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Kurahashi Yoson

くらはし ようそん

Kurahashi Yoson

Pen Names: Kurahashi Yoson（Haiku pen name used for literary activities (birth name: Kurahashi Yutaka)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-04-28 （Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan）
Died
2020-02-11 （Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan (elderly care facility)） age 88
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Yokohama (birthplace) → Atsugi (evacuation/residence during wartime and schooling) → Kawasaki (later life)

Career

Occupations
Haiku poet, Editor, Critic, Essayist
Active Years
1952-2020
Affiliations
Minami-Nippon Shimbun haiku selection committee member, Modern Haiku Association (executive director, later adviser), Japan PEN Club (auditor), Museum of Modern Japanese Poetry and Lyrics (vice-chair of promotion society), International Haiku Exchange Association (vice-chair), Japan Writers' Association (member)
Memberships
Modern Haiku Association, Japan PEN Club, Japan Writers' Association
Influenced By
Mizuhara Shuoshi (Akiuōkoshi)

Education

Aoyama Gakuin University
Faculty of Economics
Year of Graduation: 1952
Country: Japan
Studied under Mizuhara Shuoshi while at university

Awards

Aonokai Prize
1954
Organization: Aonokai
Result: 受賞
21st Japan Literary Grand Prize
2003
Work: Haiku collection 'Uji'
Organization: Japan Writers' Association (selection committee)
Result: 受賞
2nd Japan Poetry and Haiku Award
2006
Organization: Japan Poetry and Haiku Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Konshin

1991 Haiku collection

A personal haiku collection showcasing lyricism and absorption of traditional aesthetics.

lyricismtraditional aestheticsseasonal words (kigo)

Aigo

1996 Haiku collection

A collection centered on deeply lyrical haiku.

light and shadowlyricism

Uji

2001 Haiku collection

The haiku collection awarded the 2003 Japan Literary Grand Prize; notable for poems capturing light and shadow and projecting the self.

self-projectionlight and shadowseasons

Daza

2005 Haiku collection

A collection that includes haiku evoking Zen themes and tranquility.

Zensilenceseasonal words (kigo)

Bibliography

  • Konshin (Bokuyosha, 1991)
  • Aigo (Kashinsha, 1996)
  • Uji (Homa Books, 2001)
  • Daza (Kadokawa, 2005)
  • Mizuhara Shuoshi (Kadokawa, 1987)
  • Shuoshi and His Era (Kodansha, 1989)
  • Dogen (Kodansha, 1990)
  • One Hundred Haiku Figures (vols. 1-2) (Bokuyosha, 1993)
  • Savoring Haiku (Iizuka Publishing, 1995)
  • Introduction to Haiku Revision (Iizuka Publishing, 1995)
  • Ningen Kyoshi (Shinchosha, 1997)
  • Dictionary of Haiku Practice (Tokyodo Publishing, 2000)
  • Footsteps of Dogen (Hokumeisha, 2004)
  • Savoring Seasonal Words (Iizuka Publishing, 2006)
  • Conversations with Mizuhara Shuoshi (Homa Books, 2007)
  • Good Morning Haiku (Hokumeisha, 2007)
  • Dogen's Heart, Haiku's Heart (Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2008)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Highly lyrical haikuA synthetic style incorporating traditional Japanese arts and literatureImagery capturing light and shadow
Recurring Motifs
light and shadowseasons (kigo)Zen and tranquilityself-projection

Health

  • cerebral infarction (stroke)
    2020-02
    Suffered a cerebral infarction in February 2020 and died in an elderly care facility (direct cause).

Legacy

Trained under Mizuhara Shuoshi, Kurahashi developed a haiku style noted for lyricism and traditional aesthetics. As host of the haiku magazine 'Nami' and through numerous publications and association roles, he influenced contemporary haiku circles. He received major awards including the Japan Literary Grand Prize.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Haiku Association
  • Japan Poetry and Haiku Association
  • Japan Writers' Association

Trivia

  • Birth name: Kurahashi Yutaka.
  • Succeeded as editor-in-chief of the haiku magazine 'Nami' in 1989.
  • Studied under Mizuhara Shuoshi in 1952.
  • Won the 21st Japan Literary Grand Prize for the haiku collection 'Uji' (2003).
  • Died in February 2020 in an elderly care facility in Kawasaki due to a cerebral infarction.