Songs of Childhood

Rokuro Taniuchi (1921-1981) was a painter born in Ebisu, Tokyo in 1921. Rokuro began his career drawing political cartoons and publishing manga stories in the left-wing magazine, Minpo. In 1956, Rokuro painted his first cover for the magazine Weekly Shincho. He would go on to paint over 1,300 covers, until his death in 1981. His cover paintings were filled with childlike wonder and distinct, surreal images (a man playing a piano shaped like a whale, or a woman working a quilt of rolling hills through a sewing machine). In his art, children often exert a magical force over their environments. His body of work is collected at the Yokosuka Museum of Art, and his creations also include drawings, handmade toys for children, and woodblock prints. His two celebrated picture books are titled The Silver Hoop and Sky in a Bottle.Translator Bio: Allison Markin Powell is a literary translator, editor, and publishing consultant. She received the 2020 PEN America Translation Prize for The Ten Loves of Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami. Her other translations and co-translations include works by Osamu Dazai, Kanako Nishi, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, and Kaoru Takamura.