Hajime Takeda

Hajime Takeda (武田肇), born 1943 in Tokyo, is a poet and photographer who has published photo books featuring young boys and boy choirs. He also publishes a magazine series called Ganymede: The magazine of Ganymede Society which includes the work of many different poets. It includes Mr. Takeda's many poems, tankas, and essays, and the subject is often about boy love. Occasionally the magazine has included the photography of Wilhelm von Gloeden and Gugilelmo Plushchow and a brief biography on each photographer. As of December 2016, the magazine is currently on it's 60th issue.

Works of interest

Title Translation Publisher Release date 『半ズボンの神話』 Legend of the Shorts 第二書房 1972 『少年たち』 Boys 第二書房 1973 『稚児のメルヘン』 Chigo fairytale 第二書房 1973 『ヒヤシンスの王』 Queer Kings Born of Hyacinth マルス (Mars) 1981 『ゑとらるか : 詩集』 Draw a picture: A poetry anthology 沖積舎 1986 『少年聖歌隊』 Boychoir 東京音楽社 1987 『京土産』 Kyou-miyage 太安堂 1993 『ガニメデ』 Ganymede 銅林社(Dorinsha) 1　Apr. 1994~present 『石山』 Ishiyama 銅林社(Dorinsha) 1996 『ディテール』 Detail 銅林社(Dorinsha) 1999

Chigo Fairytale and inclusion in Barazoku, Japan's first gay magazine

Takeda's works were included in Barazoku, Japan's first gay magazine. According to Bungaku Ito, the creator of Barazoku,

「フィクションの小説、読物なら少年が登場してきても、これは法の対象にはならない。だからぼくは廃刊前の『薔薇族』誌上では、少年の好きな人々への読物をずっと載せ続けてきた。しかし、残念ながら復刊後の『薔薇族』はぼくの主張は通らず、少年愛者向けの読物はまったくない」 ー伊藤文學 "Fictional stories and reading material featuring boys is not against the law. Therefore, before Barazoku stopped being published, I published reading material that boy lovers would enjoy. However, unfortunately for the reissue of Barazoku my requests did not go through, and there is nothing for boy lovers in the reissue." -Bungaku Ito

Where to read

While the books are rare, they may be found at online auctions and many are freely available to those over 18 at the National Diet Library in Japan. Tokyo branch holds the most books, though other books can be found at different branches. Check their catalog at https://ndlopac.ndl.go.jp/ for more information.

Translation segments

Poems from ゑとらるか : 詩集. Translations by Hikari-Again.

LXXXVI:白いくつの少年 I LXXXVI: The Boy with White Shoes I 白いくつの少年は白い幻想を履く少年だ。 The boy with white shoes is a boy who wears a white illusion. 白いくつの少年は八角花ボタンの掛時計の千後二時の音を聽く The boy with white shoes listens to the flower-button clock strike a thousand after two. ああウォーターベリーといふ會社はなんて美しい音を作り出したんだらう。　 Oh, the Waterbury Company can make such a beautiful sound. 白いくつの少年はニューメディア時代の子供だから鳥羽と桃山の寫眞を持ってゐる。 The boy with white shoes, as a child of the New Media era, carries photographs of Toba and Momoyama. 白いくつの少年は白いホームテレホンでお兄さんと光ヶ丘團地のガス濡れ事故について短いお話を交はす。 The boy with white shoes uses a white telephone to call his older brother and talk about a gas leak incident at the housing apartments in Hikarigaoka. ガスにピンクの色を着ければよいと靈感に滿ちたお兄さんが提案する。 His big brother, filled with inspiration, suggests that the gas might have been pink. 白いくつの少年のお兄さんは二階でエレクトロ新技術の本を讀む。 The boy with white shoes' older brother reads a book on new electro-technology on the second floor. 白いくつの少年は退屈なので自分のあしと遊びたくなり足を組む。 The boy with white shoes out of boredom crosses his feet that were itching to play. ねえぼくと遊ばないかい。 Hey, won't you play with me? 白いくつの少年のあしは男兒用の薄いピンクだといふ理由で光ヶ丘商店會から表彰状をもらつたことがある。 The boy with white shoes received a testimonial from the shop association of Hikarigaoka because his feet were pale boyish pink. あなたのボーイッシュな足はここ數年當商店會發展のために盡力されました。 Your boyish feet have been devoted to the development of our association for many years. 白いくつの少年のお父さんはアルファといふ會社の社長で劍玉に凝つてゐる。 The boy with white shoes' father, as the head of the company Alpha, concentrates on a cup-and-ball game. お父さん快適ですか。 Is father happy? ああとても快適だよ。 Ah, very happy. 白いくつの少年の軀のどこかで白い春が始まつてゐる。 Somewhere within the boy with white shoes' body, a white spring is starting. 白い春はボーイ・スカウトの慈善市（バザー）でも賣れるガラス繪だ。 In a white spring, Boy Scouts sell stained glass at a charity bazaar.

