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Chieko Yamanaka

やまなか ちえこ

Yamanaka Chieko

Pen Names: Munakata Chie（Pen name used for the poetry collection 'Seireki'）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1925-05-04 （Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan）
Died
2006-03-09 age 80
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi (birth) → Suzuka, Mie (long-term residence)

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, researcher (Saigu studies), teacher (former)
Active Years
1935-2006
Affiliations
Orengi (later Nihon Kajin), Founding participant of the magazine 'Kyoku', Contributor to the private journal 'Mumyōki', Publisher/contributor of the journal 'Yu'
Influenced By
Samio Maekawa, Shibashu Onoue (mother's teacher)
Influenced
Shion Mizuhara, Kanako Yoshida

Education

Kyoto Women's Specialized School (now Kyoto Women's University)
Classical Japanese literature (related)
Period: 1942-1945
Year of Graduation: 1945
Country: Japan
Early/accelerated graduation (wartime)

Awards

Nihon Kajin Prize (1st)
1956
Organization: Nihon Kajin-sha
Result: winner
Gendai Tanka Women's Award (3rd)
1978
Work: Aoshō
Organization: Gendai Tanka Women's Award (selection committee)
Result: winner
Tanka Kenkyū Prize (20th)
1984
Work: Hoshi Monogatari (included in the collection 'Seikeiki')
Organization: Tanka Kenkyū (publisher/organization)
Result: winner
Chōkū Prize (19th)
1985
Work: Seishi
Organization: Chōkū Prize Committee
Result: winner
CBC Club Culture Award (32nd)
1991
Organization: CBC Television
Result: winner
Maekawa Samio Prize (3rd)
2005
Work: Reirō no Ki
Organization: Maekawa Samio Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kūkan Kōshi

1957 tanka collection

An early collection featuring experimental, avant-garde tanka that blend classical learning with fantastical elements.

classical referencesfantasyinner self

Mizuka Arinamu

1968 tanka collection

A collection from her Mumyōki period, noted for unique diction and a strong sense of the fantastic.

mythnaturefemininity

Aoshō

1978 tanka collection

Published in 1978; a highly regarded collection that earned her the Gendai Tanka Women's Award.

dialogue with the classicaldream vs realityimages of women

Seikeiki

1984 tanka collection

Published in 1984; includes 'Hoshi Monogatari' and contains work that received the Tanka Kenkyū Prize.

starsmythic imaginationremembrance

Reirō no Ki

2004 tanka collection

A late-career collection that won the Maekawa Samio Prize.

tranquilitymemoryspirituality

Saigu Nyogo Kishi-no-Ō: Songs and Life

1976 song book / research

A study of the Saigu (Saio). Discusses traditions and history of Saigu and their relation to tanka.

Saigu studiesancient historypoetics

Bibliography

  • Kūkan Kōshi
  • Bōsui
  • Mizuka Arinamu
  • Kokū Nichigetsu
  • Chieko Yamanaka: Collected Tanka (Kobunsha)
  • Aoshō
  • Tanka Gyō
  • Seireki (poetry, as Munakata Chie)
  • Seikeiki
  • Seishi
  • Kamisue
  • Kasshokuten
  • Sekirei-kai
  • Yume no Ki
  • Kokuō
  • Fūsōshi Collection
  • Gyokutei
  • Chieko Yamanaka: Collected Tanka (Sunakoya Shobō)
  • Gyokukon Chinseki
  • Reirō no Ki
  • Complete Tanka of Chieko Yamanaka
  • Tamazudare: Haiku Collection of Chieko Yamanaka
  • Saigu Nyogo Kishi-no-Ō: Songs and Life
  • Saigu-shi: From Saio Traditions to the Saigu of Ise Monogatari
  • Traditions of Mount Miwa
  • The Fan of Existence
  • Continued Saigu-shi
  • Saigu Notes
  • Onna Hyakunin Isshu: Suzuka Hyakunin Isshu
  • Reading the Meigetsuki: Daily Life of Fujiwara Teika
  • From the Shore of Camellias

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Avant-garde style mixing classical knowledge with fantasyCondensed, symbolic expression
Recurring Motifs
Saigu (Saio)stars and celestial bodiesmyth and traditionimages of women

Health

  • acute heart failure
    2006
    Died of acute heart failure in 2006

Legacy

Regarded as a leading avant-garde female tanka poet, she melded classical learning with fantasy and influenced later poets; also noted for her Saigu studies.

Academic Societies

  • Nihon Kajin
  • Tanka research organizations

Trivia

  • Studied under Samio Maekawa and was noted for deep classical learning.
  • Used the name Munakata Chie for the poetry collection 'Seireki'.
  • Also known for research books on the Saigu (Saio).