1,200 words, 6 minutes’ reading time.

Takehisa Yumeji (1884-1934) wrote children’s stories, songs, and poetry, but was first and foremost a classical artist working in oils and traditional Japanese mediums. Born in Okayama, he moved to Tokyo aged 18 to join Waseda Technical School, and was soon taken on by the Yomiuri newspaper as an illustrator. During his life, he traveled extensively in Japan and abroad to the USA. Besides newspaper illustrations, he painted fine art and illustrated books, advertisements, packaging, postcards, and yukata designs. His pop song Evening Primrose was popular nationwide.

In later life, his philosophy that art should be fused with daily life made him a pioneer of graphic art in Japan. His particular art style is considered to have been hugely influential on early shoujo manga.

This story was first published by Nobel Shobo in 1975 in Gifts of Spring, and again by Sakuhinsha in 1996 in Renowned Japanese Writings (volume 69). I got it from Aozora here.