Takaaki Yoshimoto (吉本 隆明, Yoshimoto Takaaki; 25 November 1924 – 16 March 2012), also known as Ryūmei Yoshimoto, was a…Takaaki Yoshimoto (吉本 隆明, Yoshimoto Takaaki; 25 November 1924 – 16 March 2012), also known as Ryūmei Yoshimoto, was a Japanese poet, philosopher, and literary critic. As a philosopher, he is remembered as a founding figure in the emergence of the New Left in Japan, and as a critic, he was at the forefront of a movement to force writers to confront their responsibility as wartime collaborators. Yoshimoto is the father of Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto and of cartoonist Yoiko Haruno.
Mitsuo Aida (相田みつを, Aida Mitsuo; 20 May 1924 – 17 December 1991) was a Japanese poet and calligrapher known as The Poet…Mitsuo Aida (相田みつを, Aida Mitsuo; 20 May 1924 – 17 December 1991) was a Japanese poet and calligrapher known as The Poet of Zen. His work was influenced by Zen Buddhism and he is known for his works, Ningen damono (Because I'm Human), Okagesan (Our Debt to Others), and Inochi ippai (Live a Full Live).
Ryōhei Uchida (内田良平, Uchida Ryōhei; 5 February 1924 – 15 June 1984) was a Japanese actor. Uchida appeared in nearly 300…Ryōhei Uchida (内田良平, Uchida Ryōhei; 5 February 1924 – 15 June 1984) was a Japanese actor. Uchida appeared in nearly 300 films between 1950 and 1984. He specialized in playing villains and yakuza roles. He got acquainted with film director Masaki Kobayashi through a friend's introduction. He was able to sign his contract with Shochiku film company with the help of Kobayashi. In 1953, he made his film debut with Kabe Atsukiheya directed by Masaki Kobayashi. His first starring role in a film was playing Kazama in League of Gangsters (1963) directed by Kinji Fukasaku. He died of myocardial infarction on 15 June 1984 at the age of 60.
Gan Tanigawa (谷川 雁; December 25, 1923 – February 2, 1995) was a Japanese poet, critic, and social activist. He is best…Gan Tanigawa (谷川 雁; December 25, 1923 – February 2, 1995) was a Japanese poet, critic, and social activist. He is best known for his work with the Sakuru Mura (サークル村) poetry group.
Ryūichi Tamura (田村 隆一, Tamura Ryūichi; 18 March 1923 – 26 August 1998) was a Japanese poet, essayist and translator of…Ryūichi Tamura (田村 隆一, Tamura Ryūichi; 18 March 1923 – 26 August 1998) was a Japanese poet, essayist and translator of English language novels and poetry who was active during the Shōwa period of Japan.
Kim Chunsu (Korean: 김춘수; Hanja: 金春洙; November 25, 1922 – November 29, 2004) was one of the leading South Korean poets…Kim Chunsu (Korean: 김춘수; Hanja: 金春洙; November 25, 1922 – November 29, 2004) was one of the leading South Korean poets of the late twentieth century. He won numerous literary awards and was a professor of Korean Literature. His works have been translated into English, German and Spanish.
Takayuki Kiyooka (清岡 卓行, Kiyooka Takayuki; July 29, 1922 - June 3, 2006) was a Japanese poet and novelist. He was born…Takayuki Kiyooka (清岡 卓行, Kiyooka Takayuki; July 29, 1922 - June 3, 2006) was a Japanese poet and novelist. He was born in Dalian, China, while it was Japan's leased territory, spent his youth there, and is noted for his stories about the life in Dalian. He received the Akutagawa Prize in 1969, for his story, Dalian of Acasia Flowers. He was married to Keiko Iwasaka.
