Nahoko Uehashi: Cultural Anthropologist and Storytelling

Creator of Imaginary Worlds

Junko Yokota, Reina Nakano

Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature, Volume 52, Number

4, 2014, pp. 82-87 (Article)

Published by Johns Hopkins University Press

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/bkb.2014.0150

For additional information about this article

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/557396

[ This content has been declared free to read by the pubisher during the COVID-19 pandemic. ]
 Anthropologist and Storytelling Creator
Nahoko Uehashi: Cultural

of Imaginary Worlds

Introduction

U
ehashi, Nahoko is the winner of the 2014 Hans Christian
Andersen Award for writing. This article builds on the orig-
inal introduction by Roxanne Harde, in which Uehashi was
introduced as a nominee for the award.

幼い 頃 、 祖母 が 語っ て くれ た 昔話 、 父
母 が 読ん で くれ た 物語 、 十 代 の 頃 に 出
会い 夢中 に なっ た イギリス の 児童 文学 たち 、
そして 、 文化 人類 学 を 学ん だ こと ―― この 、
どれ か ひとつ でも 欠け て い たら 、 私 は 、 国際
アンデルセン 賞 を 頂く こと は でき なかっ た でしょ
う 。 そう 思う と 、 私 を これ まで 導い て くれ た
すべて へ の 、 深い 感謝 の 念 が 溢れ て き ます。
© 2014 by Bookbird, Inc.
 When I was young, my grandmother told me folktales,
my parents read me stories, and sometime around age 10,
I encountered and became engrossed in British Children’s
Literature. And then, I studied cultural anthropology -- if I
had been lacking in any one of these, I would not have been
able to receive the International Hans Christian Andersen
Award. When I consider this, I feel deep gratitude over-
flowing for all that has guided me thus far. (Translated by
Cathy Hirano)

A storyteller of extraordinary talent, Uehashi, Nahoko creates

fantasy worlds with a backbone grounded in her work as a cultural
anthropologist. In her anthropological work, Tsuki no mori ni,
Kami yo nemure [O God, Sleep Ye in the Forest of the Moon], set
in a remote village of indigenous hunter gatherers and subsistence
farmers who have defied a royal edict to begin cultivating rice,
Uehashi noted how difficult it was for people of indigenous cultures
to maintain aspects of their traditional ways as they live in changing
civilizations. From an anthropological stance, she transposed the
idea of how important it is to accept the values of others and coexist
with them, into the Moribito fantasy series. Multiple tribes live
between a seemingly real world and a spiritual world, and a middle-
aged woman guarding the lives of others faces questions of destiny.
With fast-paced storytelling that grips readers’ attention, Uehashi’s
worlds are fantastic, yet believable. by Junko Yokota

Background Influences
Early in her life Uehashi developed an interest in storytelling
because her grandmother told her folktales from the oral tradition
that described the coexistence of humans and animals. These later
became the root of her imagination for creating original fantasies in
which humans and other creatures lived in interrelated worlds.
Uehashi’s anthropological research focus on aboriginal cultures
Junko Yokota is Director of the Center
led her to spend some months as a volunteer teacher in an elemen- for Teaching through Children’s Books,
tary school in Western Australia where half the students were and Professor Emeritus of National Louis
University.
Aboriginal. It was through this practical, hands-on experience that
she came to realize how difficult it is for indigenous populations to
retain their cultures. Moreover, this led to close consideration of by Reina Nakano
individuals who are marginalized by their worlds, those who live
between the borders of defined societies, and the interactions of
those who are outcasts by those in dominant societies.

Fantasy Worlds with Japanese Sensibilities

Uehashi’s fantasy worlds are aligned with epic and heroic fantasies
that feature allusions to worlds that appear medieval, that are char-
acterized by grand designs, and that are populated with compas-
Reina Nakano is a part-time Researcher
sionate yet courageous heroes who command emotional engagement at the International Library of Children’s
of readers Her created worlds have logic and internal consistency Literature, Tokyo.

© 2014 by Bookbird, Inc.

