Japanese Literary Awards

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Hiroshi Kawasaki

かわさき ひろし

Kawasaki Hiroshi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1930-01-26 （Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2004-10-21 age 74
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo → Yokosuka, Kanagawa (postwar workplaces) → Yame, Fukuoka (evacuation during war)

Career

Occupations
poet, radio/broadcast writer, lyricist, children's author, essayist
Active Years
1948-2004
Influenced By
Noriko Ibaragi, Shuntaro Tanikawa, Makoto Ooka
Influenced

Education

Seinan Gakuin College (now Seinan Gakuin University)
English department (did not graduate) / English
Period: 1949-1951
Country: Japan
Left school in 1951
Fukuoka Prefectural Yame Junior High School (now Yame High School)
Country: Japan

Awards

Arts Encouragement Prize by the Minister of Education (broadcasting)
1970
Work: Jumbo Africa (radio drama, script)
Category: 放送部門
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (awarding body)
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1997
Organization: Japanese government
Result: 受章
Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Award (Encouragement Prize)
1957
Work: When Fish Run (poetic drama)
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞（奨励賞）
Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Award (Encouragement Prize)
1966
Work: When Fish Run, etc.
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞（奨励賞）
Obunsha Children's Literature Prize
1979
Work: The Little Demon Wearing a Hat
Organization: Obunsha Publishing
Result: 受賞
Mugen Prize
1980
Work: Food Shack
Organization: Mugen Prize (organizer unknown)
Result: 受賞
Takami Jun Prize
1987
Work: Empty Biscuit Tin
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
1998
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Kanagawa Culture Award
2000
Organization: Kanagawa Prefecture
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Swan

1955 poetry collection

Early poetry collection characterized by lyrical sensibility and a bright presence.

naturethe sealyricism

When Fish Run

1958 poetic drama / radio drama

A poetic drama that became well known as a radio script; one of his representative works.

sealifecommunity
Adaptations
  • [radio drama] When Fish Run (1956)

Empty Biscuit Tin

1985 poetry collection

A collection of poems that gently observe children and everyday life.

childreneveryday lifeword play

Food Shack

1980 poetry collection

A collection reflecting his interest in dialect collection and regional language.

dialectslocalitymemory

Bibliography

  • Swan (1955)
  • On the Way Trees Think (1964)
  • Collected Poems of Hiroshi Kawasaki (1968)
  • When Fish Run (1958, poetic drama)
  • Food Shack (1980)
  • Empty Biscuit Tin (1985)

Adaptations

  • Komet-san (set to music, 1967)
  • When Fish Run (adapted as radio drama)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
bright, accessible lyrical styleuse of Japanese phonetics and dialectal expressions
Recurring Motifs
the seachildrenanimalsdialects and language

Legacy

A poet who brought a distinctive lyricism to postwar Japanese poetry and celebrated the beauty of the Japanese language. Widely known for radio scripts, children's literature, and lyrics set to music.

In Popular Culture

  • Several poems were set to music and used in school music programs and choral repertoires
  • Wrote lyrics for pieces used in the NHK National School Music Contest (multiple times)

Trivia

  • Co-founded the poetry magazine 'Kai' with Noriko Ibaragi.
  • Served as lyricist for the NHK National School Music Contest four times.
  • Actively collected dialects from across Japan.