Kenji Miyazawa

Writing

Kenji Miyazawa

Born August 27, 1896 · Hanamakikawaguchi, Iwate, Japan [now Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan]

Died September 21, 1933 · aged 37

Kenji Miyazawa was a poet and author of novelist in early Showa period Japan. Many of his children's works, that appear superficially to be light or humorous, contain stories intended for moral education of the reader. A number of his children's stories have been adapted into animated movies in Japan.

Known For

Night on the Galactic RailroadNight on the Galactic Railroad · 1985
Night on the Galactic Railroad
★ 7.11985
MovieAdventureAnimation
Lonely and awkward, Giovanni struggles with his sick mother, absent father, and an afterschool job that isolates him from his peers. But on the night of the Festival of Stars, he is magically transported onto a celestial train with his only friend, Campanella. Together, they embark on an extraordinary journey through the galaxy, encountering mysterious characters and grappling with life's deepest questions.
Gauche the CellistGauche the Cellist · 1982
Gauche the Cellist
★ 7.31982
MovieAnimationMusic
Gauche is a diligent but mediocre cellist who plays for a small town orchestra and the local cinema in the early 20th century. He struggles during rehearsals and is often berated by his conductor during preparations for an upcoming performance of Beethoven's Sixth Symphony. Over the course of four nights, Gauche is visited at his mill house home by talking animals as he is practicing.
The Celestial RailroadThe Celestial Railroad · 2006
The Celestial Railroad
★ 6.82006
MovieAdventureAnimation
Welcome aboard the fantasy train in the stars! "Fantasy Railroad in the Stars" is a fantastic journey of a boy, Giovanni, in a dreamscape created into a colourful full-dome CG animation picture with inspiring background music. Based on the famous Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru story written by Kenji Miyazawa in the early 20th century, Kagaya, a digital fine artist, has breathed new life into the unique imaginary world using creativity and precise astronomical knowledge. The starry sky is depicted as the Celestial Field made up of a river, a field of silver grasses, flowers, birds, survey towers, railway signals and more. Across this amazing beautiful scenery, the Celestial Railroad runs along the Milky Way. It is a fantasy world in full colour, but designed with scientific accuracy.
Bungo: Stories of DesireBungo: Stories of Desire · 2012
Bungo: Stories of Desire
★ 6.52012
MovieDrama
Omnibus film "Bungo Sasayakana Yokubo" features 6 different short stories set under 2 different themes ("Mitsumerareru Shukujotachi" & "Kokuhaku Suru Shinshitachi").
The Restaurant of Many OrdersThe Restaurant of Many Orders · 1991
The Restaurant of Many Orders
★ 6.41991
MovieAnimationFantasy
A short film based on a story by Japanese writer Kenji Miyazawa in which two young British hunters get lost in the woods and discover a strange restaurant. Are the hunters about to discover how it feels to be hunted?
The Life of Budori GusukoThe Life of Budori Gusuko · 2012
The Life of Budori Gusuko
★ 6.52012
MovieDramaAnimation
The fairy tale follows a young man named Gusukō in the Tōhoku forests of northeastern Japan in the 1920s. After an onslaught of droughts and natural disasters, Gusukō is forced to leave his home and search for a better life elsewhere. Gusukō joins a group of scientists at the Ihatov Volcano Department, which deals with the same natural disasters that drove Gusukō from his home.
The Life of Guskou BudoriThe Life of Guskou Budori · 1994
The Life of Guskou Budori
★ 5.71994
MovieDramaFamily
A young boy named Guskou lives in the countryside with his parents and little sister. A string of droughts and other natural disasters tear the family apart, and Guskou is forced to leave home and seek his fortunes on his own. Driven by a desire to improve the quality of life of his poor countrymen, he eventually joins a group of scientists called the Ihatov Volcano Department; he takes part in scientific projects to fight the natural disasters that drove him from his home.
The Bicycle Thief Was BadThe Bicycle Thief Was Bad · 2006
The Bicycle Thief Was Bad
★ 5.02006
Movie
Steel-worker Saito Tetsuo, driven by an unexplained anxiety, steals bike after bike to move away from his hometown to Tokyo. Through snow-storms and empty landscapes, the breathtaking photography allows us to look deep into the mindscape of a man searching for an answer - although the question itself is never quite articulated.

Filmography

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The Celestial RailroadThe Celestial Railroad · 2006
The Celestial Railroad
★ 6.82006
MovieAdventureAnimation
Welcome aboard the fantasy train in the stars! "Fantasy Railroad in the Stars" is a fantastic journey of a boy, Giovanni, in a dreamscape created into a colourful full-dome CG animation picture with inspiring background music. Based on the famous Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru story written by Kenji Miyazawa in the early 20th century, Kagaya, a digital fine artist, has breathed new life into the unique imaginary world using creativity and precise astronomical knowledge. The starry sky is depicted as the Celestial Field made up of a river, a field of silver grasses, flowers, birds, survey towers, railway signals and more. Across this amazing beautiful scenery, the Celestial Railroad runs along the Milky Way. It is a fantasy world in full colour, but designed with scientific accuracy.

Original Story