JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Gon, the Little Fox’

By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.You probably remember reading some of Aesop’s Fables—such as “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”—during your childhood. Or more importantly, the lessons those fables are supposed to teach.Likewise, your students in Japan likely read similar tales, and one of them might have been Gon, the Little Fox. Written by the legendary children’s book author Nankichi Niimi (1913-1943) when he was just seventeen years old, the story brings to life a little rascal who never passes up a chance to cause havoc, like setting fire to rapeseed husks held out in the sun, to dry to stealing a farmer’s cayenne peppers.However, Gon realizes he’s gone too far when he kills an eel intended to be eaten by the ailing mother of a villager named Hyoju. To atone for his egregious misdeed, Gon repeatedly gathers, among other objects, mushrooms and chestnuts to leave at Hyoju’s house. But Gon’s attempts at forgiveness are never acknowledged and the story ends tragically. (Premature deaths were an unfortunate aspect of Niimi’s life; his mother passed away when he was four and he himself died when he was twenty-nine.)Such an ending comes as a colossal shock to the reader, because while Niimi sets up attempts at forgiveness, it seemed inevitable that once Hyoju discovered that Gon was the delivering food to his house, everyone would be singing “Kumbaya.” Or at the very least, Hyoju would admonish Gon about the dangers of seemingly juvenile childhood tricks. But you wouldn’t expect seemingly senseless acts of violence to happen in Japan—much less a fictionalized version of ancient Japan.Although the ending of the story might be unexpected (aren’t kiddie stories supposed to end happily?), elements of a very Japanese story become apparent to those familiar with Japanese folklore. Foxes have frequently been portrayed as being intelligent figures, and Gon certainly exhibits a refreshing sense of maturity when he realizes his error. In ancient Japan, these creatures shared living quarters with human beings. Furthermore, foxes commonly appear in Japanese tales, and one of the categories Japanese folklore is often divided into is called namidabashi (sad stories), so Gon’s untimely demise shouldn’t come as a surprise. In addition, it’s not surprising that Gon creates his share of chaos. In Japanese folklore, one of the two common classifications of foxes—known as yako—exhibit a tendency to be mischievous, and during the Edo period, they were viewed as untrustworthy.While reading Gon, the Little Fox, I harkened back to people and things I may not have had the greatest impression of at first, but eventually won me over, or just any moment when I changed my mind about someone. Likewise, those reading Gon might initially consider the main character to be a juvenile delinquent before finding his attempts at redemption charming, especially as the maturation of the young fox gives makes you feel that Hyoju will be impressed, only for the unthinkable to happen.This story is a valuable read for young people (it is geared towards children ages seven to ten) because of all the lessons mentioned. In addition to the negative consequences of juvenile acts and the possibility that you can always redeem yourself after childhood blunders, kids learn that you might not get the credit you deserve. Gon is angered when he overhears Hyoju thanking God for the items delivered to this house, and the tragic sending ends also serves as a lesson for readers the dangers of rash decisions as such as the action that results in Gon meeting the end of his life.Gravity aside, readers will surely enjoy the color illustrations created by the equally legendary Genjirou Mita, as those being introduced to Japan will be presented images of an ancient version of the country—and even of things that haven’t changed, such as people eating with chopsticks. And some of those illustrations might make readers smile, like the image on Gon holding hands in a prayer-like motion as if to ask for forgiveness when he realizes he made a colossal error by eating the eel.Fitting because Gon, the Little Fox is a story that might make you equally flabbergasted, happy, and sad.For more on Gon, the Little Fox, visit http://www.museyon.com/shop/gon-the-little-fox.For more JQ magazine book reviews, click here.