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Sadaka Morioka

もりおか さだか

Morioka Sadaka

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1916-03-04 （Matsue, Shimane, Japan）
Died
2009-01-30 age 92
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan → Taipei (then under Japanese administration) → Fengtian (now Shenyang, China)

Career

Occupations
tanka poet
Active Years
1934-2009
Affiliations
Nyonin Tanka (Women's Tanka), Ishidatami no Kai (Ishidatami Group)
Influenced By
Miyoko Goshima, Taeko Kuzuhara
Influenced
Fumiko Nakajo

Education

Yamawaki Gakuen Junior & Senior High School
Country: Japan
Graduated from Yamawaki Girls' School (Yamawaki Gakuen)

Awards

Choko (Tchoko) Prize
1992
Work: Hyakunyubun
Organization: Choko Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Gendai Tanka Grand Prize
2000
Work: Collected Poems of Sadaka Morioka (Definitive Edition)
Organization: Gendai Tanka Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Saito Mokichi Tanka Literary Award
2001
Work: Summer Solstice
Organization: Saito Mokichi Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

White Moth

1953 tanka collection

Early tanka collection containing poems on emotions and women's perspectives spanning pre- and postwar years.

female experiencelossmemory

Unknown

1956 tanka collection

A collection showing further experimentation in expression, exploring inner worlds through tanka.

interiorityexperimentation

Ishibumi

1964 tanka collection

A collection from the 1960s notable for precise poetic imagery.

naturedetailed imagery

Hyakunyubun

1991 tanka collection

One of her representative mature works, addressing the body and women's experience directly and receiving acclaim.

the bodywomen's experiencematurity

Summer Solstice

2000 tanka collection

Published in 2000; includes works that won the Saito Mokichi Tanka Literary Award.

seasonstimerecollection

Bibliography

  • White Moth. Tanka collection. Dainishobo, 1953 (Nyonin Tanka series)
  • Unknown. Tanka collection. YURIKA, 1956
  • Ishibumi. Tanka collection. Shinsei Shobo, 1964
  • Sango Juzu. Tanka collection. Ishidatami no Kai, 1977
  • Mayu-ju. Tanka collection. Tanka Shinbunsha (Gendai Tanka Series), 1987
  • Hyakunyubun. Tanka collection. Sunagoya Shobo, 1991
  • Summer Solstice. Tanka collection. Sunagoya Shobo, 2000
  • Collected Poems of Sadaka Morioka (Definitive Edition). Sunagoya Shobo, 2000
  • Shikimyo. Tanka collection. Tanka Kenkyusha, 2001
  • Kuyayo Hachinichi. Tanka collection. Sunagoya Shobo, 2010 (posthumous)
  • Shimashi. Tanka collection. Sunagoya Shobo, 2010 (posthumous)
  • Obi-kurenai. Tanka collection. Sunagoya Shobo, 2011 (posthumous)
  • Sadaka Morioka Collected Poems. Gendai Kajin Bunko. Sunagoya Shobo, 2016
  • Complete Collected Poems of Sadaka Morioka. Sunagoya Shobo, 2021

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Positioned among postwar female tanka poets with keen sensibility and realistic expressionIntimate narrative using the tanka form
Recurring Motifs
the body (female body)war and lossseasons and memory

Health

  • myocardial infarction
    2009-01
    Died of a myocardial infarction in January 2009

Legacy

Regarded as a pioneering postwar female tanka poet, she influenced successors with works focusing on the female body and everyday life. With numerous collections and awards, she holds an important position in postwar tanka history.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holds author and related materials)

Trivia

  • Married a military officer at age 19 and became a widow after the war.
  • Participated in the founding of the journal 'Nyonin Tanka' in 1949 and later served as its leading representative.
  • Served as a participant (meshito) in the Imperial New Year poetry-reading (Utakai Hajime) in 2006.
  • Multiple collections were published posthumously (supplements and complete editions after 2010).