Tarō Naka (Japanese: 那珂太郎, Hepburn: Naka Tarō; 23 January 1922 – 1 June 2014) was a prize-winning Japanese poet. He was…Tarō Naka (Japanese: 那珂太郎, Hepburn: Naka Tarō; 23 January 1922 – 1 June 2014) was a prize-winning Japanese poet. He was born Shōjirō Fukuda in Hakata, now Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu in western Japan. At school he read, among others, Sakutarō Hagiwara, Friedrich Nietzsche, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Baudelaire, and the Kyoto School philosopher Kitarō Nishida. In April 1941, he entered Tokyo Imperial University to study Japanese Literature. Some of his earliest poems dealing with the war and its immediate aftermath appeared in his debut collection, Etudes, in 1950, published by his high-school classmate Tokuo Date's Eureka Press. Between 1957 and 1964, Naka worked on what the critic Shōbin Hirai, among many others, considered his magnum opus, his 1965 collection Ongaku ('Music'). It was published by Shichōsha, Japan's foremost poetry publisher, in a limited edition of four hundred copies. It received widespread critical praise and was awarded the Yomiuri Prize and the Saisei Murō Prize. The collection is characterized by its high degree of attention to the interplay between the visual, phonetic and semantic aspects of words. In 2003, he composed a nō play, Shikōtei ('The First Emperor'), which was performed at the National Noh Theatre on 20 March 2014, a few months before Naka died from pneumonia in June 2014. An English translation of his work, Music: Selected Poems, was published by Isobar Press in July 2018.
Ishigaki Rin (石垣 りん; February 21, 1920 – December 26, 2004) was a Japanese poet, most famous for her poem "Nameplate."…Ishigaki Rin (石垣 りん; February 21, 1920 – December 26, 2004) was a Japanese poet, most famous for her poem "Nameplate." She was known as the "bank clerk poet" because all of her writing was done on the side of her job as a clerk at the Industrial Bank of Japan, and her work frequently appeared in her employer's newsletter. Like her friend and contemporary Ibaragi Noriko, she was openly critical of environmental devastation, war, and nuclear power. Some of her poems are used in Japanese language textbooks, and she is therefore one of the best-known contemporary poets in Japan.
Takashi Yanase (やなせ たかし, Yanase Takashi, February 6, 1919 – October 13, 2013) was a Japanese manga artist and writer…Takashi Yanase (やなせ たかし, Yanase Takashi, February 6, 1919 – October 13, 2013) was a Japanese manga artist and writer, poet, illustrator and lyricist. He is known as the creator of the picture book and animated series Anpanman. Yanase was chairman of the Japan Cartoonists Association from May 2000 to 2012.
Sankichi Tōge (峠 三吉, Tōge Sankichi; 19 February 1917 – 10 March 1953), born Mitsuyoshi Tōge, was a Japanese poet…Sankichi Tōge (峠 三吉, Tōge Sankichi; 19 February 1917 – 10 March 1953), born Mitsuyoshi Tōge, was a Japanese poet, activist, and survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He is best known for his collection of poems Genbaku Shishu ("Poems of the Atomic Bomb"), published in 1951.
Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子, Iwatani Tokiko; March 28, 1916 – October 25, 2013) was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and translator.…Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子, Iwatani Tokiko; March 28, 1916 – October 25, 2013) was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and translator. Born Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷トキ子, Iwatani Tokiko) in Seoul, Korea, she moved with her family to Japan at the age of 5, where they settled in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. After attending schools in her hometown she entered the English Literature Department of Kobe College, and graduated in 1939. She then joined the publishing department of the Takarazuka Revue, where she became acquainted with the future star Fubuki Koshiji. When Koshiji decided to leave the revue in 1951 to join Tōei and become an actress and singer, Iwatani also quit the company, and moved to Tokyo with Koshiji, whose manager she was for about 30 years, until Koshiji died in 1980. After becoming a full-time independent lyricist in 1963, she wrote the lyrics to or translated over 3000 songs, for singers or groups including The Peanuts, Yūzō Kayama, Frank Nagai, Hiromi Go, and translated the lyrics of, among others, Hymne à l'amour, Save the Last Dance for Me, Million Roses, My Way, and the musicals Kiss Me, Kate, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical, Me and My Girl, and Les Misérables. In 2010 she established the Iwatani Tokiko Foundation, which awards the annual ¥3,000,000 yen Iwatani Tokiko Award. She died in October 2013 from pneumonia.
Hiroshi Noma (野間宏, Noma Hiroshi; February 23, 1915 – January 2, 1991) was a Japanese poet, novelist and essayist.…Hiroshi Noma (野間宏, Noma Hiroshi; February 23, 1915 – January 2, 1991) was a Japanese poet, novelist and essayist. According to literary scholar Doug Slaymaker, Noma is widely credited with having discovered or invented the style of writing called by the term "postwar literature" (sengo bungaku) in Japan.
