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Mikio Yagi

やぎ みきお

Yagi Mikio

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-01-14 （Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Poet, Junior high school English teacher, Adjunct lecturer
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
Japan Contemporary Poets Association, Member of Rekitei (poetry group), Yohaku Ku-kai (poetry circle), Hot Gene reading group (host)
Memberships
Japan Contemporary Poets Association, Rekitei (poetry group), Yohaku Ku-kai (poetry circle)
Influenced By
Junnosuke Nishiwaki, Yasuo Irizawa, Shunichi Niikura

Education

Meiji Gakuin University
Faculty of Letters, Department of English / Department of English
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1965-1969
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: Japan

Awards

Gendai Shi Hanatsubaki Prize
1995
Work: Socrates in the Vegetable Garden
Organization: Gendai Shi Hanatsubaki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Arts Encouragement Prize — Newcomer (Minister of Education Award)
1995
Work: Socrates in the Vegetable Garden
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Encouragement Selection Committee)
Result: 受賞
Contemporary Poiesis Prize
2008
Work: Because Night Comes
Organization: Contemporary Poiesis Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Sagamigawa

1983 Poetry collection

Early self-published poetry collection featuring works centered on the landscapes and memories around the Sagami River.

naturememorylocality

Socrates in the Vegetable Garden

1995 Poetry collection

A collection of poems that poses philosophical questions amid everyday life and nature; one of his representative works honored in 1995.

philosophyeveryday lifenature
Adaptations
  • [Music (song)] Socrates in the Vegetable Garden (musical settings) / 堀内貴晃、田中賢（作曲）

Because Night Comes

2008 Poetry collection

A collection including poems themed on night and time. Awarded the Contemporary Poiesis Prize in 2008.

nighttimeexistence

Mikio Yagi Poetry Collection (Gendai Shi Bunko)

2005 Poetry collection

A collected volume of major poems, gathering works including later pieces.

recollectionnaturepoetic thought

Bibliography

  • Sagamigawa (poetry collection, self-published)
  • Ears of Boyhood
  • Selected Body Poems
  • One-sided Conversations on Autumn Rainy Days
  • Socrates in the Vegetable Garden
  • Clear to the Eye
  • Summer Sky, Until Reaching There
  • Mikio Yagi Poetry Collection (Gendai Shi Bunko)
  • Because Night Comes
  • Blue Replies (song collection)
  • Personal Reflections on Rivers, Seas, Fish, etc.

Adaptations

  • Some poems from 'Socrates in the Vegetable Garden' set to music by Takaaki Horiuchi and Ken Tanaka and released on CD
  • Poetry readings recorded on CD by a Gunma-based reading group

Translations by Author

  • Buddhist Sutra Poems Read in Japanese (translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A style where modern poetic lyricism intersects with intellectual insightPoetic craft influenced by Anglo-American poetry
Recurring Motifs
nature (rivers, sea, vegetables)everyday life and philosophical reflectionnight and time

Legacy

Recognized for modern poetry rooted in local landscapes and everyday life, he has maintained a steady presence in the poetry community since the 1990s; several collections have been adapted to music or reading performances.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Contemporary Poets Association

In Popular Culture

  • Selector for Sankei Shimbun's 'Morning Poem' (2nd generation)

Trivia

  • Served as an English teacher at public junior high schools in Sagamihara for 36 years.
  • Acted as a basketball club advisor for over 30 years while teaching.
  • Won the Gendai Shi Hanatsubaki Prize and the Arts Encouragement (Minister of Education) Newcomer Prize in 1995 for 'Socrates in the Vegetable Garden'.
  • Did not publish works for ten years following his father's death.