Japanese Literary Awards

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Sakurako Makita

まきた さくらこ

Makita Sakurako

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1929-01-11 （Mejiro, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2021-08-08 （Tokyo, Japan） age 92
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, editor
Active Years
1946-2021

Education

Tokyo Prefectural Third Girls' High School (now Tokyo Metropolitan Komaba High School)
Country: Japan

Awards

Japan Tanka Poets Club Prize
1982
Work: Konshi Kindei
Organization: Japan Tanka Poets Club
Result: 受賞
Muse Women's Literary Award
1994
Work: Rinshimoku
Organization: Muse Women's Literary Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Gendai Tanka Award
2014
Work: Hyō no Yuri no Ki (and lifetime achievements)
Organization: Gendai Tanka Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Aki no Isu

1955 tanka collection

First collection of tanka, containing early lyrical poems.

everyday lifeseasonslyricism

Mori Miru Mado

1965 tanka collection

Second collection, featuring quiet observation and introspection.

observationnatureintrospection

Konshi Kindei

1981 tanka collection

Third collection, noted for distinctive diction and expression; won the Japan Tanka Poets Club Prize.

texture of languagememorytime

Sabishiki Kirin

1986 tanka collection

Fourth collection, characterized by layered sensory imagery.

solitudeimageryfantasy

Rinshimoku

1993 tanka collection

Fifth collection; praised for delicate observation and feminine perspective; received the Muse Women's Literary Award.

naturefemale perspectiveminute observation

Sakurako Makita Collected Tanka

1993 tanka collection (selected)

Selected collection of representative works.

selectionrepresentative works

Setsudan Gen

1998 tanka collection

Sixth collection, containing experimental elements that emphasize fragmentary language.

linguistic fragmentsexperimentation

Kaichūrin

2000 tanka collection

Seventh collection, employing images of the sea and underwater scenes.

seabuoyancytime

Tokeisō (Selected Tanka)

2005 tanka collection (selected)

Self-selected collection compiling poems from across her career.

retrospectivelife

Saineria Kō

2006 tanka collection

Eighth collection; poems develop through reflections on individual plants and phenomena.

plantsattention to detail

Hisui no Ren

2009 tanka collection

Ninth collection; features constructively arranged tanka conscious of color and continuity.

colorcontinuity

Tenchi Gan

2010 tanka collection

Tenth collection, a series of poems viewing the world from an expansive perspective.

perspectiveexpansiveness

Hyō no Yuri no Ki

2014 tanka collection

Eleventh collection; a capstone of long-term work, awarded the Gendai Tanka Award.

culminationmemoryageing

Bibliography

  • Aki no Isu
  • Mori Miru Mado
  • Konshi Kindei
  • Sabishiki Kirin
  • Rinshimoku
  • Sakurako Makita Collected Tanka
  • Setsudan Gen
  • Kaichūrin
  • Tokeisō
  • Saineria Kō
  • Hisui no Ren
  • Tenchi Gan
  • Hyō no Yuri no Ki

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and delicate expressionobservational and quiet voice
Recurring Motifs
natureseasonstimememoryfemale perspective

Health

  • malignant tumor (cancer)
    〜2021
    Died in 2021. Marked the end of her creative activity.

Legacy

Sakurako Makita was active for decades as a tanka poet and editor, praised for her unique linguistic sensibility and delicate observation. She received multiple major awards and is regarded as an important figure in contemporary tanka.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets' Association

Trivia

  • She was involved in editing the magazine Tanka-jin for 55 years.
  • In 2002 she served as a selector for NHK Kadan (now NHK Tanka).
  • Her legal name is recorded as Hamadakaie Sakurako (sources vary in rendering).