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Itami Kimiko

いたみ きみこ

Itami Kimiko

Pen Names: Itami Kimiko（Used as haiku pen name）, Iwata Kimiko（Legal name (birth name)）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1925-04-22 （Kochi Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2014-12-15 age 89
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kochi Prefecture (birthplace) → Itami, Hyogo Prefecture (residence / base of activities)

Career

Occupations
haiku poet, poet, lyricist, essayist
Active Years
1946-2014
Influenced By
Itami Mikihiko, Hino Sojo, Murano Shirō
Influenced
Itami Keiko

Education

Hyogo Prefectural Itami Girls' High School (now Hyogo Prefectural Itami High School)
Country: Japan
Graduated from the girls' high school; exact graduation year unknown.

Awards

Modern Haiku Association Prize
1972
Organization: Modern Haiku Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mexican Shells (haiku collection)

1965 haiku

A haiku collection evoking scenes of the sea and experiences abroad; one of her early representative works.

seatravelforeign lands
Translations

Rites of Passage (poem collection)

1970 poetry

A collection of poems exploring personal transformation and the passage of time.

timememoryintrospection

Collected Haiku of Itami Kimiko

2012 collected haiku

A comprehensive collected haiku volume summarizing decades of her work.

naturetraveltime

Collected Poems of Itami Kimiko

2014 poetry

A collected volume of her poems; some editions include English translations.

foreign landsreligious imagerynature

Bibliography

  • Mexican Shells (haiku collection) 1965
  • Rites of Passage (poetry) 1970
  • Tōki Tenshi (haiku) 1975
  • Coloring Space (poetry) 1976
  • Coastal (haiku) 1977
  • Time Journey (haiku) 1979
  • Thorns of Durian 1982
  • Garuda 1983
  • The Equatorial Cities (poems; with English translation) 1983
  • Autumn in Perth (haiku) 1985
  • Itami Kimiko Selected 100 Haiku (1987)
  • In Foreign Cities (travel essays) 1989
  • Celestial and Aquatic Spheres (poetry) 1991
  • In-flight Music (haiku) 1992
  • Modern Haiku Library: Itami Kimiko (1993)
  • Argylite (Canada haiku collection) 1994
  • Postcards of the Earth (travel essays) 1995
  • Mountain Coral (haiku) 1996
  • The Walls of Cambodia (poetry) 1997
  • Itami Kimiko (Modern Haiku Series) 1999
  • Canals and Daffodils (haiku) 1999
  • Maps and Paperweights (travel essays) 2000
  • House of the Poet (essays) 2001
  • Icon Painter (haiku) 2002
  • Itami Kimiko: One Hundred Handwritten Haiku 2003
  • Ebony-colored Virgin Mary (poetry; with English translation) 2004
  • Sea and Mountain Notebook (travel essays) 2005
  • My Letters (13th haiku collection) 2007
  • Morning of Curiosities (haiku) 2010
  • Tales of a Port City (essays) 2011
  • Collected Haiku of Itami Kimiko 2012
  • Collected Poems of Itami Kimiko 2014

Translations of Works

  • The Equatorial Cities (poems; English translations included)
  • Ebony-colored Virgin Mary (with English translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and symbolic expressionconcise haiku language blended with poetic prose
Recurring Motifs
seatraveltimeflora and fauna

Health

  • heart failure
    2014-12
    Died of heart failure on December 15, 2014

Legacy

A prominent female haiku poet and poet active from the postwar period to recent years. Renowned for lyrical depictions of foreign landscapes informed by travel, she received the Modern Haiku Association Prize and influenced haiku circles and later poets.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Haiku Association

Trivia

  • Birth name was Iwata Kimiko.
  • Her husband was haiku poet Itami Mikihiko; her eldest daughter Itami Keiko is also a haiku poet.
  • Wrote lyrics for works such as the citizen song commemorating Amagasaki City's 70th anniversary.
  • Participated in founding the literary magazine 'Marumero' and later contributed to haiku magazines such as 'Seigen' and 'Seigun'.