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Emoto Yoshihiro

えのもと よしひろ

Emoto Yoshihiro

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1937-04-05 （Tokyo）
Died
2022-02-02 （Yokohama） age 84
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo → Yokohama → Oku-Aizu (Tadami River area, Fukushima)

Career

Occupations
haiku poet, critic, essayist, editor, selector
Active Years
1970-2022
Memberships
Haiku Poets' Association (Honorary member), Japan Writers' Association, Japan Essayist Club, Haiku magazine 'Sugi' (former editor-in-chief), Founded and led haiku magazine 'Kou'
Influenced By
Mori Sumio

Awards

Haijin Kyokai Prize (Haiku Poets' Association Prize)
2010
Work: Saishi (Haiku collection)
Organization: Haiku Poets' Association (Haijin Kyokai)
Result: 受賞
Haijin Kyokai Criticism Prize
2015
Work: Nostalgic Children's Play Saijiki
Organization: Haiku Poets' Association (Haijin Kyokai)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Yoritake

1981 haiku collection

An early haiku collection containing poems that delicately evoke nature and everyday life.

natureseasonalityeveryday life

Sosei

1987 haiku collection

A haiku collection in the Haiku Kenkyu series, notable for its smooth cadence utilizing classical Japanese diction.

language usagenature

Housun

1995 haiku collection

A mid-career collection with contemplative tones.

introspectionnature

Shijo: Emoto Yoshihiro Haiku Collection

1997 haiku collection

A collection structured around the four seasons.

four seasonskigo (seasonal words)

San'en: Emoto Yoshihiro Haiku Collection

2001 haiku collection

A collection including haiku focused on regional scenes and travel.

landscapetravel

Oku-Aizu Sansa

2004 haiku collection

Poems evoking the landscape and people of the Tadami River area (Oku-Aizu).

regionalismnature

Kaikei: Emoto Yoshihiro Haiku Collection

2004 haiku collection

A collection gathering haiku across a variety of seasonal themes.

seasonal topicsnature

Saishi: Emoto Yoshihiro Haiku Collection

2008 haiku collection

A collection weaving scenes of festivals and rituals; awarded the Haijin Kyokai Prize.

festivalstraditionregional culture

Chiran

2012 haiku collection

A collection that also includes poems addressing war and memory.

warmemory

Nanmei Hokumei

2015 haiku collection

A collection featuring haiku from geographic and contemplative perspectives.

geographycontemplation

Seirei

2018 haiku collection

A volume collecting mature-period haiku.

maturitynature

Complete Haiku Collection by Kigo (Emoto Yoshihiro)

2020 complete haiku collection

A complete collection organized by seasonal words (kigo).

compendiumkigo (seasonal words)

Hanagumem

2021 haiku collection

A late-period collection reflecting his pursuit of gentle expressions of the unconscious self.

self-expressionunconsciousnature

Bibliography

  • Yoritake
  • Sosei
  • Housun
  • Shijo: Emoto Yoshihiro Haiku Collection
  • San'en: Emoto Yoshihiro Haiku Collection
  • Oku-Aizu Sansa
  • Kaikei: Emoto Yoshihiro Haiku Collection
  • Saishi: Emoto Yoshihiro Haiku Collection
  • Chiran
  • Nanmei Hokumei
  • Seirei
  • Complete Haiku Collection by Kigo (Emoto Yoshihiro)
  • Hanagumem
  • Haiku Poets of the Edo Period
  • With Mori Sumio
  • Nostalgic Children's Play Saijiki

Style & Themes

Literary Style
smooth cadence using classical Japanese dictionconcise and lyrical expressionpursuit of unconscious self-expression
Recurring Motifs
seasonality / kigonature imagerymemory and traces of warregional landscapes

Health

  • liver cancer
    2021–2022
    Treatment constrained his activities and writing; he ultimately died from the illness.

Legacy

A prominent figure in postwar and contemporary haiku, he studied under Mori Sumio for decades, served as editor-in-chief of 'Sugi', and founded the haiku magazine 'Kou'. He is respected for his use of classical Japanese diction and poems rooted in region and season.

Academic Societies

  • Haiku Poets' Association
  • Japan Writers' Association
  • Japan Essayist Club

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings)
  • Haiku Literature Museum (related materials)

Quotes

  • March walks to the height of a person.
    Source: Representative haiku (from collections)
  • The golden tortoise beetle; on Attu I lost my father.
    Source: Representative haiku (from collections)

Trivia

  • Participated in founding the haiku magazine 'Sugi' in 1970 and served as its editor-in-chief for 18 years.
  • Won the 49th Haijin Kyokai Prize in 2010 for the collection 'Saishi'.
  • Won the 29th Haijin Kyokai Criticism Prize in 2015 for 'Nostalgic Children's Play Saijiki'.
  • Worked for more than a decade from 1996 on projects in the Tadami River region.