Kodomo no kuni was a themed literary magazine created broadly for children, not specifically boys or girls as was often the case with other contemporary publications.

[2] Many of the remaining copies of Kodomo no kuni still feature the bright, bold colors as they were printed nearly one hundred years ago because of the publication's use of unusually durable paper.

The creators had a strong understanding of the importance of early engagement in the arts and strived to encourage children to experiment and explore creatively.

[6] To read Kodomo no kuni nearly a century after its original publication is to witness a pictorial history of Western and Japanese children's fashion, toys, and technology.

Such attention to detail and accuracy had rarely been represented in art intended for young children in Japan before Kodomo no kuni.

[7] Every publication at this time also included educational information, games, and puzzles for mothers printed in black-and-white on cheaper paper and attached to the back cover.

[3] The magazine served as the home for many far-Left activists like Tomoyoshi Murayama who were otherwise unable to find work due to previous reprimands or arrests for speaking about their views.

[3] The magazine's main art director, Kiichi Okamoto, died in 1931 leaving fellow artist Takeo Takei to take his position at the publication.

The art included in Kodomo no kuni represented many of the new ideas and artistic styles that had flourished in Japan during the Taishō era.

In just one issue, Kodomo no kuni's artwork could range from bright to dark, watercolor to woodcut, hopeful to disturbing, and magical to realistic.

[3] Artists and designers were encouraged to be constantly experimenting and evolving, which resulted in a publication that blended all kinds of Western and Japanese influences together in one place.

[13] Core members of the group included Takei, Shiro Kawakami, Yoshio Shimizu, Kiichi Okamoto, Shōzō Fukazawa, Tomoyoshi Murayama, and Shigeru Hatsuyama, whose distinctive geometric style brought popularized abstraction at the publication.