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Nobuko Katsura

かつら のぶこ

Katsura Nobuko

Pen Names: Nobuko Katsura（Used as a pen name/haigo）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1914-11-01 （Hachikenya, Higashi-ku, Osaka, Japan）
Died
2004-12-16 （Minoh (Minoo), Osaka, Japan） age 90
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Hachikenya, Higashi-ku, Osaka, Japan → Minoh (Minoo), Osaka, Japan

Career

Occupations
Haiku poet, Editor, Office worker
Active Years
1935-2004
Influenced By
Hino Sōjō, Yamaguchi Seishi
Influenced
Utaki Kiyoko

Education

Osaka Prefectural Otemae Girls' High School
Country: Japan

Awards

Modern Haiku Association Prize
1977
Organization: Modern Haiku Association
Result: winner
Modern Haiku Female Poets Prize
1977
Work: Shinryoku (New Green)
Organization: Modern Haiku Female Poets Prize Committee
Result: winner
Jakutoku (Jyakutoku) Prize
1992
Work: Juei (Tree Shadows)
Organization: Jakutoku Prize Committee
Result: winner
Modern Haiku Association Grand Prize
1992
Work: Juei (Tree Shadows)
Organization: Modern Haiku Association
Result: winner
Mainichi Arts Award
2004
Work: Kusakage (Grass Shadows)
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Gekkōshō (Moonlight Collection)

1949 Haiku collection

Her first haiku collection portraying the emotional highs and lows from marriage and new married life to the loss of home in air raids and her husband's sudden death; emphasizes gentleness and personal feeling.

personal emotioneveryday lifeloss

Onna-mi (Woman's Body)

1955 Haiku collection

A collection containing many poems focused on the body and female sensuality, showing strong influence from her teacher Hino Sōjō.

female bodyeroticismsubjectivity

Shinryoku (New Green)

1974 Haiku collection

A collection emphasizing nature and a clear, emotive style; this work led to her receiving the Modern Haiku Female Poets Prize.

natureseasonal feelingclarity

Juei (Tree Shadows)

1991 Haiku collection

Her eighth collection showing mature style with natural depiction and clarity; awarded the Jakutoku Prize and the Modern Haiku Association Grand Prize.

maturityview of naturetranquility

Kusakage (Grass Shadows)

2003 Haiku collection

A late-career collection regarded as a culmination of her long work; it received the Mainichi Arts Award.

late reflectionsnature and everyday life

Bibliography

  • Gekkōshō (1949)
  • Onna-mi (1955)
  • Banshun (1967)
  • Shinryoku (1974)
  • Shoka (1977)
  • Ryokuyo (1981)
  • Sōju / Kusa-ju (1986)
  • Juei (1991)
  • Hanakage (1996)
  • Kusakage (2003)
  • Complete Haiku of Nobuko Katsura (2007, ed. Utaki Kiyoko)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clear and emotive styleBelongs to the Shin-kō (new movement) haiku current while emphasizing subjectivityIn the postwar period she also adopted more objective and austere expressions
Recurring Motifs
naturefemale bodydetails of everyday lifeseasonal imagery

Legacy

Nobuko Katsura produced clear and emotive haiku throughout her life and received several major haiku awards. She served in leadership roles in the Modern Haiku Association, and after her death the Katsura Nobuko Prize was established in her name, leaving a legacy of recognition and support for women haiku poets.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Haiku Association

Archives

  • Kakimori Bunko

Quotes

  • Little grain of rice, chew well — the cherry blossoms bloom.
    Source: Haiku collection 'Sōju (Grass & Tree)' (1986)
  • Vertically and horizontally, Fuji stretches — a summer field.
    Source: Haiku collection 'Juei (Tree Shadows)' (1991)

Trivia

  • Her real name was Nobuko Niwa (丹羽信子).
  • She studied under Hino Sōjō and was involved in founding and editing several haiku magazines.
  • The Katsura Nobuko Prize was established by Kakimori Bunko in 2010.