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Harumi Ikeda

いけだ はるみ

Ikeda Harumi

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1948-03-05 （Wakayama Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Wakayama Prefecture (birth) → Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture (raised)

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, tanka instructor, essayist
Active Years
1985-
Affiliations
Mirai (tanka group), Modern Tanka Poets Association, NHK Gakuen (tanka course instructor)
Memberships
Modern Tanka Poets Association, Mirai (tanka group)
Influenced By
Takashi Okai

Education

Kyoto Women's University Junior College
Japanese language studies
Country: Japan
Graduated from the junior college department, majoring in Japanese language

Awards

Tanka Kenkyu Newcomer Prize
1985
Work: Hakujikkō
Organization: Tanka Kenkyusha
Result: winner
Nagarami Contemporary Tanka Prize
1998
Work: Haha ga Kuni: Osaka
Organization: Nagarami Press (award organization)
Result: winner
Gendai Kajin Shūkai Prize
1998
Work: Haha ga Kuni: Osaka
Organization: Gendai Kajin Shūkai
Result: winner
Kōno Aiko Prize
2002
Work: Gauze
Organization: Kōno Aiko Prize Committee
Result: winner
Maekawa Samio Prize
2021
Work: Kamesan Inai
Organization: Maekawa Samio Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kitan-shū

1991 tanka collection

Early tanka collection featuring observations of daily life and human relationships in a distinct voice.

everyday lifememoryrelationships

Haha ga Kuni: Osaka

1997 tanka collection

A representative collection set in Osaka that explores family and the ties to place; won multiple tanka awards after publication.

familyplacenostalgia

Gauze

2001 tanka collection

A collection noted for delicate depiction and subtle emotional nuance. Recipient of the Kōno Aiko Prize.

emotionhealingattention to detail

Kamesan Inai

2020 tanka collection

A later-career collection reflecting on aging and loss; awarded the Maekawa Samio Prize.

aginglosseveryday life

Osumosan (Sumo People)

2002 essay collection

An essay collection on sumo, reflecting the author's passion as a sumo aficionado.

sumoculturehobby

Bibliography

  • Kitan-shū (tanka collection), Rokuhō Publishing, Nov 1991
  • Haha ga Kuni: Osaka (tanka collection), Hon'ami Shoten, Aug 1997
  • Gauze (tanka collection), Sunagoya Shobō, Jul 2001
  • Osumo-san (essay collection), Hiiragi Shobō, Dec 2002
  • Introduction to Tanka from Today (guide), Ie no Hikari Kyōkai, Sep 2003
  • Kon to Furoshiki (tanka collection), Kadokawa Shoten, Jan 2007
  • The Poets I Met as Told by Yūko Kōno (contribution), Hon'ami Shoten, Jan 2009
  • Namu Bangohan (tanka collection), Seijisha, Aug 2010
  • Ahokaina, Soukaina (essay collection), Nagarami Shobō, Aug 2011
  • Harumi Ikeda Collected Tanka (modern tanka library), Sunagoya Shobō, Jul 2013
  • Seiza (tanka collection), Seijisha, Jan 2016
  • Kamesan Inai (tanka collection), Tanka Kenkyūsha, Sep 2020

Style & Themes

Literary Style
modern tankaobservational descriptionhumor and wit
Recurring Motifs
sumoeveryday scenesfamilyaging

Legacy

Harumi Ikeda is a well-regarded contemporary tanka poet known for works about place and family as well as essays on sumo. She has received multiple major tanka awards and has contributed to education as an instructor for tanka courses.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library of Japan (authority ID: 00213029)
  • VIAF (identifier: 252015798)

In Popular Culture

  • Her sumo-related columns and essays are sometimes referenced among sumo fans

Trivia

  • Born in Wakayama Prefecture and raised in Toyonaka, Osaka.
  • A passionate sumo fan; has written essays on sumo.
  • Served as an instructor for NHK Gakuen's tanka course.