Heiichi Sugiyama (Japanese: 杉山 平一, Hepburn: Sugiyama Heiichi; 2 November 1914 – 19 May 2012) was a Japanese poet, film…Heiichi Sugiyama (Japanese: 杉山 平一, Hepburn: Sugiyama Heiichi; 2 November 1914 – 19 May 2012) was a Japanese poet, film critic, and film theorist.
Yūji Kinoshita (木下夕爾, Kinoshita Yūji; 27 October 1914 – 4 August 1965) was a Japanese poet, a member of the group…Yūji Kinoshita (木下夕爾, Kinoshita Yūji; 27 October 1914 – 4 August 1965) was a Japanese poet, a member of the group associated with the journal Shiki, and famous during his lifetime for his pastoral poetry. Many of his haiku appear in English-language anthologies. He was born the second son of Tsuneichi Kinoshita in Miyuki, a village in the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. On 22 July 1920, his father was killed at work; on 3 August 1922, his mother married Tsuneichi's brother, Itsu, a pharmacist. In 1932, Kinoshita began studying French literature at Waseda in Tokyo, but he was forced to switch to pharmacology in Nagoya in order to continue the family business, when his elder brother became a doctor. This unwelcome career change was cemented by the death on 15 September 1935 of his stepfather. Kinoshita disliked working as a pharmacist and is described by his family as a distant man who frequently undercharged his clients for the medicine he provided. He spent all of his spare time on his poems, of which 400 survive. They were published in ten collections. In July 1965, he wrote his last poem, "Gone So Long", commissioned by a newspaper for the 20th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. He died a month later of colon cancer. His complete works were published in November of the same year. He was the winner of the Yomiuri Prize in 1966.
Michizō Tachihara (立原 道造, Tachihara Michizō; 30 July 1914 – 29 March 1939) was a Japanese poet and architect. He died…Michizō Tachihara (立原 道造, Tachihara Michizō; 30 July 1914 – 29 March 1939) was a Japanese poet and architect. He died at age 24 from tuberculosis, before either career could seriously get under way. Michizō struggled to find a way for an urban poet to root himself in traditional customs and still be "modern." Though a citizen of Tokyo, Michizō would rarely mention modern urban scenes in his work. Aside from several references to cars, Michizō chose to describe a vegetable, not a mineral realm. He described trains as vehicles of escape, rescuing him from being cooped up in his architectural office. The natural landscapes of the Shinano Highlands provided an endless parade of conventional imagery that Michizō would use in his work; such as birds, clouds, flowers, grasses, mountains, skies, trees, and wind. A sizable part of his poetry used poetic impulse, often causing his work to be labelled as "sentimental". He wrote openly about his feelings and expressed what was in his heart, allowing his verse to be both uncontaminated and genuine. His Dharma name was Onkyōin Shiundō Norikiyo Shinshi (温恭院紫雲道範清信士).
