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Masami Sanuga

さぬか まさみ

Sanuga Masami

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Koga, Ibaraki, Japan
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, French

Career

Occupations
haiku poet, lexicographer/editor, visiting professor
Active Years
1978-
Affiliations
Haiku circle "Aki", Special contributor, haiku magazine "Ten'i", Senshu University (visiting professor)
Memberships
Modern Haiku Association, Japan Writers' Association, Japan P.E.N. Club, National Haiku Magazine Association (advisor)
Influenced By
Tatsuo Maki, Seison Yamaguchi, Tetsuo Kosada, Akito Arima, Yatsuka Ishihara, Fusae Fumbashi

Education

Ibaraki Prefectural Koga Third High School
Country: Japan
University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of French
Country: Japan

Awards

Modern Haiku Association Prize (74th)
Organization: Modern Haiku Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kushuu: Kojin (Light Dust)

1996 haiku

A collection of early representative haiku. Characterized by sharp depictions of nature and everyday life.

natureeveryday lifeseasonal words (kigo)

Kushuu: Ichuu no Mizuumi (The Lake in My Mind)

1998 haiku

Contains many poems focusing on inner landscapes and memory.

memoryinner landscapesolitude

Kushuu: Aokodama (Blue Echoes)

2000 haiku

Works notable for sensitivity to color and sound.

colorsoundnature

Kushuu: Tabu no Ki (The Tupu Tree)

2003 haiku

Uses the titular tree as a symbol, layering place and time.

sense of placetimetrees

Kushuu: Akushoku no Baku (The Gluttonous Baku)

2008 haiku

A collection mixing fantastical imagery and humor.

fantasyhumordreams

Kushuu: Tenju (Heavenly Tree)

2012 haiku

A collection of mature short-verse works showing a fusion of form and sensibility.

maturityformal beautyview of nature

Kushuu: Muni (Unique)

2018 haiku

Poems that pursue personal perspective and universality simultaneously.

individualityuniversalityperspective

Kushuu: Mokugeki (Pantomime)

2024 haiku

A recent collection noted for its use of silence and negative space.

tranquilitynegative spacegaps of meaning

Bibliography

  • Kojin
  • Ichuu no Mizuumi
  • Aokodama
  • Tabu no Ki
  • Akushoku no Baku
  • Tenju
  • Muni
  • Mokugeki

Style & Themes

Literary Style
modern haiku informed by classical seasonal words (kigo)concise, refined languagea coexistence of realistic landscape depiction and poetic abstraction
Recurring Motifs
seasonstreesmemorytranquility

Legacy

A haiku poet who has established a solid position in the contemporary haiku world. His blending of traditional elements with modern sensibility is well regarded; he is active in haiku magazines and association leadership.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Haiku Association
  • Japan Writers' Association

Trivia

  • His wife is the eldest daughter of poet Yoshinori Hashimoto (Hashimoto Yoshinori).
  • He worked in the dictionary editorial department at Shogakukan and took early retirement in April 2014.