Dakotsu Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1968) award
Kato Shuson
かとう しゅうそん
Katō Shūsōn
Pen Names:
Kato Shuson（Pen name used for haiku publication and literary activities）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1905-05-26 （Kitasenzoku, Ikegami Village, Ebara District, Tokyo Prefecture (now Ōta-ku, Tokyo), Japan）
- Died
- 1993-07-03 （Higashigaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo (National Tokyo Second Hospital)） age 88
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Ikegami Village, Ebara District, Tokyo (birthplace) → Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture (childhood) → Kasukabe, Saitama (worked as teacher) → Daita / Kitasenzoku, Setagaya / Ōta-ku (residences during adult life) → Higashigaoka, Meguro-ku (hospitalization and death)
Career
- Occupations
- haiku poet, Japanese literature scholar, teacher (elementary/middle/high school), college lecturer (junior college professor), magazine editor / founder
- Active Years
- 1931-1993
- Affiliations
- Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College (Professor, Japanese literature), Japan Art Academy (member), Founder and editor of the haiku magazine 'Kanrai'
- Influenced By
- Mizuhara Shūōshi, Murakami Kijō
- Influenced
- Kaneko Tota, Ando Tsugio, Sawaki Kin'ichi, Terada Kyoko
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Higher Normal School (temporary teacher training institute) | Japanese language and Chinese classics | — | — | 1926-1929 | Japan |
| Tokyo Bunrika University (old system; now University of Tsukuba) | Department of Japanese Literature | Japanese literature | — | 1937-1940 | Japan |
Tokyo Higher Normal School (temporary teacher training institute)
Japanese language and Chinese classics
Period:
1926-1929
Year of Graduation:
1929
Country:
Japan
Attended while working as a substitute teacher
Tokyo Bunrika University (old system; now University of Tsukuba)
Department of Japanese Literature
/ Japanese literature
Period:
1937-1940
Year of Graduation:
1940
Country:
Japan
Worked at the editorial office of the magazine 'Asobiki' while enrolled
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Asobiki Prize | — | — | Asobiki (magazine) | 受賞 |
| 1968 | Jakutoku (Jyakukotsu) Prize | Maboroshi no Shika (and others) | — | Jakutoku Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1974 | Order of the Purple Ribbon | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 1987 | Poetry and Literature Museum Award | Dotou (Rage of the Waves) | — | Museum of Poetry and Literature | 受賞 |
| 1988 | Order of the Rising Treasure, Third Class (Zuihōshō) | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 1989 | Modern Haiku Grand Prize | — | — | Modern Haiku Grand Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 1992 | Asahi Prize | — | — | Asahi Shimbun Company | 受賞 |
Asobiki Prize
1933
Organization:
Asobiki (magazine)
Result:
受賞
Jakutoku (Jyakukotsu) Prize
1968
Work:
Maboroshi no Shika (and others)
Organization:
Jakutoku Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Order of the Purple Ribbon
1974
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Poetry and Literature Museum Award
1987
Work:
Dotou (Rage of the Waves)
Organization:
Museum of Poetry and Literature
Result:
受賞
Order of the Rising Treasure, Third Class (Zuihōshō)
1988
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Modern Haiku Grand Prize
1989
Organization:
Modern Haiku Grand Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Asahi Prize
1992
Organization:
Asahi Shimbun Company
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Shiika Bungakukan Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1987) award
Gendai Haiku Grand Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1989) award
Works
Major Works
Kanrai
1939 Haiku collectionFirst haiku collection; marks a shift toward probing human interiority and gave its name to the magazine he later founded.
human conditionnaturewar and postwar recovery
Memory of Fire
1948 Haiku collectionHaiku collection containing poems influenced by wartime experiences and air raids, addressing loss and destruction.
warmemoryloss
Phantom Deer
1967 Haiku collectionA mature collection representative of the 'human exploration' school; includes work that contributed to winning the Jakutoku Prize.
humanityeveryday lifesymbolism
Complete Haiku of Bashō
1969 Scholarly edition / compilationA major compilation and study of Matsuo Bashō's haiku; reflects Kato's lifelong engagement with Bashō studies.
haiku scholarshipclassics
Bibliography
- Kanrai (1939)
- Hotaka (1940)
- Setsugo no Ten (1943)
- Memory of Fire (1948)
- Yakoku (1948)
- Kifuku (1949)
- Sanmyaku (1950)
- Phantom Deer (1967)
- Fukikoshi (1976)
- Dotou (1986)
- Yukioshi (1987)
- Bougaku (1996)
- Complete Haiku of Bashō (1969)
- New Edition: Complete Haiku Collection of Kato Shuson (2020)
- Complete Tanka Collection of Kato Shuson (2020)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- blend of realism and interior exploration centered on human concernscombines lyrical elements with social perspectiveslater work shows increased humor and symbolism
- Recurring Motifs
- war and postwar recoverynature (seasons and weather)travel and travelogue (Oki islands, Silk Road)loss and memory in everyday life
Health
-
chest disease1960-1962（手術・療養）Underwent multiple surgeries and recuperation which temporarily affected his output; later work showed widened range.
-
illness in final year1993（入院・死没）Hospitalized in 1993 and died the same year.
Legacy
A leading haiku poet of the 'human exploration' school and founder of the magazine 'Kanrai', he nurtured many haiku poets. Known also for Bashō scholarship and regarded as a major figure in postwar haiku.
Museums
- Museum of Modern Japanese Literature (donation of materials) Tokyo, Japan
Academic Societies
- Japan Art Academy
Archives
- Materials and manuscripts donated to the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature
Quotes
-
Kanrai — biriri biriri — the midnight glass
Source: Haiku collection 'Kanrai' (1939)
Trivia
- Birth name was Kato Takeo.
- Founded the haiku magazine 'Kanrai' in 1941 and edited it for life.
- Posthumously conferred the court rank of Ju-shi-i (Junior Fourth Rank).
- Portions of his personal effects were donated to the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature (2014-2015).