Kansuke Yamamoto (Japanese: 山本 悍右; 30 March 1914 – 2 April 1987) was a Japanese Surrealist photographer, poet, editor…Kansuke Yamamoto (Japanese: 山本 悍右; 30 March 1914 – 2 April 1987) was a Japanese Surrealist photographer, poet, editor, and publisher based in Nagoya. Eiko Aoki describes him as a driving force in Japan's avant-garde movement, producing innovative photographs with an uncompromising spirit. Photography historian Ryūichi Kaneko regards the establishment of the 1932 date of Yamamoto's photocollage The Developing Thought of a Human... Mist and Bedroom and as a landmark for understanding the formation and development of modern Japanese photography in the 1930s. Drawing on French Surrealist literature and periodicals, Yamamoto developed a practice that Amanda Maddox and John Solt discuss in terms of interpretation, translation, and dialogue rather than belated imitation of European models. Yamamoto's Surrealist practice also took the form of editing, translation, and publishing. Through Yoru no Funsui, which he founded and edited in 1938, he brought together poetry, photography, translations of French Surrealist writing, and reproduced drawings. The journal ceased publication in 1939 under pressure from the Special Higher Police (Tokkō), and Yamamoto was questioned about the political meaning of his Surrealist photography and poetry. He nevertheless continued Surrealist publishing under wartime conditions through Carnet Bleu, including a Japanese translation of an essay on photography by Philippe Soupault. Maddox argues that Yamamoto resisted pressure to strip Surrealism of provocation, politics, and thought. After the war, Yamamoto continued to pursue Surrealist ideas through collective activity and new photographic forms. He co-founded VIVI in 1947, which Maddox describes as an effort to keep the spirit of Surrealist ideology alive in the postwar period. Jelena Stojković traces Yamamoto's postwar photographic narratives from a pair of self-portraits made in 1949 to staged sequences of the 1950s, including My Thin-Aired Room (1956), in which he appeared as both actor and director. Stojković argues that these experiments made a direct link between Yamamoto's Surrealist background and emerging conceptual and performative uses of photography, and describes his work as a point of reference both for the prewar Japanese avant-garde and for the development of contemporary art and photography in Japan. Kaneko likewise rejects the accepted division of Yamamoto's career into separate prewar and postwar periods, arguing that his postwar work increased in complexity and strength and that modern Japanese photography, despite the interruption of war, should be reconsidered as a continuous and interconnected history. The 2001 retrospective Kansuke Yamamoto: Conveyor of the Impossible at Tokyo Station Gallery became a turning point in the later reassessment of Yamamoto's work. His work was subsequently featured in Japan's Modern Divide at the J. Paul Getty Museum in 2013 and Surrealism Beyond Borders at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tate Modern in 2021–2022.
Sadako Kurihara (栗原 貞子, Kurihara Sadako; March 4, 1913 – March 6, 2005) was a Japanese poet who lived in Hiroshima and…Sadako Kurihara (栗原 貞子, Kurihara Sadako; March 4, 1913 – March 6, 2005) was a Japanese poet who lived in Hiroshima and survived the atomic bombing during World War II. She is best known for her poem Umashimenkana (Bringing Forth New Life).
Paek Ki-haeng (Korean: 백기행; 1 July 1912 – 7 January 1996), known by his art name Paek Sŏk (백석) was a North Korean poet.…Paek Ki-haeng (Korean: 백기행; 1 July 1912 – 7 January 1996), known by his art name Paek Sŏk (백석) was a North Korean poet. He was born in Chŏngju in North Pyongan Province, and started his journalist career at The Chosun Ilbo in 1934. He published his first poem "Chŏngju Fortress" (정주성, Jeongjuseong) on 31 August 1935 issue of Chosun Ilbo. On 20 January next year, he published a collection of the poems he had written entitled Deer (사슴, Sasŭm). Even though Deer contained 33 poems, many of which were new, seven of them were already published in magazines or newspapers in slightly different forms. Until 1948, he published about 60 more pieces, but is not believed to have produced another poetry book. In South Korea, the publication of his works was strictly prohibited for a while because he was labelled as a North Korean poet and a communist. However, since 1987 when a collection of his works (poems and essays) were first introduced after the Korean War, he has been widely re-evaluated by scholars and critics. He is now regarded as having opened a new face of Korean socialist modernism with a group of literary writers. In 2007, he was listed by the Korean Poets' Association among the ten most important modern Korean poets.
Michio Mado (まど・みちお, Mado Michio; 16 November 1909 – 28 February 2014) was a Japanese poet. He received the…Michio Mado (まど・みちお, Mado Michio; 16 November 1909 – 28 February 2014) was a Japanese poet. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1994 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature".
Shin Seok-cho (1909–1975) was a Korean poet and journalist. He was born in Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, in 1909.…Shin Seok-cho (1909–1975) was a Korean poet and journalist. He was born in Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, in 1909. Involved with socialism, he joined Korean Artist Proletarian Federation (KAPF) but subsequently withdrew. In 1935, he met Yi Yuk-sa and became a close acquaintance. He published poems such as "Bara dance", "Snakes", and "Pacho". He also served as the president of the Society of Korean Poets, and worked as a writer for the Hankook Ilbo.