Nahoko Uehashi

that enable readers to “suspend disbelief,” central rescuing children from becoming enslaved. What
tenets of well-written fantasy literature. (Temple, may seem surprising is that the protagonist is a
Martinez, & Yokota). Kotani characterizes the 30-year-old female. Her age gives her numerous
fantasy literature in Japan as a case of writers advantages in “knowing” how worlds work, but
turning their attention to indigenous cultures she also displays ties to childhood experiences
and reconstructing myths. This would have been and emotions that connect her to the children she
a natural inclination for Uehashi as a professor guides and saves. Tough, smart, and quick, Balsa
of anthropology. However, the worlds she creates acts on instincts that have been honed by decades
in her books are decidedly of facing the world’s chal-
original, although based lenges. She is kind and she
in an allegorical world that is strict; she is trustworthy.
stems from roots in Japan. She restores the balance of
Uehashi creates a the two worlds, and main-
fantasy world that has tains equilibrium.
Japanese qualities. “The The Beast Player series
(Guardian) series master- depicts humans and their
fully straddles the bound- relationship with animals
aries of two worlds. Both in an interwoven world.
are uniquely Japanese: The protagonist, Elin, has
one a mirror of feudal lost her parents and her
Japan with flourishes of home. Her natural affinity
the fantastic; the other a for living creatures and
variation of established her thirst for knowledge
Shinto mythology, popu- lead her to discover the
lated by yōkai [monsters] true nature of the Royal
and other spirits of myth Beasts and how they are
and legend” (Jackson 55). being manipulated for
At the same time, it is political ends. Her quest
clear that these allusions to understand and heal the
to Japan flavor the story Royal Beast cub, Leelan
and are not necessary to be understood deeply in reveals why animals live the way they do. This
order to enter and live in the worlds Uehashi has leads to the broader theme of why humans live
created. as humans do. The central theme focuses on the
world shared by humans and other creatures and
Created Worlds as Series the interrelationships among living beings.
In the Guardian series, qualities of friendships, Both Uehashi’s series involve conflict and
loyalty, and protective attitudes abound in char- therefore violence, but this violence is never gratu-
acter relationships in these books. Responsibility itous. Rather, it plays an important role in deep-
and duty are clearly addressed. What is espe- ening readers’ understanding of the characters:
cially evident from Uehashi’s anthropologist
background is that she does not dichotomize Enro o yuku mono [Travelers on the Road
the good/bad worlds; rather, she carefully pres- of Fire] presents two short stories, one
ents multi-dimensional characters facing multi- of Balsa and another of Hyugo when
faceted challenges. they were both teenagers. Both have
The series features a protagonist named Balsa been dealt a cruel hand by fate and are
who takes on responsibilities as a bodyguard in consumed with a helpless rage that at
life-threatening situations. The situations vary times explodes into violence. At first
from protecting the life of a young prince to they justify their actions, revel in their
84 | bookbird IBBY.ORG
 Nahoko Uehashi

superiority over their opponents and are ultimately they accept their destiny and
intoxicated by their own strength, but as life. Can such destiny be challenged or
the story progresses they become increas- changed, or must it simply be met? Being
ingly aware that violence solves nothing prepared for what may come your way is
and leaves only emptiness in its wake. an important part of this question while
The reader goes through this process considering honor and duty; fate and
with them, experiencing the peril of sacrifice. Not only individual characters,
surrendering to rage, the pain and hatred but entire groups must prepare for and
violence breeds, and ultimately, the accept the physical, mental, and psycho-
despair it brings. The image presented is logical challenges that are strongly influ-
in stark contrast to the stereotypical hero enced by incidents in alternate worlds.
who overpowers the bad guy because the • Politics and Power: Treachery, conspiracy
“good guy always wins”. We desperately and rebellion are politically motivated,
need this perspective today in a world and outcomes have negative impact
where the simplistic hero image has on the dominated. Deception by those
become mainstream and technological in power is for self-gain, blind to the
advancements have given us the capacity cost of security for the nation’s future.
to maim and kill so easily. (Hirano) Commoners are dispensable commodi-
ties if the powerful need pawns. Kilpat-
Universal Themes rick and Muta (81) note that “Moribito
Although set in worlds that do not exist, questions hegemonic power construc-
Uehashi’s works contain themes that matter to tions, deconstructing how cultural myths
people in our contemporary worlds. They vary are made, manipulated and reinforced by
in scope from individual character development corrupt leaders.”
to relationships among various groups to larger • Influence of Religion: In the afterword
societal issues of survival amidst political corrup- to “The Book of Returning,” the second
tion. Thus, within the books, readers are faced and final volume of Guardian of the God,
with the very questions that matter in their own Uehashi is quoted by Miyakawa, “The
worlds. To name a few: 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United
States highlighted what can happen
• Society and Borders: Uehashi often when religion
is mixed with politics, but
explores the question, “How can people this work was not inspired by that inci-
cross cultural borders and understand dent. I actually finished Guardian of the
each other?” In her books, she explores God one month before it happened.”
how some live in borders of society as
outcasts, yet are able to communicate in Translation Issues
multiple worlds. The risk of individual Readers of Chinese, English, French, German,
lives and preserving society as a whole, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish,
even if it is necessary to cross dangerous Thai, and Taiwanese now have access to some
borders, is considered worthwhile. the Moribito series, Kemono no Soja, and Koteki
• Respect for Living Creatures: Throughout no Kanata. Translation of fantasy is particularly
her writings, but particularly in The Beast difficult, and the ever-present questions regarding
Player series, Uehashi depicts a range of the balance of faithfulness to the original text
living creatures showing respect for each to readability in the target language impact the
without hierarchical designations. final product. In a workshop led by Cathy Hirano
• Destiny: In Uehashi’s books, characters (English language translator of Uehashi’s work),
often live life under sever circumstances six versions of a passage from Uehashi’s Koteki no
and even against their own will, but Kanata / Beyond the Fox Whistle were analyzed,
IBBY.ORG 52.4 – 2014 | 85
Nahoko Uehashi

