Chapter 5 Naoko Anbo talks about creation 1 The color I am obsessed with

Naoko Anbo talks about creation 1 my obsession with color ——Excerpt from "Japanese Children's Literature: My Children's Literature by 117 Writers" published in 1983 Before and after I wrote "The Fox's Window" (and, of course, now), I was particularly obsessed with blue.Be it the clothes or the things you carry, they are almost all dark blue. I believe that among all the colors, there is no deeper and more beautiful color than dark blue. If someone asks, why do you like blue so much?I would answer that because blue is the color of the sea and sky, the deepest and most fantastical color.However, thinking about it today, it was just a reason added later. The so-called favorite color, like eating, cannot be so appropriate.

But as soon as I go to a flower shop, the blue hydrangea, bellflower and gentian will steal my attention among the flowers; as soon as I go to a clothing store, I will immediately choose among so many colorful clothes. An ordinary dark blue dress. This is indeed an incredible thing.I think, maybe, there is a magnet in my body that attracts blue? But when I write a new work, I always think of a picture—something that is completely visualized.And after that, I will have a surge of enthusiasm—to describe this mental image in words, so that others can see it vividly! What inspired me to write "The Fox's Window" was a field of blue flowers.

On a certain plateau, a place where even the blowing wind is dyed blue—there is an endless blue sky, blue flower fields— When such a scenery suddenly appeared in front of my eyes, I was so happy that I carried myself away.I still remember that for a few days in a row, I just secretly held this mental image - no matter what work I write, this stage is my favorite.Although once you start to write, you may be distressed because you can’t write, and occasionally the mental image in your heart will be fleeting, and you will not be able to write, but only when you embrace the picture in your heart at the beginning, your heart is full of helplessness. Describe happiness and satisfaction.

Soon, a little white fox and a young man with a spear were born in my heart.A nostalgic old house with corridors and sliding doors also emerged in front of my eyes. So, once I start writing, I can keep writing I like dark blue, and I always seem to be able to write stories that belong to the blue system very easily.Maybe it was the mysterious power of "blue" that helped me.In this way, "The Handkerchief Left by the North Wind" and "The Blue Flower", which are also stories belonging to the blue system, I also wrote quite smoothly, and I have always liked it very much after writing.

Lately though, I've gotten a little greedy.In addition to blue, I also began to think about various colors. For example, the light green larch forest, the salmon-colored morning glow, a field of rapeseed flowers, and the bright red ball of yarn lying on the road at night... Right now, the color that interests me the most and fascinates me the most is the color known as "red". Red is indeed an incredible color, sometimes it looks bright and warm, and sometimes it looks gloomy and sad.There are also times when people feel unlucky, and times when the enchantment is so beautiful that people shudder.Sooner or later, I will understand all kinds of mental images and write a red story that attracts readers.

However, even if I am attracted to red, I don't seem to be addicted to it.When choosing my own things, no matter how beautiful red I encounter, I just look at them, and I still choose the same dark blue things as in the past. For example, I love cotton dyed blue so much I want to cuddle.I also like to see female students wearing sailor uniforms. Also, when I wear dark blue, I literally breathe a sigh of relief.Once wrapped in the most ordinary, but deepest and most mysterious color, my heart is very peaceful.