Art Encouragement Prize for Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 28 (1978) award
Kusatao Nakamura
なかむら くさたお
Nakamura Kusatao
Pen Names:
Kusatao（Haigo (haiku pen name) used for composing haiku.）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1901-07-24 （Xiamen (Amoy), Fujian, China）
- Died
- 1983-08-05 （Kita-Karasuyama, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan (hospital)） age 82
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Christianity Baptized in 1983 （Baptismal Name: Johannes Maria Vianney Nakamura Seiichiro）
- Residence History
- Xiamen (birthplace) → Matsuyama, Ehime (childhood / after return to Japan) → Tokyo (schooling and residence) → Shimokitazawa (from 1938) → Shimo-Takaido (moved in 1954)
Career
- Occupations
- haiku poet, literary scholar (Japanese literature), university professor, educator
- Active Years
- 1922-1983
- Affiliations
- Seikei University, Banryoku (haiku magazine, founder and editor), Haijin Association (founder and first chairman)
- Memberships
- Gendai Haiku Association (former secretary-general), Haijin Association (founder and first chairman)
- Influenced By
- Kyoshi Takahama, Friedrich Nietzsche, Mokichi Saito
- Influenced
- Tota Kaneko, Shuji Terayama, Satoshi Kako
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo) | Faculty of Letters (initially German literature → switched to Japanese literature) | Department of Japanese Literature | — | 1925-1933 | Japan |
Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo)
Faculty of Letters (initially German literature → switched to Japanese literature)
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Period:
1925-1933
Year of Graduation:
1933
Country:
Japan
Entered in German literature, later transferred to Japanese literature and graduated. Thesis on Shiki's haiku viewpoint.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Medal with Purple Ribbon | — | — | Government of Japan | 受賞 |
| 1974 | Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class | — | — | Government of Japan | 受章 |
| 1978 | Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) | Messenger of the Balloon | — | Agency for Cultural Affairs (MEXT) | 受賞 |
| 1984 | Japan Art Academy Award (Order of Merit / Onshi Prize) | Posthumous, for lifetime achievements | — | Japan Art Academy | 受賞（没後） |
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1972
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受賞
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class
1974
Organization:
Government of Japan
Result:
受章
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1978
Work:
Messenger of the Balloon
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs (MEXT)
Result:
受賞
Japan Art Academy Award (Order of Merit / Onshi Prize)
1984
Work:
Posthumous, for lifetime achievements
Organization:
Japan Art Academy
Result:
受賞（没後）
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Choko
1936 Haiku (collection)First haiku collection. Contains many representative early poems including the famous haiku "Falling snow — the Meiji era has become distant."
seasonalitynaturehuman naturefate
Hi no Shima
1939 Haiku (collection)Haiku collection published in 1939; one of the representative prewar works.
wartime sensibilityintimate depictions of nature
Ginga Izon
1953 Haiku (collection)Postwar collection gathering representative poems; notable for fusing philosophical elements with the symbolism of seasonal words.
postwarsocial dimensionphilosophical elements
Messenger of the Balloon
1977 Fairy-tale collection / children's literatureA collection of fairy tales; awarded the Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education) for this work.
fairy-tale qualitiesimaginationnature and humans
Bibliography
- Choko (1936)
- Hi no Shima (1939)
- Banryoku (1941)
- Koshikata Yukue (1947)
- Ginga Izon (1953)
- Bokyoko (1956)
- Biden (1967)
- Toki (1980)
- Messenger of the Balloon (1977)
- Daikosho (2003, posthumous selection)
Adaptations
- Record "The World of Haiku" (recitations and commentary by the author; Teichiku, 1971)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Objective sketching (kyakkanshaso)-based realismuse of seasonal words as symbolsphilosophical influence from Western thought (e.g., Nietzsche)
- Recurring Motifs
- seasonal changedetails of natureinner life and human existencefamiliar figures such as dogs and children
Health
-
neurasthenia (nervous exhaustion / psychiatric condition)1918-1919, 1927-1928（断続的に休学・療養）Caused intermittent leaves from school/university; influenced his turn toward poetry and reflective themes.
-
acute pneumonia (cause of death)1983（死去）Died of acute pneumonia in 1983.
Legacy
One of the leading haiku poets and scholars of 20th-century Japan. Founder and editor of Banryoku, he fused objective sketching with the symbolic use of seasonal words and Western philosophical influences, leading major haiku debates across prewar and postwar periods. He influenced many later poets and remains highly regarded posthumously.
Academic Societies
- Gendai Haiku Association
- Haijin Association
- Seikei University (Professor Emeritus)
Archives
- Collected Works of Kusatao Nakamura (Misuzu Shobo) archives / related materials
- Materials held by the National Diet Library and other libraries / research institutions
In Popular Culture
- The death anniversary, "Kusatao-ki", became a seasonal word (kigo).
- A monument inscribed with the haiku "Falling snow..." was erected at his alma mater Seinan Elementary School (1977).
Quotes
-
Falling snow — the Meiji era has grown distant.
Source: Collected in the haiku collection 'Choko' (composed 1931) (1931)
Trivia
- His haigo "Kusatao" is said to originate from a relative's insult "a rotten man"—a play on words and pronunciation is reported.
- He received baptism the day before his death and thus a baptismal name is recorded.
- In 1971 a record titled 'The World of Haiku' was released in which he recited and commented on his own poems.