Japanese Literary Awards

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Shunichi Niikura

にいくら としかず

Niikura Toshikazu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1930-01-22 （Hayama, Miura District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2021-08-23 （Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan） age 91
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Hayama, Kanagawa (birthplace) → Tokyo (work/residence) → Zushi, Kanagawa (later life)

Career

Occupations
American literature scholar, translator, university professor
Active Years
1951-2021
Affiliations
Meiji Gakuin University (Professor / Professor Emeritus), Keio University Art Center (Visiting member), Japan Emily Dickinson Society (served as president), Ezra Pound Society (board member)
Memberships
Japan Emily Dickinson Society, Ezra Pound Society
Influenced By
Junzaburo Nishiwaki, Ezra Pound
Influenced
Scholars of American poetry in Japan

Education

Keio University
Faculty of Law
Period: ～1951
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: Japan
Meiji Gakuin University (Graduate School)
Country: Japan
Completed graduate studies
University of Minnesota (Fulbright scholar)
Country: United States
Completed graduate studies as a Fulbright scholar

Awards

Josef Rogendorf Prize
2003
Work: The Century of Poets: Junzaburo Nishiwaki and Ezra Pound
Organization: Josef Rogendorf Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Prize
2004
Work: Biography: Junzaburo Nishiwaki
Organization: Watsuji Tetsuro Cultural Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Yamamoto Kenkichi Literary Prize (6th)
2004
Work: Biography: Junzaburo Nishiwaki
Organization: Yamamoto Kenkichi Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Kanagawa Culture Prize
2017
Organization: Kanagawa Prefecture
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Century of Poets: Junzaburo Nishiwaki and Ezra Pound

2003 Literary study / criticism

A critical study comparing the poetic careers and intersections of Junzaburo Nishiwaki and Ezra Pound, examining reception of poetry in Japan.

poeticstranslationcomparative literature

Biography: Junzaburo Nishiwaki

2004 Biography / literary study

A detailed biography tracing Nishiwaki Junzaburo's life and literary transformations, including archival work and new interpretations.

biographyliterary history

Emily Dickinson: Studies and Selected Poems

1962 Literary study / translation

An early representative work compiling studies and translations of Emily Dickinson, contributing to the foundation of Dickinson studies in Japan.

translationpoetry studies

Una giornata (poetry collection)

2018 Poetry

A late-career poetry collection reflecting decades of poetics and translation.

memorylanguage

Bibliography

  • Emily Dickinson: Studies and Selected Poems (1962)
  • The Structure of English Poetry (1971)
  • American Poetics: Songs of Identity (1975)
  • The Century of Poets: Junzaburo Nishiwaki and Ezra Pound (2003)
  • Biography: Junzaburo Nishiwaki (2004)
  • Una giornata (poetry collection) (2018)
  • Journey to Byzantium (poetry collection) (2021)

Translations by Author

  • Dickinson: Collected Poems (co-translator, Shichosha, 1993)
  • Ezra Pound: Collected Poems (1993)

Translations of Works

  • Emily Dickinson: Portrait of Absence (1989)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly and precise prosefaithful yet poetic approach to translation
Recurring Motifs
reception and translation of poetrylanguage and identity

Legacy

A scholar who helped establish American poetry studies in Japan through research on Emily Dickinson and Ezra Pound. He contributed significantly to reception studies, translation, and trained many scholars through his teaching.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Emily Dickinson Society

Trivia

  • Graduated from Keio University Faculty of Law (1951).
  • Studied at the University of Minnesota as a Fulbright scholar.
  • Died in 2021 at age 91.