[Funazaki, Yoshihiko] 舟崎 克彦 [Mt. Head].あたま山.

Illustrations by [Hayashi Kyōzō] 林恭三.
Series わらいの絵本 ; 1.

[Tokyo] 東京 , ポプラ 社 , 昭和 48年 [1973].
4to, 31, [1] pp., ill.

In original pictorial boards and pictorial dust jacket. Illustrated endpapers.
Near very good condition, very faintly rubbed dj.

First edition of this text and illustrations.

This story, inspired by Japanese rakugo (a traditional form of verbal comedy), follows Jimbē-san, a man who eats cherry pits, causing a cherry tree to grow on top of his head.
As crowds gather around the tree to party and celebrate on his head, the noise and commotion begin to irritate him. Finally, Jimbē-san uproots the tree, creating a hole that fills with rainwater and forms a lake. However, the situation worsens when fishermen arrive at the lake and lower their hooks, snagging his nose. Overwhelmed by anger and despair, Jimbē-san tragically ends his life by throwing himself into the lake atop his own head.
This version of the story was written by the renowned Japanese novelist, poet, illustrator, and manga artist Funazaki Yoshihiko (1945–2015). Funazaki received the prestigious Akaitori Bungaku Shō (赤い鳥文学賞, The Redbird Literary Prize), Japan’s notable children’s literature award named after a prominent Japanese children’s magazine, the year after this book was published. In 1976, he was included in the ‘Honor List’ of the Hans Christian Andersen Award.
The book features intriguing Illustrations by Hayashi Kyōzō (b. 1939), an artist celebrated for his unique technique of creating semi-three-dimensional objects with clay and then painting them. This is likely the first book to showcase his distinctive illustration style.
It Is also worth mentioning that the 2002 anime short film ‘Mt. Head’, based on this story and directed by Yamamura Koji, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 75th Academy Awards.

We couldn’t locate any copy of this edition outside Japan via OCLC.