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Ikuo Matsushita

まつした いくお

Matsushita Ikuo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-08-22 （Onga District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
poet
Active Years
1975-

Education

Waseda University
School of Political Science and Economics / Political Economy
Period: 1970-1974
Year of Graduation: 1974
Country: Japan

Awards

H-shi Prize
1979
Work: Sakana
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mr. Sakaki's Cat: Ikuo Matsushita Poetry Collection

1977 Poetry collection

An early collection of poems capturing fragments of daily life and quiet lyricism through character sketches.

everyday lifecharacterlyricism

Sakana

1978 Poetry collection

One of his representative collections, using motifs of the table and everyday settings to sensitively express lived experience.

foodeveryday lifememory

Ikuo Matsushita Poetry Collection (New Poets Series)

1979 Poetry collection

Published in a new poets series, featuring experimental expressions and youthful sensibilities.

experimentationyouthlanguage

Corridor of Business: Ikuo Matsushita Poetry Collection

1988 Poetry collection

A mid-career collection dealing with urban landscapes and the atmosphere of the workplace.

cityworkdistance

You Are Smiling

2003 Poetry collection

A collection from his return to writing, focusing on personal landscapes and human relationships.

human relationshipsrecoveryobservation

Ikuo Matsushita Poetry Collection (Modern Poetry Library)

2019 Poetry collection

A collected volume reissued in a modern poetry library series, centered on representative works.

retrospectivecompilationpoetic tradition

No Sugar in My Coffee

2021 Poetry collection

A recent work including short poems and essay-like pieces that expand reflections from everyday details.

everyday lifedetailsreflection

A Poetry Class for Those Who Will Read and Write Poems

2022 Criticism / Primer

An introductory guide discussing how to read and write poetry, with an educational perspective.

poeticseducationpractice

Bibliography

  • Mr. Sakaki's Cat: Ikuo Matsushita Poetry Collection
  • Sakana
  • Ikuo Matsushita Poetry Collection (New Poets Series)
  • Corridor of Business: Ikuo Matsushita Poetry Collection
  • You Are Smiling
  • Ikuo Matsushita Poetry Collection (Modern Poetry Library)
  • No Sugar in My Coffee
  • A Poetry Class for Those Who Will Read and Write Poems

Style & Themes

Literary Style
colloquial, lyrical stylenarration linking fragments of everyday life
Recurring Motifs
catscitymemorythe dining table

Legacy

A poet active since the 1970s, known for carefully描ing details of everyday life; his work has seen reappraisal within contemporary Japanese poetry.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Poets Association

Trivia

  • His wife, Matsushita Chisato, is reported to have won the Gunzo New Writers' Award (criticism) in 1984 (citation needed).
  • Some biographical details reference his own Twitter posts as sources.