Japanese Literary Awards

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Masaki Kuwahara

くわはら まさき

Kuwahara Masaki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948-08-12 （Izumikida, Kunitamura (former Futami District), Hiroshima Prefecture (now Kunitamachi, Miyoshi City)）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Tanka poet, High school teacher
Active Years
1973-
Memberships
Cosmos Tanka Society, Founding contributor, tanka magazine 'Sakashiba' (doujinshi)
Influenced By
Shuji Miya

Education

Kokugakuin University
Faculty of Letters
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Country: Japan
Kokugakuin University Graduate School
Graduate School (master's and doctoral coursework)
Degree: Master's / Doctoral coursework
Country: Japan
Undergraduate thesis on saimara; master's thesis on ancient song-poetry

Awards

Kiri no Hana Prize
1976
Organization: Tanka magazine 'Cosmos'
Result: Winner
Tanka Kenkyu Prize (45th)
2009
Work: Kiro Byoto (Abandonment Ward)
Organization: Tanka Kenkyu-sha
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Shades of Fire

1986 Tanka collection

Early collection exploring nature and inner life with delicate imagery.

natureinner lifelight and shadow

White Dew Light

1992 Tanka collection

A mid-period collection that emphasizes seasonality and lyricism.

seasonalitylyricism

Melody Under the Moon

1996 Tanka collection

A set of poems centered on the moon and nocturnal themes.

moonnight

By the Edge of Time

2002 Tanka collection

A collection focused on time and memory.

timememory

To My Wife: I Will Wait a Thousand Years

2007 Tanka collection (caregiving poems)

Poems written frankly about caring for his wife after her illness; regarded as a leading work in caregiving tanka.

caregivingmarital loveeveryday life

Deep Indigo Sky

2009 Tanka collection

Collection centered on poems from late 2000 to spring 2005.

timenature

Heaven's Will

2010 Tanka collection

Contains works from the period of his wife's care; reflects on family and aging.

agingfamilyfate

Flowers of Saigyo

2016 Tanka collection

A collection showing affinities with classical themes and waka tradition.

classical poetrywaka

Autumn Night Chant

2019 Tanka collection

Recent work collecting poems themed on autumn scenes and introspection.

autumnintrospection

Bibliography

  • Shades of Fire (tanka collection), Ishikawa Shobo, 1986
  • White Dew Light (tanka collection), Ganshokan, 1992
  • Melody Under the Moon (tanka collection), Ganshokan, 1996
  • By the Edge of Time (tanka collection), Ganshokan, 2002
  • Essays 'Miya Eiko no Uta', Ganshokan, 2003
  • Essays 'Kano Uta no Kobo', Hiiragi Shobo, 2005
  • Selected Poems 'Ryokuin', Tanka Shimbunsha, 2005
  • To My Wife: I Will Wait a Thousand Years (tanka collection), Tanka Kenkyu-sha, 2007
  • Deep Indigo Sky (tanka collection), Hiiragi Shobo, 2009
  • Heaven's Will (tanka collection), Tanka Kenkyu-sha, 2010
  • Flowers of Saigyo (tanka collection), Gendai Tanka-sha, 2016
  • Autumn Night Chant (tanka collection), Seiji-sha, 2019

Style & Themes

Literary Style
direct and sincere expressiondeep knowledge of classical themeslyrical yet attentive to everyday life
Recurring Motifs
wife / marital relationshipcaregivingtimeseasons / nature

Legacy

Known for works focused on caregiving, he is regarded as a leading figure in contemporary tanka caregiving poetry. He also has deep knowledge of classical poetry and has earned broad support over a long career.

Trivia

  • Served as a teacher at Rikkyo High School and coached the baseball club; one of his students was Kazushige Nagashima (Nagashima Kazushige / 長嶋一茂).
  • Received the 'Kiri no Hana' newcomer prize from the tanka magazine 'Cosmos' in 1976.