Japanese Literary Awards

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Yoji Arakawa

あらかわ ようじ

Arakawa Yōji

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1949-04-18 （Mikuni (now Sakai), Fukui, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Mikuni (now Sakai), Fukui, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Nagoya (Aichi Shukutoku University affiliation), Japan

Career

Occupations
Poet (modern), Essayist, Literary critic, University professor, Publisher
Active Years
1971-
Affiliations
Ajisai-sha (poetry publisher, manager), Osaka Literary School (lecturer), Aoyama Gakuin University (lecturer), Waseda University (lecturer), Aichi Shukutoku University (professor, 2013–2017)
Memberships
Member of the Japan Art Academy

Education

Waseda University, Faculty of Letters (First)
Faculty of Letters / Department of Literary Arts
Period: 1968-1971
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: Japan
Graduation thesis submitted as a revision of his earlier work 'Shoufu-ron'

Awards

H Prize
1976
Work: Mizueki
Organization: H Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Takami Jun Prize
1997
Work: Tosei
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1999
Work: Kūchū no Guzuyu
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Kodansha Essay Award
2003
Work: The Forgotten Past
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞
Hagiwara Sakutaro Prize
2005
Work: Psychē (Shinri)
Organization: Hagiwara Sakutaro Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Kobayashi Hideo Award
2006
Work: Reflections Called Literary Criticism
Organization: Kobayashi Hideo Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (Book-Review Prize)
2016
Work: Person Who Has a Past
Category: 書評賞
Organization: Mainichi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Ayukawa Nobuo Prize
2017
Work: Kitayama Juhakken-do
Organization: Ayukawa Nobuo Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Art Academy Prize & Imperial Award
2019
Work: For overall achievements in poetry and criticism
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: 受賞
Ōoka Makoto Prize
2024
Work: Pearls: If Two Embrace Each Time, One Remains
Organization: Ōoka Makoto Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mizueki

1975 Poetry collection

Early poetry collection demonstrating his distinctive linking of everyday life and striking imagery.

citylabormemory

Tosei

1997 Poetry collection

A mature collection focusing on grounded perspectives of human life.

everyday lifeworksociety

Kūchū no Guzuyu

1999 Poetry collection

A collection that explores the intersection of space and memory.

memoryspacesymbolism

Psychē (Shinri)

2005 Poetry collection

Contains poems that deepen examination of the inner self and observation.

interiorityobservationlanguage

Kitayama Juhakken-do

2016 Poetry collection

A collection that includes perspectives on local communities and architecture.

localityarchitecturememory

Pearls: If Two Embrace Each Time, One Remains

2023 Poetry collection

Recent work collecting poems that layer images about intimacy and distance.

intimacylonelinessrelationships

Bibliography

  • Shoufu-ron (Poetry), 1971
  • Mizueki (Poetry), 1975
  • Arakawa Yoji: Collected Poems, 1978
  • Atarashii zo Watashi wa (Poetry), 1979
  • Shikikariio (Poetry), 1980
  • Kento (Poetry), 1982
  • Harihara, 1982
  • Ethical Society Is the Color of Dreams (Poetry), 1984
  • Heroine (Poetry), 1986
  • One Hour Dog (Collected Poems), 1991
  • The Miner Toccil Turned On the Light, 1994
  • Tosei (Poetry), 1997
  • Kūchū no Guzuyu, 1999
  • Collected Poems 1971-2000, 2001
  • Psychē (Poetry), 2005
  • Jisshi Rensei (Poetry), 2009
  • Kitayama Juhakken-do, 2016
  • Continued Collected Poems, 2019
  • Pearls, 2023
  • The Forgotten Past (Essays), 2003
  • Reflections Called Literary Criticism, 2005
  • Person Who Has a Past (Book Reviews), 2016

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Colloquial and clear dictionStyle shifting between essay and poetryCritical and observational voice
Recurring Motifs
city and laborpast and memoryreading and literary discourse

Legacy

A long-standing figure in contemporary Japanese poetry, influential both as a poet and a literary critic. Known for works concerned with locality and memory and for clear, critical essays and reviews. Recipient of the Japan Art Academy Prize (2019) and elected member of the Academy.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy

Quotes

  • Literature is a practical discipline.
    Source: Literature Is a Practical Discipline (Selected Essays), Misuzu Shobo, 2020 (2020)

Trivia

  • Although his legal-name reading is Hiroharu Arakawa, he has used the reading Yoji after newspapers printed that furigana.
  • He founded the poetry magazine 'Torampetto' as a high school second-year student, recruiting many student contributors.
  • From 1974 he ran Ajisai-sha, a publisher specialized in poetry.