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Nanamo Oki

おき ななも

Oki Nanamo

Pen Names: Mariko Nakamura（Legal name (birth name)）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1945-09-24 （Koga, Ibaraki, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
tanka poet
Active Years
1968-
Affiliations
Modern Tanka Poets' Association (director), Saitama Prefecture Tanka Poets' Association (chair), Representative of the tanka magazine 'Oki' (Shi), Saitama Literary Group (auditor)
Memberships
Modern Tanka Poets' Association, Japan PEN Club, Saitama Prefecture Tanka Poets' Association

Education

Saitama Prefectural Urawa Nishi High School
Country: Japan
Final formal education: high school graduate

Awards

Modern Tanka Poets' Association Award
1983
Work: Tanka Collection 'Clothing Philosophy'
Organization: Modern Tanka Poets' Association
Result: winner
Saitama Literary Award
1983
Organization: Saitama Prefecture
Result: winner
Ibaraki Prefecture Tanka Association Award
2004
Organization: Ibaraki Prefecture Tanka Association
Result: winner
Saitama Cultural Award
2005
Organization: Saitama Prefecture
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Flower Silhouettes

1971 poetry collection

Early poetry collection focusing on delicate depictions of nature and everyday life.

natureeveryday lifememory

Clothing Philosophy

1982 tanka collection

One of her representative works; a tanka collection that explores being and time through clothing and personal motifs.

body and clothingtimeself

Wood Mouse Pure Land

1991 tanka collection

A collection centered on deepened views of nature; observing the world through trees and small animals.

natureanimalslandscape

Fine Day

2016 tanka collection

A recent tanka collection showing contemporary style; notable for perspectives that shuttle between seasonal sensibility and everyday life.

seasonsdaily liferecollection

Bibliography

  • Flower Silhouettes (Wakaininsha, 1971)
  • Clothing Philosophy (Fushiki Shoin, 1982)
  • Wit's Ankles (Tanka Shimbunsha, 1986)
  • Wood Mouse Pure Land (Okisekisha, 1991)
  • Two Hearts (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1992)
  • Hole in the Sky (Tanka Shimbunsha, 1995)
  • A Grain (Sunagoya Shobo, 2003)
  • Three Chestnuts (Kadokawa Shoten, 2007)
  • Tree (Tanka Shimbunsha, 2009)
  • Hot Water (Hokuto-sha, 2015)
  • Fine Day (Hokuto-sha, 2016)
  • Modern Tanka Library: Nanamo Oki Collected Tanka (Sunagoya Shobo, 2001)
  • The Songs of Sadaoka Morioka (Ganshokan, 1992)
  • Tree Pilgrimage (Hokuto-sha, 1997)
  • Enjoying Tanka with Elegance (Nitto Shoin, 1999)
  • Sacred Trees, People's Trees (NHK Publishing, 2008)
  • Beginner's Guide to Tanka (Iizuka Shoten, 2011)
  • Seasonal Movements (Hon'ami Shoten, 2012)
  • Words to Connect to Tomorrow (Hokuto-sha, 2013)
  • Saitama Place-Name Walking Poems (Sakitama Publishing, 2015)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Concise, poetic expression based on modern tanka formsDelicate depiction of everyday particulars
Recurring Motifs
treesseasonsclothing and personal effectssmall animals

Legacy

Nanamo Oki is a tanka poet active from the late 20th century into the 21st, known for delicate views of nature and everyday depictions. She has contributed to the promotion of regional tanka activities as a magazine representative and selection committee member.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets' Association
  • Saitama Prefecture Tanka Poets' Association

Trivia

  • Legal name is Mariko Nakamura.
  • Served as representative of the tanka magazine '熾'.
  • Has served as a selector for tanka columns in the Asahi Shimbun (Saitama edition) and Saitama Shimbun.
  • Official website is archived on the Wayback Machine.