"原っぱの子供達 Harappa no kodomotachi" (Children in a grass field), 1941 November 25

Date

1941 November 25

Summary

Kenkichi and Senta are playing on their way back from school when they are offered a bamboo dragonfly from a strange man who tells them to go home first before going out to play. The two are delighted and promise to go home. The man promises to make them more dragonflies, but they do not see him again until a celebration at their school commemorating a major victory in the war. They learn that the man had been injured as a soldier in the war, and begin visiting him every day. One day, they bring him gifts with all their friends, and when the man finishes making all the bamboo dragonflies even with his injured arm, they have a great competition together.

This kamishibai is meant to be a heartwarming story that teaches children to respect and be good to veterans of the war.

Archival processing title

"原っぱの子供達 Harappa no kodomotachi" (Children in a grass field)

Creator/Contributor

Author

Nihon Kyōiku Kamishibai Kyōkai

Producer

Nihon Kyōiku Kamishibai Kyōkai

Artist

Hamuro, Kunihiko

Transcription

Card 20
原っぱの子供達
絵畫　羽室 邦彦
脚本・製作　日本敎育紙芝居協會
(表紙の説明)
(金の音)
クワラン カラン! クワラン カラン!
授業が終りました。
みんなお道具を片づけて、さっさとお家へ歸るんですよ。
(短い間)
（ぬきながら)
（子供の歓聲)
ウア—イウア—イ

Card 1
(子供)
「ね、海戦遊戯しようよ。」
(子供)
「俺、水雷だぞツ。」
(子供)
「俺も水雷ツと。」
(子供)
「みんな水雷ちゃ駄目ちゃないか」
(子供)
「ぢゃ、僕、駆逐にならうっと。」
(子供)
「僕は、艦長だぞツ。」
（子供)
「よーし、さあ ジャンケンだ。」
(ぬきな炉がら)
二手に分れて

Card 2
(子供)
「おい、あっちにゐるぞツ。」
(子供)
「あッ、來たぞ、そら驅逐だ。」
(仙太)
「あつ、健ちゃんが捕まったぞッ。
よし、僕が助けてやるから待ってろ!」
(健吉)
「仙ちゃん、危いから止せよ。
艦長は、あんまり出るもんぢゃないよ。」
(ぬきながら)
やがて、一人へり、二人へりして、とうとう健吉と仙太だけになりました。

Card 3
二人が何か外の事をして遊ばうと相談をしてゐると、
(をぢさん)
「坊ちゃん、遊ぶんなら、一たん、お家へ帰ってからお遊びよ」
今まで 木を讀んでゐたらしい、 見なれないをぢさんです。
(をぢさん)
「さア、お家に歸る子には
をぢさんがこの竹トンボを上げるよ。」
(ぬきながら)
(をぢさん)
「ほ一ら!」

Card 4
(二人)
「あッ、良いなあ。」
(短い間)
(すーっとぬく)

Card 5
(仙太)
「をぢさん、一つきりしかないの、僕つまらないなア。」
(をぢさん)
「よしよし、ぢゃ君にも作って上げよう。」
(仙太)
「ぢゃ、あしたね。」
(をぢさん)
「う? あしたか……まあ、いい。
その代り、家に帰ってから遊ぶやうにするんだぜ。をぢいさんは學校の歸りに 遊んで歸るやうな子には作って上げないよ。」
(二人)
「をぢさん、もう遊んでなんか歸りやしません。」
(ぬきながら)
翌る朝、二人が少年團の日参りで、お宮に來ますと、

Card 6
(二人)
「あ、昨日のをぢさんだ、をぢさんお早やう、
ずゐぶん朝、早いんですねえ。」
(をぢさん)
「お早やう、君逹も早いね。
お掃除かい。いや感心感心。
ぢゃ、をぢさんが竹トンボこさへておかうね。」
(仙太)
「ありがたう、をぢさん。
あのね、皆に上るんだから、
もっとこさへてくれませんか……」
をぢさんは ニコニコ笑ってゐました。
（ぬく）

Card 7
(短い間)
(健吉)
「竹トンボのをぢさん、どうしたんだらうなア。」
(仙太)
「つまんないの、うち聞いとけば良かったねえ。」
今日は、ちゃんと お家へ歸って、お道具をおいてか
二人は、また原っぱにやって來たのです。
でも、をぢさんの影も見えません。
(健吉)
「さうだ仙ちゃん、招魂社へ行って見やうか、
また逢へるかも知れないぜ。」
(仙太)
「さうだねえ……」
(ぬきながら)
だんだん、邊りが暗くなっても、
二人はあのニコニコした竹トンボをぢさんに逢ふことができませんでした。