and it is easy to see how translation decisions are eaten is now sold. Uehashi herself reports finding
critical to a new language edition’s accessibility the anime to be a faithful recreation of the world
(Udagawa). she created. Moreover, she recognizes that story-
In a presentation at the International Library telling is something that takes many forms,
of Children’s Literature, Tokyo, Uehashi and something she knows from her field as a cultural
translator Hirano discussed the collaborative anthropologist. She appreciates how director
nature by which they created the English editions Kenji Kamiyama has transformed her work into a
of Moribito with editor Cheryl Klein (Itsuji). With unique new way of telling story.
a very detail-attentive editor, and an author and Uehashi’s series have been turned into multi-
translator who both studied anthropology, the media platforms because of their enormous
three worked well together. One major change popularity. Her oeuvre is expansive; her publi-
made was that what seemed to flow naturally cations range from series to stand-alone titles.
when the history of the land was being recounted At the time of this article’s publication, access
by an unnamed narrator in the original Japanese outside of Japan has been predominantly limited
raised curious questions of who was telling the to The Guardian series and The Beast Player
story in what would be the English version. After series; therefore, the bulk of this article’s analysis
much discussion on different ways of handling the focuses on them. Perhaps continued interest and
ambiguity, the author rewrote that section to be future translations will generate wider scholar-
able to attribute the telling to a specific character. ship on Uehashi’s wonderful worlds.
This example shows the translation teamwork: it
was initially found problematic by the translator, Acknowledgement
agreed as an issue needing resolving by the editor, The authors acknowledge the support and guid-
offered as a rewrite by the author, and finalized ance of JBBY: Yasuko Doi, Kiyoko Matsuoka,
by the translator (Dikengil; Ikegami; Klein). Fumiko Ganzenmüller, Naoko Torizuka, and
Klein and Hirano discussed the fact that of these publishers: Akiko Beppu (Kaiseisha),
character voices in Moribito needed individu- Cheryl Klein and Arthur Levine (Scholastic).
ating. Hirano noted how in Japanese, charac- We thank Cathy Hirano for the translations
ters’ language use identifies gender, social status, and William Teale for his editing.
and the relative relationship between charac-
ters (Ikegami). This was particularly important Works Cited
in readers’ understanding of the story develop- Dikengil, Misa. “Young Adult Fantasy in Trans-
ment in Guardian of the Spirit, as Prince Chagum lation: An Interview with Cathy Hirano.”
used language that would betray his secret iden- Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators
tity. Parallel to Chagum being taught survival (SWET). Web. 1 August 2014.
fighting skills for self-protection, his change in Harde, Roxanne. “Nahoko Uehashi—Japan—
speech from elevated, stilted formality to casual, Author.” Bookbird 52.2 (2014): 33. Print.
familiar tone increasingly showed his adaptation Hirano, Cathy. Commentary on Enro o yuku
to his new identity. mono [Travelers on the Road of Fire]. Tokyo:
Kaiseisha, 2014. Print.
Adaptations and Their Influences Ikegami, S. “Editing YA and Children’s Lit-
Moribito was first published as a novel series, then erature in English Translation: An Interview
adapted for a radio series, followed by an animated with Cheryl Klein.” The SCBWI (Society of
television series, and ultimately returning to print Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Tokyo
in the form of manga. The anime series being Newsletter (2008): 4-7. Print.
released internationally gave momentum to the
publication of international translations (Uehashi
& Hirano). Spinoff publications are numerous,
and even a cookbook of foods Balsa might have
86 | bookbird IBBY.ORG
 Nahoko Uehashi

Itsuji, Akemi. 人のジャパネスク・ネオ・ファンタ Levine, Arthur. (2014, July-August). Personal

ジー女流作家たち ―小野不由美を中心に communications with the author by email.
[Four Female writers of Japanese New Fan- Nogami, Akira. “A review of Moribito Series
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2005. 86-107. Print. Spirit]. Kaisei-Sha, 1996. Sankei Shimbun.
Jackson, Paul. “Heirs and Graces: Moribito: Print.
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Anime in the Modern World. Ed. Timothy Per- 2000. Kodomo Plus, Kirara Shobo 15. Print.
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Uehashi, Japan. Print. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson. 2014. Print.
Kirpatrick, Helen and Orie Muta. “Deconstruc- Udagawa, Avery Fischer. “One Passage, Six
tions of the (Japanese) Nation-State in Ue- Translations: Nahoko Uehashi.” SCBWI Ja-
hashi Nahoko’s Moribito (Guardian) Series.” pan Translation Group Blog. 2013. SCBWI
The Nation in Children’s Literature: Nations Japan Fall 2006 Newsletter. Web. 1 July 2014.
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Klein, Cheryl. (2014, July-August). Personal Uehashi, Nahoko and Hirano, Cathy. 翻訳 は
communications with the author by email. 三 人 四 脚 『 精霊 の 守り 人 』 の 作者
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53.1 (2015) Machines, Monsters, & Animals: Posthuman Children’s

Literature
53.2 (2015) Open
53.3 (2015) Nonsense
53.4 (2015) Open
54.1 (2016) Indigenous Children’s Literature
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54.3 (2016) Auckland Congress
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IBBY.ORG 52.4 – 2014 | 87