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Imai Kyotaro

いまい きょうたろう

Imai Kyōtarō

Aliases: 今井 昭正

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1928-03-27 （Chiba Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2012-06-27 age 84
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
haiku poet
Active Years
1969-2012
Affiliations
Haiku group 'Tsuru', Gyoza (founder & editor)
Memberships
Tsuru, Gyoza
Influenced By
Yūji Ishizuka, Gojirō Tanaka (recommended entry)

Awards

Tsuru Prize
1982
Organization: Haiku group 'Tsuru'
Result: 受賞
Haiku Poets Association Prize (40th)
2000
Work: Uminari-boshi (Sea-sounding Star)
Organization: Haiku Poets Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mugikanbōshi

1986 haiku collection

A collection of haiku that captures everyday moments using plain language.

everyday lifenature

Tōsōkuzu

1992 haiku collection

A mid-career collection showing the author's distinctive haiku style.

windwater

Uminari-boshi (Sea-sounding Star)

2000 haiku collection

A collection focused on sea and wind motifs; awarded the Haiku Poets Association Prize.

seawindagingloneliness

Cape of the Sea

2005 haiku collection

A collection that delicately depicts seaside landscapes and inner impressions.

seanature

When the Wind Blows

2009 haiku collection

A late-career collection centered on poems about the wind.

windtimeaging

Bibliography

  • Mugikanbōshi (1986)
  • Tōsōkuzu (1992)
  • Uminari-boshi (2000)
  • Umi no Misaki (2005)
  • Kaze no Fuku Koro (2009)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
uses plain languageemploys linked words and synonyms within the same versemixes classical diction with colloquial speech
Recurring Motifs
windwaterthe old man (speaker)loneliness

Health

  • pneumonia
    2012年6月
    contributed to his death

Legacy

Recognized for a distinctive haiku style that captures minimal scenes within a gentle flow of time using plain language. Winner of the Haiku Poets Association Prize; his work on wind and water contributed to contemporary haiku.

Academic Societies

  • Haiku Poets Association

Quotes

  • Standing in front, then moving backward — dragonfly, indeed
    Source: haiku
  • Men going to sow sunflower seeds
    Source: haiku
  • Cold — there are old men and old men
    Source: haiku
  • The lake's water stirs — it's spring
    Source: haiku

Trivia

  • Real name: Imai Akimasa.
  • Born in Chiba Prefecture.
  • Founded and edited the haiku magazine 'Gyoza' in 1997.
  • Has authority identifiers such as ISNI and VIAF.