Card 8
每日 每日、二人は、かうしてへ原っぱに、 竹トンボのをぢさんを待ってゐました。
だのに一体、あのをぢさんは如何したと言のでせう。
（ここは晩春―― 初秋までの記念日を通常に お入れ下さい
例へば志那事変記念日など）
(ぬきながら)
やがて〇月〇日、〇〇記念日になりました。
Card 9
校長「ええ、本日は、わが陸軍が、〇〇の戰で大勝利を博した大事な記念日であります。 ですから、皆さんも、その當時を思ひ起して、兵隊さんの勞苦に感謝し、そして又、しっかり勉强して、立派にその後を嗣ぎ、 お國のためにつくす決心を固めねばなりません。
（ぬきながら)
本日の式に就いて私が、もっとも光榮に存じますことは」

Card 10
(校長先生の話のつづき)
「戦爭で目覺ましい働きをして、
名譽の負傷をされた方々の
御参列をいただいたことです……」
(ぬ く)

Card 11
(仙太)
「あッ、竹トンボのをぢさんだ!」
(健占)
「えつ、どら、どこに?」
(仙太)
「ほら、記章を付けたをぢさん。」
(健吉)
「さうだッ、ほんとだ。」
(仙太)
「あのをぢさん戰爭で負傷したんだねえ。」

Card 12
（健吉）
「をぢさん、ぼくちっとも知らなかった――」
(をぢさん)
「うん、さうなんだがね、
それよりこの間の竹トンボね、皆にあげるつもりで、 やってたんだけど、氣ばかり、あせっちゃって、 手がほらこんなだろ、
それに一寸、休んでしまったものだから……」
（健吉）
「をぢさんそんなこと、良いんですよ。」
(仙太)
「をぢさんの手が悪いなんて、 ぼく、ちっとも知らなかった――」
(健吉)
「それより、ね、をぢさん、戰爭の話してよ——」
(ぬく)

Card 13
(をぢさん)
「をぢさんはね、君逹は知らないかもしれないけれども 飛行機の整備をやっていたんだ。
つまり、飛行機が飛んでいくときに、 手落ちのないやうに、するんだよ。
(ぬきながら)
ほら、樫村機が、片方の翼をなくして

Card 14
(をぢさん)
「歸って來た話、君逹も知ってるだろ?
そんな飛行機をだね、又飛べるやうに、修理するのも、
をぢさんの役目さ。」
(健古)
「ぢゃ、どうして、けがしたの?」
(をぢさん)
「うん、それがねえ、ガソリンをトラックで
飛行場に運搬する途中なんだ。」
(さっとぬきながら)
ダダ ダダ ダダ…

Card 15
「敗殘兵の襲擊なんだ、 何を小癪な奴めが、と、をぢさん達は 忽ちの中に撃退したんだけど、その時、をぢさんは肩を打たれて了ったんだ。」
(短い間)
(ぬ く)

Card 16
(健吉)
「每日 かうやって、マツサージをしなければ 駄目なんですねえ。」
（をぢさん)
「ありがたう。をぢさんは長らく病院にゐて、手を板ではさんでゐたものだからね。」
(仙太)
「をぢさん、 手がこんなふうだと、仕事ができないでせう? これから如何するの?」
(をぢさん)
「うん、少しは苦しいがね、
なあに、心さへしっかり持ってゐれば、 どんな仕事だって できるよ。
まあ、そんなことから指をならさうと思って、竹トンボ作ったんだよ。
この間、君達に、澤山、注文を受けたんで、
をぢさんも やりがひがあるよ。」
かうして二人は毎日のやうに
をぢさんのお見舞に行ってゐましたが、
(ぬきながら)
ある日曜日――

Card 17
(健吉)
「をぢさん、今日は皆と一緖に、 おみやげを持って來ました。
その軍艦の絵、ぼくが書いたんですよ。」
(をぢさん)
「やあ、ありがたう。本物そっくりだね。」
（健吉）
「ええ、雑誌にのってゐた寫眞を見て描いたんです。」
（仙太）
「をぢさん、ぼく、これ。
手工の時間に拵へた、きびがらの飛行機なんです。」
「をぢさん、ぼくはコマ。」
「ぼくは 粘土のお人形です。」
(をぢさん)
「皆、どうもありがたう。
をぢさんは、本当に嬉しいよ。
さうだ、このお禮に、急いで、竹トンボを拵へておかうね。」
（ぬきながら)
次のよく晴れた日曜日。

