Japanese Literary Awards

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Shion Mizuhara

みずはら しおん

Mizuhara Shion

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1959-02-10 （Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, French

Career

Occupations
Tanka poet, Writer, Essayist, Novelist, Translation collaborator
Active Years
1987-
Affiliations
Chubu Tanka Association
Influenced By
Nominations
30th Tanka Kenkyu Newcomer Prize nominee ("Shirogane") - 1987

Education

Waseda University
First Faculty of Letters / French Literature
Degree: 学士
Country: Japan
Waseda University Graduate School of Letters
Graduate School of Letters / French Literature (graduate program)
Degree: 修士
Year of Graduation: 1986
Country: Japan
Completed master's program

Awards

Modern Tanka Poets Association Prize
1990
Work: Bianca
Organization: Modern Tanka Poets Association
Result: winner
Suruga Baika Literary Award (1st)
Work: Guest (Maraudo)
Organization: Suruga Baika Literary Award Committee
Result: winner
Aiko Kono Prize (10th)
Work: Kwanon (Kannon)
Organization: Aiko Kono Prize Committee
Result: winner
Yamamoto Kenkichi Literary Prize (5th)
Work: Akarutahe
Organization: Yamamoto Kenkichi Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner
Wakayama Bokusui Prize (10th)
Work: Akarutahe
Organization: Wakayama Bokusui Prize Committee
Result: winner
Tanka Kenkyu Prize (53rd)
2017
Work: Aurora (30 tanka)
Organization: Tanka Kenkyu Publishing
Result: winner
Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize (28th)
2018
Work: Epistole
Organization: Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner
Mainichi Art Award (62nd)
2020
Work: A Flower Missing From Any Bouquet
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: winner
Choko Prize (57th)
2023
Work: Pleasure
Organization: Choko Prize Committee
Result: winner
Maekawa Samiwo Prize (21st)
2023
Work: Pleasure
Organization: Maekawa Samiwo Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Bianca

1989 Tanka collection

Debut tanka collection that demonstrates a traditional waka approach using precise classical grammar.

traditionwakanaturelove

Guest (Maraudo)

1997 Tanka collection

A collection blending classical expressions with contemporary sensibilities. Recipient of the Suruga Baika Literary Award.

traditiontravelsolitude

Kwanon (Kannon)

1999 Tanka collection

A tanka collection including poems centered on Kannon, where classical technique intersects religious themes.

religionBuddhismprayer

Akarutahe

2004 Tanka collection

A mature collection founded on precise linguistic sensibility and classical forms.

maturityformal beautynature imagery

Epistole

2017 Tanka collection

A collection that evokes motifs of letters and correspondence. Recipient of the Murasaki Shikibu Literary Prize.

lettersmemorytime

A Flower Missing From Any Bouquet

2020 Tanka collection

A relatively recent collection that portrays the everyday and the extraordinary with meticulous senses and poetic metaphors. Winner of the Mainichi Art Award.

everyday lifemetaphorloss

Pleasure

2022 Tanka collection

A recent collection where emotional exuberance coexists with classical technique. Recipient of the Choko Prize and Maekawa Samiwo Prize.

emotiontechniquesensuality

Bibliography

  • Bianca (Ganshokan, 1989)
  • Utaura (Ganshokan, 1992)
  • Guest (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1997)
  • Kwanon (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1999)
  • Irose (Tanka Kenkyu Publishing, 2001)
  • Seami no Haka (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2003)
  • Akarutahe (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2004)
  • Sakura Sane Sashi (Kadokawa Shoten, 2009)
  • Buaku no Hito e (Hon'ami Shoten, 2011)
  • Bianca｜Utaura [Definitive Edition] (Shinya Sosho, 2014)
  • Kogi (Sugata) (Sunakoya Shobo, 2015)
  • Epistole (Hon'ami Shoten, 2017)
  • A Flower Missing From Any Bouquet (Hon'ami Shoten, 2020)
  • Pleasure (Tanka Kenkyu Publishing, 2022)
  • Hoshi no Nikutai (Shinya Sosho, 1995)
  • Sora zo Wasurenu (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2000)
  • Uta Monogatari (Iwanami Shoten, 2001)
  • Kyoto Uta Monogatari (Wedge, 2004)
  • Kabuki Monogatari (Kodansha, 2009)
  • Akugare: My Izumi Shikibu (Wedge, 2012)
  • Hyakunin Isshu Uta Monogatari (Kodansha, 2021)
  • Paris Uta Monogatari (Shunyodo, 2023)
  • Ikihada Dachi (Shinya Sosho, 2010)
  • Selected Tanka from Ooka Shin's 'Orito no Uta' (Iwanami Shinsho, 2020)

Translations by Author

  • Cooperation on Motoyuki Shibata's tanka-based translation of Edward Gorey's picture book 'Uronna Kyaku'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
use of precise classical grammar in wakainheritance of traditional waka forms
Recurring Motifs
Kannoncherry blossomskabukilettersnature imagery

Legacy

Regarded as a leading figure of the 'Neo-classical' tanka movement who inherits classical technique into the modern era; she continues to receive critical recognition through multiple literary awards.

Academic Societies

  • Chubu Tanka Association
  • Modern Tanka Poets Association

In Popular Culture

  • Known to the public through a serialized interview 'Bijoron' in the magazine Taiyo and television appearances.

Trivia

  • As a child she dreamed of becoming a writer or an actress.
  • Has experience working as a French interpreter at a vocational school.
  • Known as a fan of kabuki.
  • Collaborated with Motoyuki Shibata on a tanka-based contribution to a translation of Edward Gorey.
  • Official Twitter account (link may be broken): https://twitter.com/jeanne45944170