Anarchism in Japan began to emerge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as Western anarchist literature began to…Anarchism in Japan began to emerge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as Western anarchist literature began to be translated into Japanese. It existed throughout the 20th century in various forms, despite repression by the state that became particularly harsh during the two world wars, and it reached its height in the 1920s with organisations such as Kokuren and Zenkoku Jiren. Japanese anarchism had a number of notable leading figures who dominated the movement at different times. The first of these leaders was Kōtoku Shūsui, who led the development of an anarchist faction within existing left-wing movements, which then split into its own independent movement in the first decade of the 1900s. Kōtoku was executed for treason in 1911, and the movement was subject to severe repression for a decade. The next leading figure was Ōsugi Sakae, who involved himself heavily in support for anarcho-syndicalism and helped to bring the movement out of its 'winter period', until he was murdered by military police in 1923. Another leading figure was Hatta Shūzō, who reoriented the anarchist movement in a more anarcho-communist direction during the late 1920s, opposing labour unions as a tool of revolution. This produced a split between anarcho-syndicalists and anarcho-communists, which dominated anarchist politics and weakened the movement. From 1931 onwards, the anarchist movement was suppressed more harshly due to the wartime policies of the Empire of Japan. After the war, an anarchist movement once again appeared (the Japanese Anarchist Federation) and was led by important pre-war anarchists such as Iwasa Sakutarō and Ishikawa Sanshirō, but it was once again weakened by splits between the two factions. From very early on in the history of Japanese anarchism, the movement was in close contact with anarchists from Europe, America, and elsewhere in Asia. Japanese anarcho-syndicalist ideas were often inspired by French syndicalists, and works by writers such as Peter Kropotkin and Emma Goldman had a great influence on the Japanese anarchist movement.
Yu Chi-hwan (Korean: 유치환; 1908–1967), also known by his art name Cheongma (청마), was a leading twentieth-century Korean…Yu Chi-hwan (Korean: 유치환; 1908–1967), also known by his art name Cheongma (청마), was a leading twentieth-century Korean poet.
Count Sō Takeyuki (宗武志, Takeyuki Sō; Korean: 소 다케유키; 16 February 1908 – 22 April 1985) was a Japanese aristocrat…Count Sō Takeyuki (宗武志, Takeyuki Sō; Korean: 소 다케유키; 16 February 1908 – 22 April 1985) was a Japanese aristocrat, academic and poet. He was the count of the island Tsushima from 1923 to 1947. He was the husband of Princess Deokhye, the last princess of the Korean Empire, and served as a member of the House of Peers.
Mitsuru Nishikawa (西川 満, Nishikawa Mitsuru; 1908 February 12 – 1999 February 24) was a writer and literary figure…Mitsuru Nishikawa (西川 満, Nishikawa Mitsuru; 1908 February 12 – 1999 February 24) was a writer and literary figure during the Japanese rule in Taiwan. Born in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, he moved to Taiwan with his family during his childhood and returned to Japan for college. He returned to Taiwan shortly after graduation. When he was a senior in high school, Mitsuru Nishikawa established the poetry society Mori Poetry Society (杜の詩人社), starting to produce poetry collections. Later, he embarked on his writing career and received multiple literary awards. In addition to writing, Nishikawa was also active in newspaper editing and literary communities. He was an editor and head of the arts and literature department at the Taiwan Daily Newspaper. He also edited the Taiwan Book Lovers' Association's official magazine Love Books (愛書) and organized the Taiwan Association for Poets and Taiwan Literary Arts Association, founding magazines such as Formosa (華麗島) and Bungei Taiwan (文藝臺灣). In April 1946, a year after Japan's defeat, Mitsuru Nishikawa was repatriated to Japan.
Yasushi Inoue (井上靖, Inoue Yasushi; May 6, 1907 – January 29, 1991) was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories…Yasushi Inoue (井上靖, Inoue Yasushi; May 6, 1907 – January 29, 1991) was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories, poetry and essays, noted for his historical and autobiographical fiction. His most acclaimed works include The Bullfight (Tōgyū, 1949), The Roof Tile of Tempyō (Tenpyō no iraka, 1957) and Tun-huang (Tonkō, 1959).
