A wonderful example of Kawakami’s ability to blend Japanese and Western motifs through storytelling.
In the first plate we see Cinderella wearing a shabby kimono carrying a cleaning bucket, her sleeves tied up for housework. She is pictured with her two evil step-sisters, who wear more elaborate, finer Western dresses. As in the popular version of the story, Cinderella’s appearance is transformed by magic, and she is swept away by a horse and carriage to the ball, where she meets a charming prince. In this version, her dress changes from a kimono to a decorative ballgown, worn not with wooden geta sandals, but crystal slippers. After ‘the shoe fits’ moment in the story, Cinderella is seen in a carriage, this time wearing a much finer kimono, with elegant hair decorations. In the final scene, Cinderella is pictured arm-in-arm with the prince, wearing a regal dress and crown.
This is one of the books Kawakami produce during WWII, the year after he lost his job as an English teacher. Compared to his other books from this time, it is printed in a much larger edition of 200 copies, as opposed to his more common 50. It would appear from the colophon that Kawakami received help printing this book, from a Tokyo-based printer called Nakamura Sanjiro (dates unknown), which is likely how he was able to produce a larger edition.
Rare, especially with the original printed chemise. No copy in OCLC.
