Japanese Literary Awards

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Yasuki Fukushima

ふくしま やすき

Fukushima Yasuki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1943-03-25 （Shitaya, Taito, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Hokke-shu Honmon-ryu (Nichiren Buddhism)

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, narrator, Buddhist priest, performance reader
Active Years
1969-
Affiliations
Gekkon no Kai (Moonlight Society)
Memberships
Waseda University Tanka Society
Influenced By
Chuya Nakahara, Shuji Terayama
Influenced
Kenji Ohtsuki, Aya Tanaka, Shiho Matsuno

Education

Waseda University
Faculty of Letters / Department of Philosophy
Country: Japan

Awards

International Writers' Congress Competition Poet Prize
1986
Organization: International Writers' Congress (Bulgaria)
Result: 受賞
Broadcasting Culture Fund Script Award
1995
Work: Radio drama 'House of Hydrangeas'
Organization: Broadcasting Culture Fund
Result: 受賞
Wakayama Bokusui Prize
1999
Work: Poetry collection 'Boubaku-san Nisshi'
Organization: Wakayama Bokusui Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Tanka Poets' Club Grand Prize
2023
Work: For his long-term achievements centering on '140 Characters, Songs of Ageing'
Organization: Japan Tanka Poets' Club
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Barricade — February 1966

1969 tanka

His first tanka collection expressing the fervor of the Anpo struggle generation with avant-garde impulses.

politicsstudent movementrebellion

Boubaku Mountain Diary

2000 tanka

A tanka collection reflecting his time as a chief priest, meditations on life and death and homesickness.

deathnostalgiareligion

140 Characters: Songs of Ageing

2022 tanka

A late-career collection addressing ageing, everyday life and reminiscence; central to his receiving the Japan Tanka Poets' Club Grand Prize.

ageingreminiscenceeveryday life

Bibliography

  • Barricade — February 1966
  • Ethica — Since 1969
  • Late Autumn Requiem
  • Modulation Elegies
  • Boubaku Mountain Diary
  • 140 Characters: Songs of Ageing
  • September 1, Taisho 12 (1923)

Adaptations

  • Recitation on Muscular Girl Band's (Kinniku Shoujo-tai) album track 'Slash Zen Dialogue' ('For Elise' album)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
avant-garde tankaperformance readingforceful, declamatory recitation style
Recurring Motifs
deathnostalgiareligious imagerypostwar memory

Legacy

Known for avant-garde tanka and a distinctive performance-reading practice, he stands at the intersection of literary circles and popular culture; his work as a priest and social activism are also notable.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Tanka Poets' Club

In Popular Culture

  • Connected to the music world through recitations on rock albums and extensive live performances
  • Cultural episode related to the 'tako jizo' erected at Hoshōji temple grounds

Quotes

  • My packing was already done. In the evening, villagers came in ones and twos with farewell gifts in the misting rain. I sat seiza on the wooden floor, unable to raise my face, overcome with tears.
    Source: Yasuki Fukushima, 'Eulogy — A Mind Facing Death' (1997)

Trivia

  • He performed over 1,700 stages including overseas concerts and readings.
  • Involved in the establishment of the 'tako jizo' at Hoshōji temple grounds.
  • Co-founded JKS47 in 2015 and led monthly prayer events opposing nuclear power and security legislation.
  • Known for 'tanka shouts' — forceful, declamatory tanka performance concerts.