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Sadamu Fujiwara

ふじわら さだむ

Fujiwara Sadamu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1905-07-17 （Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, Japan）
Died
1990-09-17 age 85
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nishiiide, Oizumi Village (now Oizumi, Hokuto City), Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan → Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture (birthplace)

Career

Occupations
poet, critic, translator, lyricist, university professor
Active Years
1936-1990
Influenced By
Shinpei Kusano, Kiyoshi Miki, Tetsuzō Tanikawa

Education

Hosei University
Faculty of Letters / Department of Philosophy
Country: Japan
Studied under Kiyoshi Miki and Tetsuzō Tanikawa

Awards

Japan Poets Club Prize
1980
Work: Wa (Kanon / Environment)
Organization: Japan Poets Club
Result: winner
Gendai Shijin (Contemporary Poets) Prize
1990
Work: Kotoba (Words)
Organization: Contemporary Poets Prize Committee
Result: winner
NHK National School Music Competition — Set Song Lyricist (High School Division)
1957
Work: Shiroki Kumo Yuku (White Clouds Go)
Organization: NHK
Result: selected

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Between Heaven and Earth

1944 Poetry collection

First poetry collection published during wartime, containing introspective poems intersecting personal reflection and the shadows of the era.

introspectionhistorical consciousnessnature

Wa (Ring / Environment)

1979 Poetry collection

Fifth poetry collection including poems inspired by the Yatsugatake foothills and other natural mountain landscapes. Recipient of the Japan Poets Club Prize.

naturemountainslandscape

Kotoba (Words)

1989 Poetry collection

A late-career poetry collection that strongly reflects his interrogation of language and expression.

languageexpressionlate-life reflection

Collected Poems of Sadamu Fujiwara

1985 Poetry collection

A selected collection of representative poems offering an overview of his poetic work.

naturehumanitylanguage

Bibliography

  • The Formation of Man in Literature
  • Modern Chinese Thought
  • Modern Writers' Exploration of Humanity
  • Between Heaven and Earth
  • The Formation of Modern Man
  • On Love: The Human Science of Passion
  • Goethe and the World Spirit
  • Sakutaro Hagiwara
  • Love and Friendship: For Boys and Girls
  • From Hatred to Love: For Boys and Girls
  • How We Should Live: For Middle School Students
  • Distance (Poetry)
  • Anthology of Love Poems (ed.)
  • To Young Friends
  • Friendship and Love
  • Hokuriku Roads (ed.)
  • Interpretation and Appreciation of Modern Japanese Poetry
  • I Am Here, I Am Not (Poetry)
  • Pensees on Love: New Views on Love
  • The Universe of Poetry: Shigeyoshi, Kuretori, Motoyoshi, Kenji
  • The Visionary Sakutaro Hagiwara
  • Wa (Poetry)
  • Collected Poems of Sadamu Fujiwara
  • Words (Poetry)
  • Complete Poems of Sadamu Fujiwara

Translations by Author

  • Goethe — "Hermann and Dorothea" (translation)
  • Rilke — "Songs of Love and Death" (translation)
  • Grimm Legends (co-translation)
  • Hermann Hesse — "Sorrow of Love" (translation)
  • Carossa — Collected Poems (translation)
  • Theodor Storm — Collected Poems (translation)
  • Li Taibai — Collected Poems (translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
meditative and philosophical poetic styleblend of lyricism and intellectual reflection
Recurring Motifs
mountains and natureKoumi Line and railwaysexploration of language and words

Legacy

A significant 20th-century Japanese poet, critic and translator. Recognized for his poems on nature and language, postwar literary criticism, and translations.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Poets Club

Archives

  • National Diet Library (catalog and works)

In Popular Culture

  • Lyricist for the NHK National School Music Competition set song (1957)

Trivia

  • Owned a mountain villa in Oizumi (now Hokuto City) in Yamanashi and composed poems there during summers.
  • Wrote the lyrics for the NHK National School Music Competition set song for high schools in 1957, "Shiroki Kumo Yuku".