Rekitei Prize (formerly Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize)
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (1965) award
Mitsuharu Kaneko
かねこ みつはる
Kaneko Mitsuharu
Pen Names:
Yasukazu Kaneko（Birth name (later also used the name Yasuwa/Kaneko Yasu)）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1895-12-25 （Koshiji village, Kaito District, Aichi Prefecture (now Tsushima), Japan）
- Died
- 1975-06-30 （Kichijoji-honcho, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan） age 79
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Christianity Baptized in 1906
- Residence History
- Aichi Prefecture (Koshiji/Tsushima) → Nagoya (Koichiba / Nishiki) → Kyoto (Kamigyo) → Tokyo (Ginza, Ushigome, Shinjuku, Kichijoji) → Europe (London, Brussels, Paris) → Shanghai → Malay Peninsula, Singapore and various Asian locations
Career
- Occupations
- poet, writer, translator, painter
- Active Years
- 1916-1975
- Influenced By
- Charles Baudelaire, Walt Whitman, Emile Verhaeren, Western poets (Rimbaud, others)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gyosei Junior High School | — | — | — | 1908頃 - 不明 | Japan |
| Waseda University (Higher Preparatory Course) | Literature (preparatory) | — | — | 1914 - 1915（中退） | Japan |
| Tokyo School of Fine Arts (Nihonga course) | Nihonga (Japanese painting) | — | — | 1915（入学・中退） | Japan |
| Keio University (Preparatory course) | Faculty of Letters (preparatory) | — | — | 1915 - 1916（中退） | Japan |
Gyosei Junior High School
Period:
1908頃 - 不明
Country:
Japan
Became interested in literature while at junior high
Waseda University (Higher Preparatory Course)
Literature (preparatory)
Period:
1914 - 1915（中退）
Country:
Japan
Entered preparatory course; left without graduating
Tokyo School of Fine Arts (Nihonga course)
Nihonga (Japanese painting)
Period:
1915（入学・中退）
Country:
Japan
Enrolled but soon withdrew
Keio University (Preparatory course)
Faculty of Letters (preparatory)
Period:
1915 - 1916（中退）
Country:
Japan
Left the preparatory course after illness and interruptions
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Yomiuri Literature Prize | The Tragedy of Man (Ningen no Higeki) | — | Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
| 1972 | Arts Festival (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Minister of Education Award | Fu-ryu Shikai-ki (Windlike Decomposition Record) | — | Japan Arts Council / Ministry of Education | 受賞 |
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1954
Work:
The Tragedy of Man (Ningen no Higeki)
Organization:
Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Arts Festival (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Minister of Education Award
1972
Work:
Fu-ryu Shikai-ki (Windlike Decomposition Record)
Organization:
Japan Arts Council / Ministry of Education
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Art Encouragement Prize for Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 22 (1972) award
Works
Major Works
Koganemushi
1923 poetry collectionAn early poetry collection containing works from his time in Brussels; shows travel impressions and nature imagery.
travelnatureloneliness
Shark
1935 poetry collectionOne of his representative works containing poems critical of society and politics; uses symbolic language to evade censorship.
anti-authoritarianismcritique of warurban life
Parachute
1948 poetry collectionCollection including works from wartime and evacuation periods; addresses war, individuality and resistance.
warevacuationresistance
The Tragedy of Man (Ningen no Higeki)
1954 essay / critique / poetic proseA critical work reflecting postwar Japan and individual experience. Winner of the Yomiuri Literature Prize.
postwarindividual and societytragedy
Bibliography
- House of Red Earth
- Koganemushi
- Shark
- Parachute
- The Tragedy of Man
- Elegies for Women
- Poet (autobiography)
- Malay-Indies Travelogue
Translations by Author
- Rimbaud — Selected Poems (translation)
- Baudelaire — Les Fleurs du mal (complete translation)
- Verlaine — Flandre (translation)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- symbolic and ironic poetic techniqueiconoclastic, critical voicedirect social criticism in essays
- Recurring Motifs
- sea / sharkstravel and wanderingurban landscapesanti-authoritarianism / resistanceeros and sexuality
Health
-
asthma (bronchial asthma)生涯を通じて（特に戦中・晩年に発作あり）Affected his productivity at times and contributed to health decline; was a factor in his cause of death
-
cerebral apoplexy (mild stroke)1969年（発症）Left one arm impaired and required hospitalization
Legacy
One of modern Japan's prominent poets. Known for anti-authoritarian and anti-war stance, use of symbolism and irony, and influential translations and essays.
Archives
- National Diet Library (related materials and holdings)
In Popular Culture
- Film 'Love Letter' (based in part on Kaneko Mitsuharu's romantic life)
- In the 1970s became known among youth as an 'erotic old man' character
Quotes
-
Children, isn't it truly joyful — that we were born together into this war.
Source: Poem 'War' (example)
Trivia
- In later years he appeared on TV and in talks, becoming known among young people as an 'erotic old man'.
- His grave is at Kamikawa Cemetery in Hachioji.