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Yasutaka Teruoka

てるおか やすたか

Teruoka Yasutaka

Pen Names: Kiriu（Haigo (haiku pen-name)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1908-02-01 （Higashi-Shibushi Village, Soo District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan (now Shibushi City)）
Died
2001-04-02 age 93
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan (worked at Waseda University)

Career

Occupations
Japanese literature scholar, University professor, Critic, Haiku poet
Active Years
1932-2001
Affiliations
Waseda University, Nishogakusha University
Memberships
Japan Society for Early Modern Japanese Literature
Influenced By
Kubota Utsubo, Mayama Seika, Inehara Taizō, Aono Kiyoshi
Influenced
Mitsutoshi Nakano, Takashi Nakajima

Education

Waseda University
Waseda University Faculty of Letters (old system) / Department of Japanese Literature
Degree: 文学士
Country: Japan
Studied Japanese literature in the old-system Faculty of Letters
Waseda University
Graduate School
Degree: 文学博士
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: Japan
Doctorate (awarded for work including 'Saikaku: Criticism and Research')

Awards

Tokyo Metropolitan Cultural Award
1985
Organization: Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Result: 受賞
NHK Broadcasting Culture Award
1988
Organization: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Result: 受賞
Gendai Haiku Grand Prize (8th)
1996
Work: Kiriu Haiku Collection
Organization: Gendai Haiku Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Dictionary of Edo Literature

1940 Scholarly work / reference

A reference work compiling entries on literature of the Edo period.

Early modern Japanese literatureReference

Saikaku: Criticism and Research

1948 Scholarly criticism

A representative study reevaluating Ihara Saikaku's works and their historical context.

Ihara Saikaku researchEarly modern literary criticism

Japanese Sense of Humour: The Erotic Sensibility in Popular Arts

1961 Criticism / cultural essay

A cultural-historical essay discussing 'laughter' and 'erotic sensibility' in popular arts.

HumorPopular cultureSexuality

Rings of Rakugo

1978 Criticism / performing arts studies

A collection of essays surveying the history of rakugo and performance culture.

RakugoPerforming artsPopular culture

Kiriu Haiku Collection

2003 Haiku / poetry collection

A haiku collection published under the haigo 'Kiriu', containing late-period poems.

Kigo (seasonal words)Nature

Bibliography

  • Dictionary of Edo Literature (1940)
  • Genealogy of Literature (1941)
  • Saikaku: Criticism and Research (1948-1950)
  • Japanese Sense of Humour (1961)
  • Rings of Rakugo (1978)
  • New Essays on Saikaku (1981)
  • Kiriu Haiku Collection (2003)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly, detailed critical proseAccessible cultural essays for general readers
Recurring Motifs
Ihara Saikaku researchReassessment of early modern literatureRakugo and popular performing artsSexuality and humor

Legacy

As one of the foremost authorities on Ihara Saikaku, he had major influence on early modern Japanese literary studies. He also produced many accessible works on rakugo, humor, and sexuality, serving as a bridge between academia and the general public.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Society for Early Modern Japanese Literature

Archives

  • National Diet Library holdings / authority data

In Popular Culture

  • Served as a selector for NHK's 'Otassha Bungei' program
  • First advisor of Waseda University's Rakugo Research Club

Quotes

  • An author deepens their understanding of reality while writing.
    Source: Critical writings on Saikaku (general commentary)

Trivia

  • Haigo (haiku pen-name) was '桐雨 (Kiriu)'.
  • Served as the first advisor to Waseda University's Rakugo Research Club.
  • Caused controversy in the 1960s for remarks about female students (often referred to as the 'women-students ruin the university' statement).
  • Frequently appeared as a selector for NHK and authored many books for general audiences.