Japanese Literary Awards

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Akito Arima

ありま あきと

Arima Akito

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1930-09-13 （Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan）
Died
2020-12-06 （Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan） age 90
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Japan (mainly Tokyo and Shizuoka) → United States (residence/study)

Career

Occupations
physicist, haiku poet, politician
Active Years
1945-2020
Affiliations
University of Tokyo, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Hosei University, RIKEN (The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research), Japan Science and Technology Foundation, Science Museum (Kagakukan)
Memberships
Physical Society of Japan, Haiku Poets Association, The Japan Academy, International Haiku Association
Influenced By
Seison Yamaguchi
Influenced

Education

Musashi High School (prewar system)
Period: 1948-1950
Year of Graduation: 1950
Country: Japan
Completed prewar-style high school
University of Tokyo, Faculty of Science
Faculty of Science / Department of Physics
Period: 1950-1953
Year of Graduation: 1953
Country: Japan
Undergraduate (old system) graduation
University of Tokyo (graduate school)
Graduate School, Faculty of Science / Nuclear Physics
Degree: 理学博士
Period: 1953-1958
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: Japan
Doctoral thesis on binding energies and low-energy excited states of nuclei

Awards

Nishina Memorial Prize
1978
Organization: Nishina Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Haijin Association Prize
1987
Work: Ten'i
Organization: Haiku Poets Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize
1993
Work: Contributions to nuclear structure theory
Organization: The Japan Academy
Result: 受賞
Legion of Honour
1998
Organization: Government of France
Result: 受章
Order of the British Empire (KBE)
2002
Organization: Government of the United Kingdom
Result: 受章（KBE）
Order of the Rising Sun, Grand Cordon
2004
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Order of Culture
2010
Work: Contributions to science and culture
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Mainichi Art Award
2018
Work: Mokushi
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Jakko (Jakko) Prize
2018
Work: Mokushi
Organization: Jakko Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Poetry and Song Literature Museum Prize
2012
Work: Ruten
Organization: Poetry and Song Literature Museum
Result: 受賞
Kato Ikko Prize
2004
Work: Fukui
Organization: Kato Ikko Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Bokoku (Motherland)

1972 Haiku collection

Early haiku collection featuring surreal images found in everyday life.

everyday lifesurreal imageryJapan

Ten'i

1987 Haiku collection

Haiku collection reflecting overseas experiences and a return to tradition. Awarded the Haijin Association Prize.

overseas travelreturn to traditionmyth and biblical references

Mokushi

2017 Haiku collection

One of his late representative collections; recipient of Jakko Prize and Mainichi Art Award.

late periodapocalyptic imageryreligious allusion

Atoms and Atomic Nuclei: The World of Quantum Mechanics

1982 Physics textbook

An introductory text on atoms and nuclei aimed at students and researchers.

nuclear physicsquantum mechanics

Bibliography

  • Bokoku (haiku collection), 1972
  • Chimei (haiku collection), 1982
  • Ten'i (haiku collection), 1987
  • Mimijun (haiku collection), 1993
  • Risshi (haiku collection), 1998
  • Atoms and Atomic Nuclei: The World of Quantum Mechanics (physics), 1982
  • Bunkou (haiku collection), 2007
  • Ruten (haiku collection), 2012
  • Mokushi (haiku collection), 2017

Translations by Author

  • Co-translated 'Nuclear Structure' by A. Bohr & B.R. Mottelson (Kodansha, 1979-80)
  • Co-translated P.A.M. Dirac's 'Lectures on Modern Physics' (Baifukan/1985)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
style moving beyond modernism toward surreal everyday imagerystrong overseas/foreign-themed haiku produced after travellate-period tendency toward traditionalism
Recurring Motifs
everyday scenesmythic and biblical imageryoverseas landscapes

Health

  • heart failure
    2020年（死没時）
    Died of heart failure on 6 December 2020

Legacy

Highly regarded both for international contributions to nuclear physics and as a haiku poet. Also influential in academic administration and science policy as university president, RIKEN director, and Minister of Education.

Academic Societies

  • Physical Society of Japan
  • The Japan Academy

Archives

  • University of Tokyo Archives
  • RIKEN Archives

Quotes

  • He lamented not devoting himself solely to physics; his regret was that he did not receive a Nobel Prize.
    Source: Nikkei morning paper column 'My Wry Smile', 24 Oct 2005 (2005)

Trivia

  • In the University of Tokyo president election he tied with another candidate and was chosen by lot.
  • Wrote the lyrics for the Yamanakako village song.
  • Both parents were haiku poets.