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Hiromu Matsuda

まつだ ひろむ

Matsuda Hiromu

Pen Names: Hiromu Matsuda（Pen name used for haiku publications）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1938-08-25 （Ozu, Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
haiku poet, collector, author
Active Years
1973-
Affiliations
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Modern Haiku Association, New Haiku Writers' Federation, Kamome-za (Ouza) haiku group
Memberships
Modern Haiku Association, New Haiku Writers' Federation (lifetime member), Japan Poetry and Haiku Association (executive)
Influenced By
Taho Furusawa, Fujio Akimoto

Education

Kochi Prefectural Kochi Technical High School
Mechanical Engineering
Period: 1954-1956
Year of Graduation: 1956
Country: Japan
After graduating high school, joined Tokyo Electric Power Company

Awards

Zasso Prize (1st)
1973
Organization: New Haiku Writers' Federation
Result: winner
Michishirube Prize (5th)
Organization: Michishirube (journal) / Michishirube Prize
Result: winner
New Haiku Writers' Federation Prize (9th)
1981
Work: Futō (The Pier)
Organization: New Haiku Writers' Federation
Result: winner
Modern Haiku Criticism Prize (28th)
2008
Work: White Summer Fields — Masakuni Takaya and Occasionally Madoaki
Organization: Modern Haiku Association
Result: winner
New Haiku Writers' Federation Prize (honorable mentions / special commendations)
Work: Multiple works (e.g. 'Zasso', 'Seventeen Years', 'White Indictment', 'Tsubasa', 'Winter Gull')
Organization: New Haiku Writers' Federation
Result: honorable mention

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kobai

1978 haiku collection

An early haiku collection gathering initial works; notable for seasonal imagery and scenes of his native region.

seasonshometownbirds

Hikei — Selections from a Thousand Days, A Thousand Haiku

haiku collection / selections

A volume compiling long-term series and selected haiku.

serial compositionstimeeveryday life

Yumin

haiku collection

One of his later haiku collections, featuring observational poems reflecting everyday sensibilities.

everyday lifeobservationhuman relations

Ten Haiku a Day

2017 haiku collection

A collection published in 2017 compiling haiku produced during a 2012 practice of writing ten haiku per day.

disciplinedaily practiceimprovisation

Introduction: Enjoying Haiku in 16 Weeks

introductory guide

A 16-week learning guide aimed at beginners in haiku.

educationintroduction

Bibliography

  • Kobai
  • Hikei — Selections from a Thousand Days, A Thousand Haiku
  • Yumin
  • Ten Haiku a Day
  • Introduction: Enjoying Haiku in 16 Weeks
  • The Easiest Re-Introduction to Haiku
  • New Edition Haiku Saijiki (editor)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
colloquial and plain expressionblend of traditional seasonal words with contemporary perspectives
Recurring Motifs
seasonssea & birds (gulls)hometowneveryday observation

Legacy

Hiromu Matsuda has been an active haiku poet since the 1970s, holding roles in organizations such as the Modern Haiku Association. As a collector and editor of introductory haiku works and saijiki (seasonal word guides), he has contributed to the dissemination of haiku.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Haiku Association
  • New Haiku Writers' Federation

Trivia

  • Known as a collector of telephone cards; formerly served as president of the Telephone Card Collectors' Association.
  • Also a collector of kokeshi dolls; his collection once numbered around 1,000 pieces.