Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Sumiko Ikeda

いけだ すみこ

Ikeda Sumiko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1936-03-25 （Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kamakura, Kanagawa (birthplace) → Murakami, Niigata (evacuated during wartime) → Niigata City (raised)

Career

Occupations
haiku poet, critic, essayist
Active Years
1974-
Affiliations
Gunto (haiku magazine/group; joined 1975), Sho no Kai (haiku circle; tutored by Mitsuhashi Toshio), Mitei (haiku group; joined 1988, left 1994), Sendan no Kai (haiku circle; participated; dissolved 2019), Kai (haiku group '豈'; joined 1995), Toi (participated in founding, 2020), Selector for Iwanami Shoten's 'Sekai' haiku submission column (from Dec 2017)
Influenced By
Kan'ichi Abe, Mitsuhashi Toshio, Horii Kei
Influenced
younger generation of haiku poets

Education

Niigata Prefectural Niigata Chuo High School
Country: Japan

Awards

Modern Haiku Association Prize (36th)
1989
Work: Sora no Niwa (Garden of the Sky)
Organization: Modern Haiku Association
Result: 受賞
Sō Sakan Haiku Prize (7th)
2006
Work: Tales of the Soul
Organization: Sō Sakan Haiku Prize
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize (Poetry/Haiku; 72nd)
2021
Work: Koko (Here)
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Modern Haiku Grand Prize (21st)
2021
Work: Koko (Here)
Organization: Modern Haiku Association
Result: 受賞
Haiku Shiki Grand Prize (20th)
2021
Work: Koko (Here)
Organization: Haiku Shiki (magazine)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Sora no Niwa (Garden of the Sky)

1988 haiku collection

An early haiku collection featuring colloquial, slightly ironic poems that observe everyday life.

everyday lifeironyloneliness

Itsu shika Hito ni Umarete (Soon Born Human)

1993 haiku collection

A mid-career collection capturing nuances of growth and everyday moments.

growthdaily lifelife

Yuku Fune (The Departing Boat)

2000 haiku collection

A collection that calmly examines passing time and aspects of loss.

timelossloneliness

Tama shii no Hanashi (Tales of the Soul)

2005 haiku collection

A prize-winning collection containing many poems that delve into themes of life, death, and the spirit.

life and deaththe spiritwar

Haifuku

2011 haiku collection

A collection reflecting a later-career stance; notable for its plainspoken voice and persuasive expression.

narrationeveryday lifememory

Omottemasu (I'm Thinking)

2016 haiku collection

A collection of poems that treats familiar subjects with humor and insight.

humorinsighteveryday life

Koko (Here)

2020 haiku collection

A recent representative work tackling heavy themes such as the loneliness of life and war; it received multiple literary awards.

loneliness of lifewarmemory

Tsuki to Kaku (Writing the Moon)

2023 haiku collection

One of the latest collections, presenting fresh expressions of nature and solitude.

naturesolitudecontemplation

Bibliography

  • Sora no Niwa (Garden of the Sky) — 1988
  • Itsu shika Hito ni Umarete — 1993
  • Yuku Fune (The Departing Boat) — 2000
  • Tama shii no Hanashi (Tales of the Soul) — 2005
  • Haifuku — 2011
  • Omottemasu (I'm Thinking) — 2016
  • Koko (Here) — 2020
  • Tsuki to Kaku (Writing the Moon) — 2023
  • Sumiko Ikeda Haiku Collection — 1995
  • My Haiku, My Explanations: Best 100 — 2010
  • Yasumu ni Nitaru (Like Rest) — essays, 2008
  • Asagaya Sōshi (Essays) — 2008
  • Tōta × Sumiko — Reading Tōta's 100 Haiku (Dialogue) — 2011
  • Hontō wa Aitashi (I Really Want to Meet) — essays, 2021
  • This Haiku and That Haiku: The World of Contemporary Haiku (co-authored) — 2021

Style & Themes

Literary Style
colloquial styleuse of both classical and colloquial registersvaried expressive techniquesesprit / wit
Recurring Motifs
everyday lifelonelinesslife and deathwarmemory

Legacy

She established a distinctive haiku world by skillfully using both classical and colloquial registers, addressing everything from everyday subtleties to heavy themes such as life, death, and war. Her clear, persuasive criticism is also highly regarded, and she has influenced many younger haiku poets.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Haiku Association

Quotes

  • I lost at rock-paper-scissors and was born a firefly.
    Source: Representative haiku
  • I cut a green pepper and brightened its inside for it.
    Source: Representative haiku
  • Forward, go forward, go forward and do not return (phraseic line).
    Source: Representative haiku / notable line

Trivia

  • She began writing haiku relatively late, around the age of 38.
  • Joined the haiku magazine/group Gunto in 1975 (led by Horii Kei).
  • Since December 2017 she has been a selector for the haiku submission column in Iwanami Shoten's 'Sekai'.
  • Participated in the founding of the magazine 'Toi' in 2020.