Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Osamu Kimata

きまた おさむ

Kimata Osamu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1906-07-28 （Aichigawa Village, Aichi District, Shiga Prefecture (now Aisho Town), Japan）
Died
1983-04-04 age 76
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Aichigawa Village (now Aisho Town) → Otsu City, Shiga → Sendai, Miyagi → Toyama → Tokyo

Career

Occupations
Tanka poet, Japanese literature scholar, Professor, Critic
Active Years
1920-1983
Memberships
Japan Society for Modern Japanese Literature
Influenced By
Hakushu Kitahara
Influenced
Tamiko Onishi, Kojiro Ono, Masao Yoshino

Education

Shiga Prefectural Normal School
Country: Japan
Tokyo Higher Normal School (Department of Literature II)
Japanese language and Chinese classics / Japanese language and Chinese classics
Period: 1926-1931
Year of Graduation: 1931
Country: Japan
Took leave for short-term military officer service during studies

Awards

Arts Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1973
Work: Kimata Osamu Poetry Collection
Organization: Japan Arts Promotion (etc.)
Result: 受賞
Order of the Purple Ribbon
1973
Organization: Japanese government
Result: 受章
Modern Tanka Award
1981
Work: Setsumae-Setugo (Before and After Snow)
Organization: Tanka Newspaper Company (etc.)
Result: 受賞
Japan Art Academy Prize / Onshi Prize
1983
Organization: Japan Art Academy / Imperial Household Agency
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Koshi

1943 Tanka collection

A prewar tanka collection, containing representative early works.

naturehome regionseasons

Call and Echo

1964 Tanka collection

A collection blending romantic elements influenced by Hakushu with modern perspectives.

remembrancehuman relationshipspassage of time

Last Year, This Year

1967 Tanka collection

Contains poems that sensitively depict everyday life and perceptions of time.

everyday lifetimeaging

Before and After Snow

1981 Tanka collection

A late-career collection showing delicate seasonal sense and life perspective; recipient of the Modern Tanka Award.

snowmemorylife

Bibliography

  • Koshi (tanka collection)
  • Michinoku
  • Fuyugoyomi
  • Call and Echo
  • Last Year, This Year
  • Aizen Mugen
  • Before and After Snow
  • Complete Tanka Collection of Osamu Kimata
  • The Book of Modern Tanka (critical work)
  • History of Showa Tanka

Style & Themes

Literary Style
influenced by neo-romanticismmodernizing tanka motifscritical and scholarly approach
Recurring Motifs
nature and seasonal imagerylocal landscapesobservations of everyday lifememory and recollection

Legacy

A tanka poet and critic who, influenced by Hakushu Kitahara, worked to modernize tanka. He was active in both academic and poetic circles and received major honors including the Japan Art Academy Prize and Onshi Prize. His large collection of modern tanka materials deposited at Showa Women's University remains an important resource.

Museums

  • Showa Women's University (Osamu Kimata collection) Tokyo, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Japan Society for Modern Japanese Literature

Archives

  • Showa Women's University modern tanka archives

Trivia

  • A descendant of the Kimata family, retainers of Hikone Domain.
  • Early contributor to children's magazine 'Akai Tori' and recommended by Hakushu Kitahara.
  • Served as a short-term active-duty officer during his school years.
  • Served as an Imperial Household Agency advisor providing waka guidance to Emperor Showa.
  • Buried at Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya, Tokyo.