『Niigata's Arithmetic Story』🧮 First edition published in 1982, Edited by Niigata Prefecture Arithmetic Education Research Association, Published by Nihon Hyojun
【Introduction to Niigata's Antiquarian Books】🧐
『Niigata's Arithmetic Story』🧮
First edition published in 1982
Edited by Niigata Prefecture Arithmetic Education Research Association
Published by Nihon Hyojun
Speaking to the children of Niigata about Niigata through "arithmetic"—a masterpiece of arithmetic reading material from Niigata in 1982 that interprets regional culture, industry, and nature from the perspective of numbers and shapes.📖
It is neither a textbook nor a local history book.
The unique "Arithmetic x Niigata" approach that only this book possesses still makes one stop and turn the pages even after more than 40 years.😲
【Content and Commentary】🧐
⚫︎ The core value of this book lies in the fact that it thoroughly unearthed regional materials from Niigata as "arithmetic teaching materials."
The harvest volume of Koshihikari rice, the export numbers of tulip bulbs, the three-shaku-dama fireworks of Nagaoka, the production of Western tableware in Tsubame, the water volume of the Shinano River, the Sado Gold Mine—all the numbers of Niigata's industry and nature emerge as problems of multiplication, ratios, speed, and geometry.
A rare volume that can be read in two ways: as local historical material and as a history of arithmetic education.
⚫︎ The table of contents consists of 5 chapters and 41 stories: "Niigata's Arithmetic Once Upon a Time," "Niigata's Nature," "Growing Niigata," "Niigata Seen Through Numbers and Shapes," and "Niigata's Arithmetic Knowledge Classroom." The range of topics is broad, delving into history, folklore, and crafts, including Manbo tags, Ryuseizan, Rokusai markets, flame-style pottery from the Umataka ruins, and the patterns of Echigo Jofu textiles.
⚫︎ The cover features an aerial photograph of the Bandai Bridge spanning the Shinano River and the Niigata city area in 1982. The chapter on the Joetsu Shinkansen "Asahi," which had just opened, is excellent in its structure, using the then-cutting-edge speed of "210 km/h" as a subject to let children experience the scale of numbers from their own perspective.
The note stating, "As of November 1982, Ueno Station has not yet opened," realistically conveys the sense of the era immediately following the first publication.
⚫︎ In the "Rokusai Market" chapter, the process of how the market days in Yokka-machi increased from 4 to 6 times a month is solved through multiplication, and in the "Dr. Nanten" chapter, the mystery of the number 36 is taught using, of all things, Nanten (heavenly bamboo) berries—this kind of grounded subject selection is the product of local arithmetic teachers who worked hard to research and collect materials.
⚫︎ In the Echigo Jofu chapter, the relationship between textile patterns and grid symmetry/inversion is illustrated; the Yahiko ropeway handles the angle of inclination, and Tsubame's Western tableware handles the unit of weight "momme," showing how mathematical thinking and regional industry are naturally connected.
It has the density of a supplementary reader on Niigata industrial history, going beyond a mere "fun arithmetic book."
📖 A "cross-section of history" told by paper—in 1982, when the Joetsu Shinkansen opened and Niigata had a sense of "growing," the prefecture's arithmetic teachers created such a rich book.
This volume, with the photo of Bandai Bridge on the cover, is a gift to children and, at the same time, a quiet monument that encapsulates the entire landscape of industry, culture, and numbers of Showa-era Niigata.😌
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