Akai Kutsu

Evidence suggests that in the original manuscript of Akai Kutsu, the line read "Every time I see red shoes, I remember her," but it was later changed to "think of."

生まれた　日本が　恋しくば 青い海眺めて　ゐるんだらう（いるんだろう） 異人さんに　たのんで　帰って来（こ） When she misses Japan where she was born I imagine she stares at the blue sea and asks the foreigner if she can go home The established theory is that the lyrics of Akai Kutsu were inspired by a true story.

Due to the harsh farming conditions, Kayo, with the help of her father-in-law, Sano Yasuyoshi, entrusted Kimi's upbringing to a pair of American missionaries named Hewitt.

In 1973, Kimi's half-sister, Sono (Shirou and Kayo's third daughter), wrote to a newspaper claiming, "My sister is the girl from Akai Kutsu."

When the Mother and Child Statue was erected in Nihondaira, Shizuoka, in 1986, Ai was asked to write a script for a commemorative special by the local TV station SBS, titled The Wandering Poem: The Girl in the Red Shoes.

The two also differ in their interpretation of Shabondama, where the line "So soon after it was born, it broke and was no more" may express Ujō's grief over the premature death of his eldest daughter.

Ai asserts that "Kikuchi is damaging the good name of the Hewitts, who never even met Kimi, with his fictional story that he created for a TV program."

Given the contentious nature of the theories surrounding Ujō, Kayo's perspective, and the credibility of Kikuchi's data collection methodology, a consensus has yet to be reached.

Mainichi Shimbun reported that "There are indications that it was written about the setbacks of the Utopian Socialist movement that was based around Shūsui Kōtoku who had led the development of peasant farming, and relatives of Noguchi assert that 'there was no real-life model (for the girl in the song).'"

Currently, the debate regarding the potential influence of the Noguchi family's relationship with the Suzukis, who were involved in the peasant farming movement, on Ujō's poems (including Akai Kutsu), has reached an impasse with no significant progress.

Regarding the established theory, she suggests that while there is no direct evidence, it's reasonable to assume that some personal experience of Ujō's served as inspiration for Akai Kutsu.

In an article in the June 17, 2003 issue of Weekly Shinchou, Fujiko Noguchi contested this assertion, stating, "I never spoke to Ei about Ujō's nursery rhymes."

Additionally, the article included remarks from Hiroshi Eguchi, who pointed out Ei's misunderstanding by noting that "the Peace Preservation Law wasn't established until years after the release of Akai Kutsu."

In the conclusion, the reporter cites Ujō's statement that "it is not acceptable to critique a nursery rhyme's lyrics using logic," to dismiss Rokosuke Ei's attempt to assert that "no matter the author's feelings, a song is something that is influenced by the ideas of those that come after."

Additionally, it does not delve into the ongoing debate regarding whether Ujō's shift in literary style later in life stemmed from a genuine change in his beliefs regarding Socialism or if it was merely a superficial alteration while maintaining his Socialist principles.