Chasing the Vanished Rainbow- Inspired by Mimei Ogawa's Story

Have you ever heard of Mimei Ogawa? He was a renowned children's writer who was active during Japan's Taisho and early Show eras.Often called "Japan's Hans Christian Andersen," he created many unforgettable tales.

One of his stories, The Beautiful, Mysterious Rainbow That Disappeared, truly drew me in.Reading this story during the time of the pandemic resonated deeply with me.

It inspired me to start exploring different ways to express what I felt from it, personally. The use of color in the story is especially striking and imaginative, and I’ve been creating what you might call image sketches for the vanished rainbow in my mind. It’s such a compelling story that I find myself thinking about it first thing in the morning.

What fascinates me even more is how Ogawa-sensei weaves many subtle hints and foreshadowing throughout the story—yet leaves them unresolved by the end. The story concludes with a sense of “Wait… what about that?” and leaves so much for the reader to wonder about. I find myself constantly asking, “Why did that happen? What did that mean?” and in doing so, I feel like I’m playing inside the story.

I hope that one day, I’ll be able to turn this experience into something I can share with others—something that captures my own version of The Beautiful, Mysterious Rainbow That Disappeared.