Chūya Nakahara (中原 中也, Nakahara Chūya; 29 April 1907 – 22 October 1937), born Chūya Kashimura (柏村 中也, Kashimura Chūya)…Chūya Nakahara (中原 中也, Nakahara Chūya; 29 April 1907 – 22 October 1937), born Chūya Kashimura (柏村 中也, Kashimura Chūya), was a Japanese poet active during the early Shōwa period. Originally shaped by Dada and other forms of European (mainly French) experimental poetry, he was one of the leading renovators of Japanese poetry. Although he died at the young age of 30, he wrote more than 350 poems throughout his life. Many called him the "Japanese Rimbaud" for his affinities with the French poet whose poems he translated in 1934.
Kim Kirim (Korean: 김기림; Hanja: 金起林; May 11, 1908 – 2000) was a Korean poet and literary critic who represented Korean…Kim Kirim (Korean: 김기림; Hanja: 金起林; May 11, 1908 – 2000) was a Korean poet and literary critic who represented Korean modernist literature in the 1930s. Kim wrote monumental poems such as “The Weather Chart” (1936), “Wind Speed of the Sun” (1939), and “The Sea and the Butterfly” (1939) during the Japanese colonial period. In pursuing a new spirit of poetry, he criticized sentimental romanticism in the 1920s and the movement of the Korean Artists’ Proletarian Federation (Korea Artista Proleta Federacio; KAPF), which based its literary theory and practice on left-wing ideologies. Kim was one of the first intellectualists who introduced modernism to the Korean literary circle and emphasized rationality by means of the compressibility of poetry. Being active as a literary critic, he introduced great Korean writers such as Yi Sang, Baek Seok, and Jeong Ji-yong to the literary world through his critique and papers. After Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Kim took part in the progressive Chosun Writer's Union along with the writers Jeong Ji-yong and Lee Tae-jun and called for the role of literature in building a new nation by its active engagement in reality.
Jun Takami (高見 順, Takami Jun; 30 January 1907 – 17 August 1965) was the pen-name of a Japanese novelist and poet active…Jun Takami (高見 順, Takami Jun; 30 January 1907 – 17 August 1965) was the pen-name of a Japanese novelist and poet active in Shōwa era Japan. His real name was Takami Yoshio.
Haruto Kō (耕 治人, Kō Haruto; August 1, 1906 - January 6, 1988) was a noted Japanese poet and novelist. Kō was born in…Haruto Kō (耕 治人, Kō Haruto; August 1, 1906 - January 6, 1988) was a noted Japanese poet and novelist. Kō was born in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto and graduated from the Department of English Literature of Meiji Gakuin University. He was arrested as a political offender during World War II, and after the war started to write I novels. Kō received the 1969 Yomiuri Prize for Ichijō no hikari, as well as the Ministry of Education's Art Encouragement Prize.
Eisuke Yoshiyuki (吉行 エイスケ, Yoshiyuki Eisuke; May 10, 1906 – July 8, 1940) was a Japanese author. He was born in Okayama…Eisuke Yoshiyuki (吉行 エイスケ, Yoshiyuki Eisuke; May 10, 1906 – July 8, 1940) was a Japanese author. He was born in Okayama Prefecture. His son, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, was also a noted author; his daughter, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, a well-known actress; and his other daughter, Rie Yoshiyuki, was a poet and novelist. The 1997 NHK Asadora Aguri was based on Eisuke's life with his wife Aguri. He also took a role in the Japanese Dada Movement.
Tamiki Hara (原民喜, Hara Tamiki; 15 November 1905 – 13 March 1951) was a Japanese writer and survivor of the bombing of…Tamiki Hara (原民喜, Hara Tamiki; 15 November 1905 – 13 March 1951) was a Japanese writer and survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima, known for his works in the atomic bomb literature genre.
Junichi Yoda (与田凖一, Yoda Jun'ichi; June 25, 1905 in Fukuoka – February 3, 1997) was a Japanese poet and a leading…Junichi Yoda (与田凖一, Yoda Jun'ichi; June 25, 1905 in Fukuoka – February 3, 1997) was a Japanese poet and a leading figure among Japanese authors of children's books during the Shōwa period.
