Nankichi Niimi  

Niimi Nankichi was a Japanese author who gained recognition as the Hans Christian Andersen of Japan. Born on July 30, 1913, in Yanabe, Handa Aichi, he lost his mother at an early age and displayed literary talent from a young age. During his elementary school graduation ceremony, Niimi presented a haiku that impressed many attendees. At the age of 18, he moved to Tokyo to study at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. However, he fell ill with tuberculosis shortly after graduating and returned home. He worked as an elementary and high school teacher before passing away at the young age of 29. Despite not being prolific in his writing, Niimi's works are known for their accuracy and lively depictions of humans. His work has been compared to that of Kenji Miyazawa, and there is a memorial museum dedicated to him in his birthplace, Handa.