The Bookstore Ship

The 32nd issue of “Kikan Kiyomizu“, published in the 9th month of the 7th year of Heisei, is a special edition on “70 years of Kiyomizu City and Toda Bookstore”, containing an article entitled “Memoirs of 70 Years of Toda Bookstore” published by the former chief librarian of Kiyomizu City Public Library, Harumori Yamanashi, in which we may read the following description of a bookstore ship.

One final scene which resides in my heart is that of a small boat which sat at the bend in the river afore the household of Shin’ichi Shibano loaded up completely with what appeared to be brand-new books. It was a perfect subject for photos and indeed seemed quite an appropriate motif for a port city.

The bookstore, which swayed gently with the ripples on the river, was one of my Kiyomizu rediscoveries. I later learned that it was made for the fisherfolk who went out to the ocean for many long, idle hours at a time, and who had thus requested such a bookstore ship.

A bookstore ship swaying on the river would be a picture of some grace, and I imagine if we were to search for photographs we might still find some remaining. It’s a sight I’d like to see.

Translated overliterally from the Jinbo Town Nerd’s Diary.

Posted: February 4th, 2012 | Japan