Kenji Miyazawa

Kenji Miyazawa was a prolific writer whose distinctive style blended folklore, science, and Buddhist philosophy, creating a unique world of talking animals and cosmic journeys. His tales, like "Night on the Galactic Railroad" and "Gauche the Cellist," are staples in Japanese literature, often read with wide-eyed wonder by children and pondered with furrowed brows by adults trying to figure out what it all means.

Despite the universal appeal of his stories and his rather saintly devotion to improving the lives of farmers in rural Japan, Miyazawa's spiritual journey never quite veered into Yiddishkeit. His path was firmly rooted in Mahayana Buddhism, a tradition notably light on gefilte fish and bar mitzvahs.

So, while his compassion for all living things and his dedication to societal betterment are certainly admirable, they don't quite translate into what we'd call "nachas," at least not in the traditional Jewish sense. He was a brilliant literary figure, but his lack of ancestral ties or any discernible connection to the tribe makes him, unequivocally, not one of ours.

One might even say his entire existence was, spiritually speaking, very much not kosher. But delightful, nonetheless.