Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Tsuguo Ando

あんどう つぐお

Ando Tsuguo

Pen Names: Ryukakasodo（Haigo (pen-name used for haiku)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1919-07-07 （Higashi-Tomata Village, Tomata District, Okayama Prefecture (now Tsuyama), Japan）
Died
2002-04-09 （Tokyo, Japan） age 82
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tsuyama (place of birth) → Kobe (moved in childhood) → Tokyo (later life)

Career

Occupations
Haiku poet, Poet, Literary critic, Translator, Teacher, University professor
Active Years
1950-2002
Affiliations
Tokyo Metropolitan Sakuramachi High School (social studies teacher), Kokugakuin University (French language lecturer), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (professor)
Influenced By
Kashū Kato (Kato Shuuson), Matsuo Basho (classical influence), Louis Aragon (through translation and study)
Influenced
Minoru Nakamura (poet, editor who compiled posthumous collections)

Education

Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo)
Faculty of Economics / Department of Economics
Period: 1937-1942
Year of Graduation: 1942
Country: Japan
Entered the old Third High School and later graduated from the University of Tokyo, Department of Economics

Awards

Yomiuri Literary Prize (14th)
1962
Work: Denga-Uta no Shūhen (Around "Denga-Uta")
Category: 評論・伝記賞
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Poetry and Poetics Museum Prize (12th)
1997
Work: Ryū (Flow) — haiku collection "Ryū"
Category: 俳句部門
Organization: Poetry and Poetics Museum
Result: 受賞
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
2001
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Green Night of June

1950 Poetry collection

Early poetry collection published shortly after the war, containing poems that show his resistance-period poetic stance.

ResistancePostwar societyNature

Orchid

1951 Poetry collection

Second poetry collection demonstrating maturation and diversification of his poetic voice.

Individual and societyNatureMemory

Denga-Uta no Shūhen (Around "Denga-Uta")

1962 Criticism / Biography

A collection of criticism showing deep knowledge of classical and modern poetry, renku and haikai; winner of the Yomiuri Literary Prize.

Classical poeticsRenku/haikaiPoetry theory

Ryū (Flow) — Haiku Collection

1997 Haiku collection

Haiku collection published in 1997 reflecting classical taste informed by modern-poetry scholarship; awarded the Poetry and Poetics Museum Prize.

SeasonsReturn to classical formsNature depiction

Bibliography

  • Collected Works of Tsuguo Ando (8 volumes)
  • The Green Night of June
  • Orchid
  • Denga-Uta no Shūhen
  • Ryū (Flow)
  • Commentary on Basho's Seven Collections

Translations by Author

  • Émile Zola 'Nana' Vol. 1 & 2 (co-translator)
  • Louis Aragon 'Les Communistes' (co-translator)
  • Françoise Sagan 'Bonjour Tristesse' (translator)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Modern poetry with elements of resistanceAnalytical, commentary-driven prose rooted in classical studyClassically-minded haiku style
Recurring Motifs
Nature and seasonsReturn to classical poetryMemory and locality

Health

  • Emphysema
    2001-2002
    Deterioration of respiratory function significantly affected his health and creative activities
  • Bronchial asthma
    2001-2002
    Chronic respiratory symptoms worsened

Legacy

He left a broad legacy across poetry, haiku and criticism — noted as a resistance poet in the postwar era and for his meticulous commentaries on classical poets such as Basho. His collected works and reprints continue to be referenced by scholars and poets.

Museums

  • Kibiji Literary Museum (holds related materials) Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Haiku Literary Society
  • Modern Poetry Research groups

Archives

  • National Diet Library (works and related materials)
  • Kibiji Literary Museum (personal papers)

Trivia

  • He volunteered for the Imperial Japanese Navy and was a navy accounting lieutenant at the end of the war.
  • He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2001.