Card 18
(をぢさん)
「さあ、皆、用意は良いかい? しっかり飛ばすんだよ、 竹トンボの大競技會だ。」
(健古)
「いいかい、大丈夫だね。 ー、ニッ、三!」
（さっとぬく)

Card 19
（賑やかに）
ばんざい、
ばんざーい!
（歌、をぢさんありがたうの第五節）
野にも、山にも、おふねも空も、
萬歳、萬歳、勝ちいくさ、
進めや 進め、歓呼の中に、をぢさん をぢさん、
ありがたう。
終

Translation of transcription

Card 20
Children in a grass field
Illustration: Kunihiko Hamuro
Story and production: Nihon Kyōiku Kamishibai Kyōkai (The Association of Japanese Educational Kamishibai)

(Explanation of the cover)

NARRATOR
(The sound of bells)
Clang clang! Clang clang!

Class is over. Everyone, put away your supplies and hurry on home.

(A short pause)
(As you pull the slide)

CHILDREN
Yay, yay!

Card 1
CHILD
Hey, let’s play naval battle!

CHILD
I’m a torpedo!

CHILD
I’m a torpedo too.

CHILD
We can’t all be torpedoes.

CHILD
Then I’ll be a destroyer!

CHILD
I’m the warship captain!

CHILD
Alright, let’s do rock paper scissors.

(As you pull the slide)

NARRATOR
They split into two groups.

Card 2
CHILD
Hey, over there!

CHILD
Ah, they’re coming, exterminate!

SENTA
Oh, Ken-chan’s been captured. Hold on, I’ll rescue you!

KENKICHI
Sen-chan don’t, it’s too dangerous. A warship captain shouldn’t be so reckless.

(As you pull the slide)

NARRATOR
Soon one child left, then another, and finally only Kenkichi and Senta were left.

Card 3
NARRATOR (continued)
The two were talking about what to play next when,

MAN
Son, if you’re going to play, go home first and then come out to play.

NARRATOR
It was a man they had never seen before, who had been reading under a tree until now.

MAN
Now, if you promise to go home, I will give you this bamboo dragonfly.

(As you pull the slide)

MAN (continued)
See!

Card 4
BOYS
Oh! How nice.

(A short pause)

(Pull slide swiftly.)

Card 5
SENTA
Mister, do you only have one? That’s boring.

MAN
Very well, I will make one for you, too.

SENTA
Tomorrow, then!

MAN
Uh, tomorrow?... I suppose that’s fine. But you have to promise to go home before you go to play. Uncle won’t make toys for kids who play on their way home from school.

BOYS
Mister, we won’t play anymore on our way home!

(As you pull the slide)

NARRATOR
The next morning, when the two came to the shrine for their Youth Group daily worship,

Card 6
BOYS
Oh, it’s the man from yesterday. Mister, good morning, you’re up quite early.

MAN
Good morning, you two are early as well. Clean-up, huh? Impressive, impressive. Well then, Uncle will make you a bamboo dragonfly.

SENTA
Thank you, Mister. Say, I want to give one to everyone. Can you make us even more…?

NARRATOR
The man was smiling.

(Pull the slide.)

Card 7
(A short pause)
KENKICHI
I wonder what happened to Mister Bamboo Dragonfly.

SENTA
How boring. We should have asked him.

NARRATOR
Today, the boys went straight home after school and put away their school supplies before coming back to the grass field.
However, the man was nowhere to be seen.

KENKICHI
I know, Sen-chan, let’s go to the Shōkon Shrine. Maybe we can meet him there again.

SENTA
Yeah, maybe…

(As you pull the slide)

NARRATOR
It was beginning to get dark, yet the two were still not able to meet the smiling bamboo dragonfly man.

Card 8
NARRATOR (continued)
Day after day, the two came to the grass field to wait for the bamboo dragonfly man. But, where in the world did the man go?

(As you pull the slide)
(Replace the 〇〇’s with any commemoration date between late spring (third month of the lunar calendar) and early autumn (seventh month of the lunar calendar), e.g. the Sino-Japanese War Memorial Day.)

NARRATOR
Before long, it was〇〇(month) 〇〇(day), the〇〇(celebration name).

Card 9
PRINCIPAL
Today is an important commemoration of the day our army had a great victory at the battle of 〇〇. As such, each of you should remember that day, thank the soldiers for their efforts, and again, study hard, follow in their path, and make a firm resolution to devote yourselves to the country.

(As you pull the slide)

PRINCIPAL (continued)
Regarding today’s celebration, I am most honored to present,

Card 10
PRINCIPAL (continued)
These individuals, who have done remarkable work during the war and were honorably injured in battle. They have gathered here for us.

