Tanka Research Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 15 (1979) award
Reiko Mikuni
みくに れいこ
Mikuni Reiko
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1924-03-31 （Tokyo, Japan）
- Died
- 1987-08-05 （Tokyo, Japan） age 63
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- Tanka poet
- Active Years
- 1954-1987
- Influenced By
- Juzo Kagoshima
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawamura Girls' School | — | — | — | — | Japan |
Kawamura Girls' School
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 2nd Shinkajin-kai Prize | Branches Pointing to the Sky | — | Shinkajin-kai | Winner |
| 1979 | Tanka Kenkyu Award | May It Be Eternal | — | Tanka Kenkyu | Winner |
| 1987 | Modern Tanka Women's Award | Mirror Wall | — | Gendai Tanka | Winner |
2nd Shinkajin-kai Prize
1954
Work:
Branches Pointing to the Sky
Organization:
Shinkajin-kai
Result:
Winner
Tanka Kenkyu Award
1979
Work:
May It Be Eternal
Organization:
Tanka Kenkyu
Result:
Winner
Modern Tanka Women's Award
1987
Work:
Mirror Wall
Organization:
Gendai Tanka
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Branches Pointing to the Sky
1954 TankaA tanka collection published in the early postwar years, containing delicate poems on daily life and nature.
NatureEveryday lifeEmotion
Hasuho
1978 TankaA mature-period collection noted for symbolic depictions of nature and intimate lyricism.
SymbolismNatureIntrospection
Mirror Wall
1986 TankaA late-period collection exploring the self and others through mirror metaphors, delving deeply into the inner life.
SelfMirrorsDeath and rebirth
Bibliography
- Branches Pointing to the Sky (Shiratama Shobo, 1954)
- Flower Front (Shinsei Shobo, 1965)
- Fountain Clock (Tanka Shimbunsha, 1970)
- Hasuho (Kadokawa Shoten, 1978)
- Group of Lights: Reiko Mikuni Collected Poems (Okisakisha, 1981)
- Momoka Red: Selected Tanka (Tanka Shimbunsha, 1981)
- Morning Snow (Fushiki Shoin, 1983)
- Mirror Wall (Fushiki Shoin, 1986)
- Jade Light: Reiko Mikuni Collected Poems (Tanka Shimbunsha, 1988, posthumous)
- Complete Tanka Collection of Reiko Mikuni (Tanka Shimbunsha, 2005)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Concise tanka styleLyrical and symbolic imagery
- Recurring Motifs
- NatureSeasonsMirrorsWater
Health
-
Depression1987-07Hospitalization and led to her subsequent suicide
Legacy
Reiko Mikuni was a tanka poet who demonstrated distinctive lyricism and symbolic expression in the postwar tanka world, leaving several collections and awards. She is noted for her family ties to Nitten and her apprenticeship under Juzo Kagoshima. Recent complete editions have prompted renewed critical interest.
Trivia
- Her birth name was Reiko Nakazato.
- She was the eldest daughter of sculptor Keiichi Mikuni.
- In 1954 she won the 2nd Shinkajin-kai Prize for 'Branches Pointing to the Sky.'
- She was hospitalized for depression in 1987 and later reported to have died by suicide.
- A complete collection of her works was published posthumously.