinyurl.com/l6cqsu
 
World Neighbors: Handprint Craft and Poemhttp://tinyurl.com/l45smb

Peace Dovehttp://tinyurl.com/n4wfwh

Karen Chace ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Fools, Tricksters, Festivals, and Spring!

Hodja in a Yellow Caftan
by
Osman Hamdi Bey, 1905

"Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb
like the sun, it shines everywhere. "
William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

On the first day of the month, known as April Fool's Day, we are given free reign to play good natured jokes on friends and family. Many different cultures shared days of foolishness around the start of April. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html

Hodja is one of our favorite fools, and there are many stories associated with this interesting character from Turkey.

Nasreddin Hodja - Information and stories about the beloved character of Turkish tales, including reading comprehension exercises. This website is also a portal to many other Hodja sites.
http://www.cs.biu.ac.il/~schiff/Hodja/index.html

A well-known Trickster in Oral Tradition is Anansi. Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. He is also known as Anase, Kweku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the Southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy. He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a man. The story of Anansi is akin to the Coyote trickster found in many Native American cultures.

The Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti tribe in Ghana. (The word Anansi is Akan and means, simply, spider.) They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi

Jamaican Anansi Stories - Tricksters are universal figures in folkore and Anansi is one of our most beloved. This site offers a wide variety of Anansi tales as well as trickster folklore from various cultures. The text also includes transcriptions of folk music, and a large collection of riddles, all cross-referenced with folklore studies from other cultures. There are also musical notations in some of the texts for the musical among us! http://tinyurl.com/6huzob

And what would April Fool's Day be without some laughter?

Tales of Laughter – What better way to jump into the month of fools than reading Tales of Laughter from 1908? A collection of familiar and not so familiar tales from Russia, Ireland, Spain, France and many more countries from around the globe. They are sure to have you smiling with delight!
https://archive.org/details/talesoflaughtert00wiggrich


The first day of spring this year was March 20 and soon, colorful flowers will be blooming here in the east, which calls for some stories about spring and the sun!

Apples4theteacher.com - Fourteen stories to celebrate the wonderful season of spring. http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/spring/short-stories/

How the Sun Was Rescued - Siberia
https://tinyurl.com/2976yx7x

Saving Spring – Scandinavia
https://www.thehindu.com/children/saving-spring/article17578551.ece  

The Spring Beauty - Native American/Chippewa
http://tinyurl.com/2tkbl2

Why Cats Sit on the Doorstep in the Sun - Rumania
http://tinyurl.com/2xga8h

Earth Day is April 22. What better way to celebrate than sharing stories about our beautiful planet?

Earth Cakes, Sky Cakes – Folktale from Vietnam
http://tinyurl.com/dy6dsv

When The Earth and Sky Were Married - Folktale from Muria/India
http://tinyurl.com/cw34y8

Earth Care – World Folktales to Talk About
A limited preview of this excellent book by Margaret Read MacDonald. You can read some of the folktales online, but I bet you will want a copy of your own.
http://tinyurl.com/aap7ug

After we leave the month of April it will be time to celebrate and explore the cultural celebration of Japan's Children's Day or Kodomo no Hi.

Woman Playing with a Child
with a Tengu Mask

by Kitagawa Utamaro
1795-1802

Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales - Thirty-three folktales collected by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet and published in 1908. You can download the book for your own files.
http://tinyurl.com/ckvg49

Kids Web Japan - A number of Japanese folktales for you students to read. Later, they may explore the culture of Japan using different links. http://tinyurl.com/bqjbur

CURRICULUM

Fables and Trickster Tales From Around the World – From Edusitement, lesson plans, information and stories, everything you need to introduce your students to those globe-trotting tricksters, Anansi, Brer Rabbit, Fox, and Rabbit. 
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/fables-and-trickster-tales-around-world 

Leap into spring with ABC Teach.com Counting games, math facts, printables, word searches and more.
http://tinyurl.com/bqmmvc

Flowers in the Classroom – Grades 5 to 8 Language Arts: Legendary Flowers lesson plan including myths, folktales and legends of flowers. http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=46597

Planet Pals.com - This is a colorful, fun and information filled website on all things Earth: Lesson plans and activities for both teachers and parents, the history behind Earth Day, coloring pages, puzzles, clip art and so much more. http://www.planetpals.com/index.html

Japanese Folktales Lesson Plans for 3-6
https://www.clevelandart.org/sites/default/files/documents/lesson-plans/cma_lesson_ao_japanesefolktales.pdf 

Teacher’s Resource Guide: Japanese Art and Culture Outreach Kit - Although you may not be able to borrow the actual kit, there are many helpful curriculum ideas in this guide you may duplicate on your own.
http://jsma.uoregon.edu/sites/jsma.uoregon.edu/files/PDF/JapaneseArtandCultureKit.pdf

Activity Village – Make your own carp kite or origami to celebrate Kodomo no hi (Children’s Day). There are many other crafts, activities and printables to make this Japanese national holiday shine! 
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/childrens-day

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2009 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.