Tiny Issun-bōshi steers a black-and-persimmon bowl with a chopstick oar and needle-sized sword.

Issun-bōshi

Hardcover
$19.99 USD
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Tiny Issun-bōshi steers a black-and-persimmon bowl with a chopstick oar and needle-sized sword.

Issun-bōshi

$19.99 USD
FormatHardcover

For years, an older couple wishes for a child. When their son finally arrives, he is scarcely taller than a thumb—and they name him Issun-bōshi, the one-inch boy. Small as he is, Issun-bōshi dreams beyond the edges of home. One morning, he...

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About the story

The story

For years, an older couple wishes for a child. When their son finally arrives, he is scarcely taller than a thumb—and they name him Issun-bōshi, the one-inch boy. Small as he is, Issun-bōshi dreams beyond the edges of home. One morning, he packs the perfect traveling kit: a rice bowl for a boat, a chopstick for an oar, and a needle for a sword.

The river carries him toward the capital through a world transformed by scale. Reeds rise like trees. Raindrops strike like drums. A step that would be nothing to anyone else becomes a climb, a crossing, or a test of balance. Yet Issun-bōshi meets each obstacle with invention rather than complaint.

In the city, his boldness earns him a place in a noble household and the friendship of a clever young woman. Then a journey beyond the gates brings them face-to-face with an oni—a powerful being who sees only an impossibly tiny opponent. Issun-bōshi has no armor and no great weapon, only the tools he brought from home and the courage to use them in an unexpected way.

Drawn from Japan’s otogi-zōshi tale tradition, this playful adventure makes the familiar enormous and asks a thrilling question: how far can ingenuity carry a hero the world keeps underestimating?

Why readers will love it

  • Bowl boat, chopstick oar, and needle sword make an unforgettable miniature adventure kit.
  • Dramatic shifts in scale turn reeds, rain, and river currents into a world of imaginative play.
  • Issun-bōshi approaches obstacles with curiosity and invention rather than waiting to become bigger.
  • The journey builds from a gentle departure to a thrilling encounter with an oni.

A good gift for

Small-but-mighty adventurers, imaginative builders, children beginning a new school or journey, and readers who love finding surprising uses for everyday things.

Good to know

Includes an oni and fantasy peril involving a much larger opponent. Caregivers of sensitive readers may wish to preview the confrontation.

Book details
Format
Hardcover
Publisher
Fabulist Books

Inside the story

The story behind the book

For years, an older couple wishes for a child. When their son finally arrives, he is scarcely taller than a thumb—and they name him Issun-bōshi, the one-inch boy. Small as he is, Issun-bōshi dreams beyond the edges of home. One morning, he packs the perfect traveling kit: a rice bowl for a boat, a chopstick for an oar, and a needle for a sword. The river carries him toward the capital through a world transformed by scale. Reeds rise like trees. Raindrops strike like drums. A step that would be nothing to anyone else becomes a climb, a crossing, or a test of balance. Yet Issun-bōshi meets each obstacle with...

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