Japanese Literary Awards

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Seiji Itamiya

いたみや せいじ

Itamiya Seiji

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-02-22 （Nishine, Kanegasaki, Isawa District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2024-04-15 （Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, Japan (hospital)） age 89
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kanegasaki, Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Career

Occupations
Tanka poet, Farmer
Active Years
1954-2024
Affiliations
Tanka magazine "Iwate Tanka", Modern Tanka Poets Association
Memberships
Modern Tanka Poets Association, Hodo Tanka Association
Influenced By
Sataro Sato

Education

Iwate Prefectural Mizusawa Agricultural High School
Period: 1950-1953
Year of Graduation: 1953
Country: Japan

Awards

33rd Japan Tanka Poets Club Prize
2006
Work: Tsue (Cane)
Organization: Japan Tanka Poets Club
Result: 受賞
Hodo Prize
1966
Work: Fuyumori (thirty tanka)
Organization: Hodo Tanka Association
Result: 受賞
Tanka Kenkyu Award
1984
Work: Momo no Mi (21 tanka)
Organization: Tanka Kenkyu Sha
Result: 受賞
Iwate Prefecture Arts Award
1983
Work: Taishun
Organization: Iwate Prefecture
Result: 受賞
Town Meritorious Service Recognition
1990
Organization: Kanegasaki Town
Result: 認定

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mugi no Hana

1964 Tanka 194 pages

First collection focusing on rural life and nature in the 1950s–60s, noted for its fresh youthful tanka.

rural lifenatureyouth

Fujin

1973 Tanka

Second collection continuing themes rooted in the Tohoku landscape.

Tohoku landscapenature

Taishun

1982 Tanka

A collection of tanka quietly observing seasons, family and community life.

seasonsfamilycommunity

Shungyo

1985 Tanka

Fourth collection depicting postwar scenes and rural life.

postwarrural life

Jikai Hyakkasen: Seiji Itamiya Collection

1988 Tanka

A selected collection of his own tanka with commentary.

selected works

After the Cold Wind

1989 Tanka

Fifth collection including works from around the time he suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage.

recoveryseasons

Tsue (Cane)

2005 Tanka 203 pages

A collection composed after overcoming illness; praised for its fresh style and awarded the Japan Tanka Poets Club Prize.

illness and recoveryagingeveryday life

Bibliography

  • First Collection: Mugi no Hana (1964)
  • Second Collection: Fujin (1973)
  • Third Collection: Taishun (1982)
  • Fourth Collection: Shungyo (1985)
  • Jikai Hyakkasen: Seiji Itamiya Collection (1988)
  • Fifth Collection: After the Cold Wind (1989)
  • Sixth Collection: Tsue (2005)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
fresh lyrical styleacute sensibility rooted in the Tohoku landscape
Recurring Motifs
rural lifenatureseasonsfamily

Health

  • intracerebral hemorrhage
    1989
    Suffered a hemorrhage in 1989, temporarily lost speech but later recovered
  • senility
    2024
    Died of senility in 2024

Legacy

A tanka poet known for work rooted in the Tohoku landscape. His collection "Tsue" won the Japan Tanka Poets Club Prize, the first recipient from Iwate. The Kanegasaki Town Library houses the Itamiya Collection.

Museums

  • Itamiya Collection (special collection at Kanegasaki Town Library) Kanegasaki, Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets Association

Archives

  • Kanegasaki Town Library (Itamiya Collection)

Quotes

  • Just walking for an hour, shining on a day when the rice fields steam
    Source: Poetry collection "Tsue" (2005)

Trivia

  • Born as the eldest son of a farming family
  • First person from Iwate Prefecture to win the Japan Tanka Poets Club Prize for "Tsue"
  • The Kanegasaki Town Library houses the Itamiya Collection