Rieko Nakagawa

Personal life

Rieko Nakagawa, born Rieko Ōmura in Sapporo, Hokkaido, on September 29, 1935, moved to her grandfather's Tokyo home at age four. She stayed there through the third grade. Her family then returned briefly to Sapporo before being evacuated near the end of World War II. After her father's job transfer took them to Fukushima, she moved back to Tokyo during her second year of high school. She later graduated from the Tokyo Metropolitan High School Nursery School Academy. Nakagawa passed away on October 14, 2024, at 89.

Professional life

Rieko Nakagawa began her writing career while working at a nursery school, where she produced No-No Academy. That book earned several honors in 1962, including the Minister of Health and Welfare Award, the Sankei Juvenile Publications Culture Award, the Noma Juvenile Cultural Arts Recommended Work Prize, and the NHK Juvenile Literature Honorable Mention. Her 1980 title Rock the Puppy Is Here won the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award. Together with her younger sister Yuriko Yamawaki, Nakagawa received the Kikuchi Kan Prize from the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature for their Guri and Gura series.

The sisters went on to collaborate on more Guri and Gura books, as well as Sora Iro no Tane and The Peach-Colored Giraffe. Beyond children’s books, Nakagawa wrote essays and contributed lyrics to the 1988 Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, penning songs like Sanpo and Maigo. She also wrote the lyrics for “Yūki,” performed by Mana Ashida and released as a single with “Fight!!” in 2014; that song served as the theme for the 81st NHK All Japan School Singing Competition’s elementary school group.

Works

Rieko Nakagawa is best known for creating the Guri and Gura series, which first appeared in 1967 through Fukuinkan Shoten. The illustrations for every book in this series were done by Yuriko Yamawaki, although the very first volume credits her under her maiden name, Yuriko Ōmura. Several of these titles have been translated into English, Korean, and other languages. The series includes: Guri and Gura (1967); Guri and Gura's Surprise Visitor (1967); Guri and Gura's Seaside Adventure (1977, originally serialized in Kodomo no Tomo); Guri and Gura's Picnic Adventure (1983, serialized in Kodomo no Tomo); Guri and Gura's Magical Friend (1992, serialized in Kodomo no Tomo); Guri and Gura's Playtime Book of Seasons (1997); Guri and Gura's A-I-U-E-O (2002); Guri and Gura's Spring Cleaning (2002); Guri and Gura's Songs of the Seasons (2003); Guri and Gura's Special Gift (2003, serialized in Kodomo no Tomo); Guri and Gura's 1-2-3 (2004); and Guri and Gura's Good Luck Charm (2009).

Beyond the Guri and Gura books, Nakagawa wrote many other works. Iyaiyaen came out in 1962 from Fukuinkan Shoten, with illustrations by Yuriko Ōmura. Kaeru no Eruta (1964) and Sora Iro no Tane (1964) were also published by Fukuinkan Shoten and illustrated by Ōmura. Momo Iro no Kirin (1965, Fukuinkan Shoten) was illustrated by Sōya Nakagawa.

Raion Midori no Nichiyoubi (1969, Fukuinkan Shoten) was illustrated by Yuriko Yamawaki. Hajimete no Yuki (1970) and Obaa-san Guma to (1970), both from Fukuinkan Shoten, were illustrated by Sōya Nakagawa, as was Kaburi-chan (1971, Fukuinkan Shoten). Kujiragumo (1971) was a Japanese language manual for first-year elementary students published by Mitsumura Tosho Shuppan. Tanta no Tanken (1971, Gakken) featured illustrations by Yuriko Yamawaki.

Kodanuki 6-piki (1972, Iwanami Shoten) was illustrated by Sōya Nakagawa. Kogitsune Konchi to Okaa-san appeared in 1971 from Kodansha. Tanta no Tantei (1975, Gakken) was illustrated by Yamawaki. Ohisama ha Harappa (1977, Fukuinkan Shoten) and Mori Obake (1978, Fukuinkan Shoten) both had Yamawaki’s illustrations.

Koinu no Roku ga Yattekita (1979, Fukuinkan Shoten) and Torata to Maruta (1982, Fukuinkan Shoten) were illustrated by Sōya Nakagawa.