Chirū Yamanaka (山中 散生, Yamanaka Chirū) (7 May 1905 – 11 September 1977), born Toshiyuki Yamanaka and also known as…Chirū Yamanaka (山中 散生, Yamanaka Chirū) (7 May 1905 – 11 September 1977), born Toshiyuki Yamanaka and also known as Tiroux Yamanaka, was a Japanese poet, critic, translator, and editor who played a central role in introducing Surrealism to Japan. Working in Nagoya during the interwar years, he founded the avant-garde poetry magazine CINÉ in 1929 and established direct contacts with European Surrealists including Paul Éluard and André Breton. In 1937, Yamanaka and Shūzō Takiguchi organized the touring Kaigai Chōgenjitsushugi Sakuhinten (Exhibition of Overseas Surrealist Works), with assistance from European Surrealists including Éluard, Georges Hugnet, and Roland Penrose. Breton and Éluard's 1938 Dictionnaire abrégé du surréalisme listed Yamanaka as a Surrealist poet and writer and identified him as a promoter of the movement in Japan. Yamanaka was also active in Nagoya's avant-garde circles in the late 1930s. He helped establish the Nagoya Avant-Garde Club and the Nagoya Photo Avant-Garde, where he introduced fellow members to recent developments in Surrealism abroad. He was closely involved with Yoru no Funsui (夜の噴水, The Night's Fountain), a Surrealist poetry magazine founded by the poet and photographer Kansuke Yamamoto in Nagoya in 1938, and later published a poetry collection of his own under the same title in 1963. He continued to publish poetry and criticism after the Second World War, as well as books on the history of Surrealism and Dada.
Hisahito Yonekura (米倉壽仁, Yonekura Hisahito) (19 February 1905 – 18 March 1994) was a Japanese Surrealist painter and…Hisahito Yonekura (米倉壽仁, Yonekura Hisahito) (19 February 1905 – 18 March 1994) was a Japanese Surrealist painter and poet. He was a founding member of the Sōki Bijutsu Kyōkai in 1938 and the Bijutsu Bunka Kyōkai in 1939. The Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art regards his 1936 painting The Crisis of Europe as a representative work of both his prewar career and Japanese Surrealist painting.
Sei Itō (伊藤 整, Itō Sei; 16 January 1905 – 15 November 1969), born Hitoshi Itō (伊藤 整, Itō Hitoshi), was a Japanese…Sei Itō (伊藤 整, Itō Sei; 16 January 1905 – 15 November 1969), born Hitoshi Itō (伊藤 整, Itō Hitoshi), was a Japanese Modernist writer of poetry, prose and essays, and a translator.
Iku Takenaka (竹中郁, Takenaka Iku 1904–1982) was a Japanese poet from Hyogo prefecture. He graduated from Kwansei Gakuin…Iku Takenaka (竹中郁, Takenaka Iku 1904–1982) was a Japanese poet from Hyogo prefecture. He graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University. His best-known work is a cinepoem Rugby. He met Ryunosuke Akutagawa who wrote closet screenplays, just before Akutagawa's suicide, and then, in Akutagawa's home, he also met Tatsuo Hori, whose work 'Kaze Tachinu' inspired Hayao Miyazaki's last work. He also met Man Ray in Paris, when Ray created cinepoems, to interview Ray for a magazine. His Dharma name was Shunkōin Shisen Ikudō Koji (春光院詩仙郁道居士).
