The Fart (Tales from Japan)

By Nankichi Niimi

This is a story of a dramatic event that happened to a boy named Harukichi one warm afternoon in autumn. The story is set in rural Japan in the 1930's.
Harukichi goes to a small school in a small village, and there are a lot of things about this village that Harukichi doesn't like. Sometimes Harukichi is embarrassed by the way his classmates behave. One day a new teacher named Mr. Fuji arrives from the big city and he leaves an immediate impression on Harukichi because he seems really sophisticated. Another interesting character who appears in this story is Ishitaro. Ishitaro is not like any normal child. He likes to fart. A lot. But Ishitaro has something that Harukichi doesn't. Can you work out what it is?

And the moral of the story is...
A key feature of Niimi's writing is his ability to create intriguing moral dilemmas for his characters. This story is about that moment in a child's life when they realize that the choice between right and wrong is not always so black and white. It is an intriguing story about one child's inner battle between honesty and survival. It is about living with integrity. Now you wouldn't think all of that could be contained in a story with the title of The Fart, would you?
This story would be difficult for small children but it can be enjoyed by teenagers and adults.
This version also contains a bonus story of The Restaurant of Many Orders by Kenji Miyazawa.

Nankichi Niimi was born Shohachi Watanabe in what is now Handa City, Aichi Prefecture, on July 30, 1913, with the year 2013 marking 100 years since his birth. Gon the Fox is studied by every Japanese child in elementary school and it was recently estimated that over 60 million people have read this story, which he wrote at just 18 years of age. Although Niimi went on to write a large number of poems and short stories, such as Buying Mittens, Grandpa's Lamp and When the Thieves Came to Hananoki Village before his death from tuberculosis at age 29, Gon the Fox is undoubtedly the most famous and well-loved of all his works, and perhaps the most famous Japanese children's story of all time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Little J Books
• Release date: May 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310965678

Book preview

The Fart

by

Nankichi Niimi

Published by Little J Books at Smashwords

Copyright Paul Quirk 2013

Translated from - He by Nankichi Niimi

Bonus story: Chuumon no ooi ryoriten by Kenji Miyazawa

Discover other titles by Kenji Miyazawa and Nankichi Niimi published by Little J Books at smashwords.com

Please note, copyright on the original works have expired, however, Little J Books holds all copyrights for these translations. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. The moral right of the translator has been asserted.

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. However, if you would like to use any of the stories that make up this ebook for publishing or educational purposes, please contact Paul at the email address below. We look forward to hearing from you.

This book is published by Little J Books

Facebook: littlejbooks

Website: http://www.littlejbooks.com/

Contact: Paul Quirk: [e-mail]

Note on this translation

For The Fart, chapter numbers have been added to make navigation easier in an ebook format. It also contains some minor editing and removal of one short section in the middle to maintain the flow of the story. No changes have been made to The Restaurant of Many Orders.

This series is dedicated to my wife Yuuki, who has provided me with the support and encouragement to make this project a reality.

Contents

Introduction

The Fart

Bonus story: The Restaurant of Many Orders (by Kenji Miyazawa)

About the Authors

About Little J Books

Other Titles by Little J Books

The Fart

by Nankichi Niimi

Chapter 1

Everyone said that the reason Ishitaro was so good at farting was because he'd been receiving instruction from Zeshin, the monk of Jokoin Temple. Harukichi thought it was probably true because Ishitaro's house was right next to the western entrance of the temple.

It was well known that Zeshin was a master in the art of farting. Tales of his many farting exploits were often passed around, not only by the children but the adults too. One story goes that he farted the requiem service during a funeral. Harukichi thought that that was a bit far-fetched, but he could believe that Zeshin might have let out a few silent ones while he was reading some of the prayers.

There was another story that had him farting in place of donging the bell during a memorial service he once performed, but