(Pull the slide.)

Card 11
SENTA
Oh, Mister Bamboo Dragonfly!

KENKICHI
Huh, what, where?

SENTA
There, the man with a medal.

KENKICHI
Oh yeah, you’re right.

SENTA
That man was injured in battle, then, wasn’t he?

(Pull the slide.)

Card 12
KENKICHI
Mister, I had no idea―

MAN
Yeah, that’s right, but more importantly, the bamboo dragonflies. I was making them and was so impatient because I wanted to give them to everyone but, you see my hand is like this, and on top of that I had to rest for a while…

KENKICHI
Mister, we don’t mind that at all.

SENTA
Mister, I had no idea that your hand was hurt―

KENKICHI
But Mister, tell us about the war.

(Pull the slide.)

Card 13
MAN
You guys may not know, but I used to be a mechanic doing maintenance on planes. In other words, I made sure nothing would go wrong when the planes took off.

(As you pull the slide)

MAN (continued)
Like the time Kashimura’s plane lost a wing

Card 14
MAN (continued)
And returned with only one wing. You know that story, don’t you?
It was my job to fix those planes so they can fly again.

KENKICHI
Then, how did you hurt yourself?

MAN
Yes, about that. It happened when we were transporting gasoline to the airfield by truck.

(As you pull the slide)
“Bang bang bang bang bang…”

Card 15
MAN (continued)
It was an attack by the remnants of the defeated army. I thought, how impudent, and immediately drove them back, but at that moment, I was shot in the shoulder.

(A short pause)
(Pull the slide.)

Card 16
KENKICHI
You have to massage it like this, every day?

MAN
Thank you. I was hospitalized for a long time and had my hand between boards.

SENTA
Mister, if your hand is like this, you can’t work can you? What are you going to do?

MAN
Yes, it is a little bit painful, but hey, as long as my spirit is strong, I can do anything. That’s why I made the bamboo dragonfly, so I could train my fingers.
Since I received so many orders from you two the other day, I’m even more motivated.

NARRATOR
Thus, the two came to visit the man every day.

(As you pull the slide)

NARRATOR
One Sunday…

Card 17
KENKICHI
Mister, today I brought everyone here to give you presents. That drawing of a battleship, I drew it.

MAN
Wow, thank you. It looks just like the real thing.

KENKICHI
Yes, I drew it based on a picture I saw in a magazine.

SENTA
Mister, this is from me. During arts and crafts time, I made this airplane out of millet.

BOY
Mister, I made a top.

BOY
I made a doll out of clay.

MAN
Thank you so much everyone. I’m very happy. That’s right, as a thank you gift, I need to finish making those bamboo dragonflies.

(As you pull the slide)

NARRATOR
The next Sunday was a clear, sunny day.

Card 18
MAN
Now everyone, are you ready? Make sure you fly them well, it’s a great bamboo dragonfly flying competition!

KENKICHI
Good, everyone ready? One, two, three!

(Pull the slide quickly.)

Card 19
NARRATOR
(In a lively voice)
Banzai! Banzai!
(Sing “Thank you, mister,” fifth melody)
To the fields, to the mountains, ship and sky
Banzai, banzai, a winning battle,
Forward, forward, amidst the voices of acclamation,
Mister, mister, thank you.

(The end.)

Scope and contents

Hamuro Kunihiko 羽室 邦彦 (artist); Nihon Kyōiku Kamishibai Kyōkai 日本敎育紙芝居協會 (author and producer); Nihon Kyōiku Gageki Kabushiki Kaisha 日本教育画劇株式会社 (publisher)

Language

Japanese

Script

Japanese (alias for Han + Hiragana + Katakana)

Genre/form

Prints

Collection information

Collection title

Kamishibai collection

Collection ID

2018C32.12417284

Collection abstract

Japanese illustrated paper play sheets, intended primarily for children and women at the homefront and dealing with World War II propaganda themes.

Rights

No known restrictions.

Holding repository

Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Preferred citation

"原っぱの子供達 Harappa no kodomotachi" (Children in a grass field), 1941 November 25, Kamishibai collection, Hoover Institution Library & Archives, https://n2t.net/ark:/54723/h3q88q

Identifiers

Record ID

2018C32.00003

Permalink

https://n2t.net/ark:/54723/h3q88q

RefID

7beee8f6a15887c17011328eecf167e1

EZID

ark:/54723/h3q88q

Digitization information

Imaging system

IQ180, Phase One

Capture date

2018-07-08T10:09:24-07:00