Shūzō Takiguchi (瀧口 修造, Takiguchi Shūzō; December 7, 1903 – July 1, 1979) was a Japanese poet, art critic, and artist.…Shūzō Takiguchi (瀧口 修造, Takiguchi Shūzō; December 7, 1903 – July 1, 1979) was a Japanese poet, art critic, and artist. He was a central figure in prewar and postwar Japanese Surrealism, helping introduce the movement through his 1930 translation of André Breton's Surrealism and Painting and through direct correspondence with Breton. He also published a 1940 monograph on Joan Miró that museum sources describe as the world's earliest monograph on the artist. He was also a key figure in the history of wartime repression directed at Japanese Surrealism: in 1941, he was arrested on suspicion of violating the Peace Preservation Law, and museum accounts note that he remained under police surveillance until the end of the war. Starting in the 1950s, he also supported younger postwar avant-garde artists through his work at Takemiya Gallery in Tokyo, where he was responsible for selecting artists and coordinating exhibitions from 1951 to 1957. In 1958, he served as commissioner for the Japan Pavilion at the 29th Venice Biennale and as a member of the international jury. Around 1960, he increasingly turned to his own visual practice, producing drawings, watercolors, decalcomanias, and other experimental works. He was also recognized in international Surrealist circles: according to the Dalí Foundation, Takiguchi and Chirū Yamanaka were named in the 1938 Dictionnaire abrégé du surréalisme as "promoters of the surrealist movement in Japan". His writings, artist books, and works have since entered the holdings of major international institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His posthumous reception has also included presentation in major international exhibition contexts, including Surrealism Beyond Borders, organized by The Met and Tate Modern, and a 1986–1987 programme at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Takagi Kyozo (Japanese: 高木恭造; October 12, 1903 – October 23, 1987) was a Japanese poet who wrote in the Tsugaru dialect…Takagi Kyozo (Japanese: 高木恭造; October 12, 1903 – October 23, 1987) was a Japanese poet who wrote in the Tsugaru dialect and an ophthalmologist. His nephew is crime fiction writer Akimitsu Takagi. He was born in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. He worked briefly as a substitute teacher and later news reporter. He eventually became an ophthalmologist and opened his own clinic in Hirosaki. October 23 is celebrated in Japan as "Tsugaru dialect day" (Japanese: 津軽弁の日) in honor of the anniversary of his death. There is also a monument dedicated to him with an except from a Marmelo poem in Hirosaki.
Yao Kitabatake (北畠 八穂, Kitabatake Yao; 5 October 1903 – 18 March 1982) was a poet and children's literature writer in…Yao Kitabatake (北畠 八穂, Kitabatake Yao; 5 October 1903 – 18 March 1982) was a poet and children's literature writer in Shōwa period Japan.
Yang Ju-dong (Korean: 양주동; 24 June 1903 – 4 February 1977) was a South Korean poet, professor, literary scholar, and…Yang Ju-dong (Korean: 양주동; 24 June 1903 – 4 February 1977) was a South Korean poet, professor, literary scholar, and academic. He published on both English and Korean literature. He is also known by his art name Mu-ae (무애).
Fujisaburō Ono (小野 藤三郎, Ono Fujisaburō; July 27, 1903 – October 8, 1996), better known as Tōzaburō Ono (小野 十三郎, Ono…Fujisaburō Ono (小野 藤三郎, Ono Fujisaburō; July 27, 1903 – October 8, 1996), better known as Tōzaburō Ono (小野 十三郎, Ono Tōzaburō), was a Japanese poet and anarchist known for his critique of lyric poetry and as an advocate of long, rational poems.
Shinpei Kusano (草野心平, Kusano Shinpei, 12 May 1903 – 12 November 1988) was a Japanese poet. He was born in Iwaki…Shinpei Kusano (草野心平, Kusano Shinpei, 12 May 1903 – 12 November 1988) was a Japanese poet. He was born in Iwaki, Fukushima. He was a member of the Japan Art Academy, a Person of Cultural Merit, and a recipient of the Order of Culture. After dropping out of Keio University, he studied art at Lingnan University in Guangdong, China, and published "The Hundredth Grade" in 1928, and joined "Rekitei", a poetry magazine founded by Itzumi Naokichi in 1935. Later, he became an advisor to the propaganda department of the Wang Zhaoming government in the Japanese puppet regime of Nanjing. Some critics have pointed out the influence of the regime's ideology in "Fuji" (1943), which was published in Nanjing. After the war, he republished "Rekitei" and trained many poets and loved frogs.
Misuzu Kaneko (金子 みすゞ, Kaneko Misuzu; April 11, 1903 – March 10, 1930) was a Japanese poet, known for her poetry for…Misuzu Kaneko (金子 みすゞ, Kaneko Misuzu; April 11, 1903 – March 10, 1930) was a Japanese poet, known for her poetry for children. She was born Teru Kaneko (金子 テル, Kaneko Teru) in the fishing village of Senzaki, now part of Nagato, Yamaguchi prefecture. Motifs of fishing and the sea often make appearances in her poems. Celebrated during her lifetime, her works fell into obscurity after her death, until being rediscovered in the 1980s. Since then, she has been regarded as one of Japan's most beloved children's poets. Kaneko has been compared to Christina Rossetti. Her poems have been translated into eleven languages.
