Japanese Literary Awards

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Takako Arai

あらい たかこ

Arai Takako

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1966-01-01 （Kiryu, Gunma, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
poet, critic, university professor, editor, film producer
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Saitama University, Faculty of Liberal Arts (staff), Editor of the poetry journal 'Mi-te'
Influenced By
Jūrō Karas

Education

Gunma Prefectural Kiryu Girls' High School
Country: Japan
Keio University, Faculty of Letters
Country: Japan
Completed undergraduate studies
Keio University Graduate School, Department of Sociology (master's program)
Degree: 修士
Country: Japan
Completed master's program

Awards

Oguma Hideo Prize
2008
Work: Tamashii Dance
Result: 受賞
Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (Selected for Asia Program)
2021
Work: Song of the Tohoku Onba — On the Tsunami Shore
Category: ドキュメンタリー（アジア千波万波部門）
Organization: Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
Result: 入選
Yoshida Hidekazu Prize
2022
Work: Lines of Jūrō Karas: Opening Plays of the 2000s
Result: 受賞
Ooka Nobuo Prize
2024
Work: Oshirakosama Kibun
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Poetry Collection: Ba-wang Bie Ji

1997 poetry

An early poetry collection exploring multiplicity and transgression of voice.

voiceidentityboundary-crossing

Tamashii Dance

2007 poetry

A mid-career poetry collection focusing on the flexibility of voice. Winner of the Oguma Hideo Prize (2008).

voicethe bodylabor

Bed and Loom

2013 poetry

Poems concerning textiles, family memory, and the relationship between land and voice.

landmemorytextiles

Oshirakosama Kibun

2024 poetry

A recent poetry collection engaging with folklore and the voices of place; winner of the Ooka Nobuo Prize (2024).

oral traditionfolkloreplace

Lines of Jūrō Karas — Opening Plays of the 2000s

2021 theatre criticism

A critical study of Jūrō Karas and oral performance literature; winner of the Yoshida Hidekazu Prize.

theatreoral literaturecriticism

Bibliography

  • Poetry Collection: Ba-wang Bie Ji (Ryokugeisha, 1997)
  • Tamashii Dance (Mitchiko?, 2007)
  • Bed and Loom (Mitchiko?, 2013)
  • Lines of Jūrō Karas — Opening Plays of the 2000s (Gengi Shobo, 2021)
  • Oshirakosama Kibun (Gengi Shobo, 2024)
  • Tohoku Onba's Translations: Songs of Takuboku Ishikawa (Mirai-sha, 2017)

Adaptations

  • Song of the Tohoku Onba — On the Tsunami Shore (dir. Yoi Suzuki; produced/planned by Takako Arai, 2020)

Translations by Author

  • Tohoku Onba's Translations: Songs of Takuboku Ishikawa (Mirai-sha, 2017)

Translations of Works

  • Factory Girls (English translation, Action Books, 2019)
  • Takako Arai: Selected Poems (Spanish translation, Mi'Te Press, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Experimental poetic style focusing on multiplicity and transgression of voiceCoexistence of colloquial and traditional/oral language expressions
Recurring Motifs
voiceplace/landoral traditiontextiles and labor

Legacy

Recognized domestically and internationally as a poet and critic. Active in post-2011 disaster-area projects, with translated poetry and invitations to international poetry festivals. Contributed to contemporary Japanese literature both as a poet and theatre critic.

Trivia

  • Born in Kiryu, Gunma; her family ran a textile factory.
  • Editor of the poetry journal 'Mi-te'.
  • On the faculty of Saitama University.
  • English translation 'Factory Girls' has attracted international attention.