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Kijima Yasuo

きじま やすお

Kijima Yasuo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-08-28 （Dalian, Kwantung Leased Territory）
Died
2022-12-02 （Japan） age 91
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, editor, lecturer
Active Years
1955-2022
Affiliations
Yuhikaku Publishing, Kodama Press, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, Japan Art Center, Musashino Art University (lecturer), Modern Tanka Poets Association (director)
Memberships
Modern Tanka Poets Association
Influenced By
Tsuzuki Shogo, Oshima Toamei (father)

Education

Fukuoka Prefectural Shuyukan High School
Country: Japan
Waseda University
School of Political Science and Economics / Department of Political Science
Period: 1951-1955
Year of Graduation: 1955
Country: Japan
Member of Waseda University Tanka Society; studied under Tsuzuki Shogo

Awards

Japan Tanka Poets Club Prize
1986
Work: Ikazuchi (Thunder)
Organization: Japan Tanka Poets Club
Result: 受賞
Tanka Kenkyu (Tanka Research) Prize
1996
Work: Onodzukara (30 poems)
Organization: Tanka Kenkyusha
Result: 受賞
Japan Tanka Poets Club Criticism Prize
2009
Work: Private Essays on the Taisho Tanka Scene
Organization: Japan Tanka Poets Club
Result: 受賞
Poetry and Literature Museum Prize
2015
Work: Suzuri (Inkstone)
Organization: Poetry and Literature Museum
Result: 受賞
Japan Tanka Poets Club Grand Prize
2019
Work: Annotated Complete Tanka of Kunio Yanagita (lifetime achievement)
Organization: Japan Tanka Poets Club
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tsuki: Kijima Yasuo Collected Tanka

1976 tanka poetry

First tanka collection containing early poems focusing on nature and recollection.

naturerecollectionnostalgia

Ikazuchi: Kijima Yasuo Collected Tanka (Thunder)

1985 tanka poetry

One of his representative collections, notable for its emotional intensity and lyricism.

emotionnaturelyricism

Private Essays on the Taisho Tanka Scene

2008 criticism / essays

An essay collection on the Taisho-era tanka scene; scholarly work that received critical recognition.

tanka historycriticismscholarship

Suzuri: Kijima Yasuo Collected Tanka (Inkstone)

2014 tanka poetry

One of his later collections, continuing a concise and lyrical poetic style.

agingrecollectionnature

Bibliography

  • Tsuki: Kijima Yasuo Collected Tanka
  • Ikazuchi: Kijima Yasuo Collected Tanka (Thunder)
  • Works for Tanka and Prints: Iru (1975)
  • For Those Beginning Tanka (1987)
  • Private Essays on the Taisho Tanka Scene (2008)
  • Suzuri: Kijima Yasuo Collected Tanka (2014)
  • Tanka Writing Consultation (2016)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, lyrical tanka stylemodern expression grounded in traditional tanka forms
Recurring Motifs
naturenostalgiarecollection

Health

  • aspiration pneumonia
    2022
    cause of death

Legacy

Kijima Yasuo contributed to the modern tanka world both as an editor and as a tanka poet and critic. He published multiple collections and scholarly works, receiving several literary prizes.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets Association

Trivia

  • Born in Dalian (Kwantung Leased Territory).
  • Worked for many years in publishing, including Yuhikaku and Kawade Shobo Shinsha.
  • Was a member of the Waseda University Tanka Society and remained active in tanka creation and editing.