白いくつの少年II The Boy with the White Shoes II 白いくつの少年の白いくつをよく見た者はゐない。 No one has taken a good look at the boy with white shoes' white shoes. それは顔お近づけると眠氣が來て白いくつの焦點がばやけてしまふからだと云ふ人もゐるし、少年のあしに木犀科の花に似た佳い香りがあつて白いくつよりもそんな子供らしい裸の足を眺めてしまふからだと説明する人もゐる。 There are those who (didn't see because), if bringing their face closer, become drowsy, and the focus of the white shoes becomes blurred. The boy's feet have the lovely scent of Oleaceae flowers, and there are also those who say more than the white shoes, it is from gazing at those childish naked feet. 少年の白いくつを金屬製と云ふ人もあればクリスタルガラス製と云ふ人もある。 Some say that the boy's white shoes are made of gold. Others say they're made of crystal glass. 伊萬里燒と云ふ人もゐたし水塊と云つて隕石と云ひ直した人もゐた。 Some say they are made of porcelain from Imari. Some say they are made out of water and then correct themselves by saying meteorite. 電氣の一種だ。 Some sort of electricity. 否むしろガスの一種だ。 Nay, rather, a type of gas. 羊の皮だ。 Sheepskin leather. うぐひすの頭だ。 The head of a nightingale. エレガントリネンだ。 An elegant linen. メタリッククロスだ。 A metallic cross. 神の慈悲だ。 God's mercy. 佛の功徳だ。 Buddha's virtue. 要するに誰もが白晝堂堂と嘘を主張してゐる。 In short, everyone insists on blatantly lying. 少年の白いくつはその上の白いソックスとその上の肌色のあしとスコラ的な三重奏(トリオ）を組む。 The boy's white shoes, white socks, and flesh-tone feet form a scholastic musical trio. 片栗（かたくり）公園の森の小徑にうるはしくしやがんでカタクリの花を見てゐる少年の眉のをかしさ股のくららか。 The dark thighs and remarkable brows of a boy gorgeously crouching looking at violet flowers in the forest trail of Violet Park. 白いくつの少年の白い半ズボンはお父さんの名刺のやうに蕭酒だ。 The boy with white shoes' white shorts are like wormwood liquor, just like his father's name card. 春ものふかき夜櫻の晩少年の家に白い泥棒が這入（はひ）つて白いくつは盗まれた。 Late one spring night, as the cherry blossoms were blooming, a thief broke in to the boy's house and stole the white shoes. 白い泥棒は盗んだ白い子供靴の替はりに奥湯河原の鳥の胃袋を置いて逃げ去つた。 The white thief put in place of the boy's white shoes the stomach of a bird from Okuyugawara and fled.

"The summer of 7 years ago[...] I found a 4th year elementary school student diffusing fresh eroticism and was permitted to take a number of photos." While we were playing his friends mysteriously appeared. "Why take his picture?" I decided to at least answer honestly. "Because he's cute." "Whaat? That kid?!" Somehow his friends were surprised. I must have looked very strange at the school.