Japanese Literary Awards

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Oguro Semo

おぐろ よも

Oguro Yomo

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1948-01-01 （Kada, Wakayama (Wakayama City), Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Osaka, Japan

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, essayist
Active Years
1989-
Affiliations
Reirou (editorial board), Osaka Tanka Poets Club (director), Modern Tanka Poets Association (member), Japan Writers' Association (member)
Memberships
Modern Tanka Poets Association, Japan Writers' Association, Modern Tanka Poets Assembly
Influenced By
Kunio Tsukamoto

Awards

Kadan Prize
1999
Work: Komoriku (or Komoriku: collection of 30 tanka)
Organization: Hon'ami Shoten (Kadan Prize)
Result: winner
Osaka Tanka Literature Prize
2000
Work: Komoriku (tanka collection)
Organization: Osaka literary organizations
Result: winner
Japan Tanka Poets Club Kinki Block Excellent Tanka Collection Award
2005
Work: Sarume (tanka collection)
Organization: Japan Tanka Poets Club (Kinki Block)
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Komoriku

1999 tanka

Debut tanka collection focusing on the landscapes of Koyasan and Kumano, featuring poems with animistic sensibilities.

KoyasanKumanonatureanimism

Sarume

2004 tanka

A second tanka collection exploring local landscapes and folklore, with many poems examining the relationship between nature and people.

Kumanofolklorenature

Ame Tatasu Sonraku

2008 tanka

Tanka collection themed around villages and rainy landscapes.

villagesrainnature

Yattoko Dottsuko

2012 tanka

2012 tanka collection expressing a regional sensibility through a distinctive poetic approach.

localitynature

Oguro Semo Tanka Collection (Modern Tanka Library)

2012 tanka

A volume in the Modern Tanka Library series compiling Oguro's works.

tanka compilation

The Boat Is a Cradle

2016 tanka

A mature collection of tanka poems dealing with nature and memory.

memorynature

Kuka (Nine Summers)

2021 tanka

A recent tanka collection juxtaposing the ordinary and the uncanny within brief poetic forms.

everyday lifeforestsecology

Bibliography

  • Komoriku
  • Sarume
  • Ame Tatasu Sonraku
  • Yattoko Dottsuko
  • Oguro Semo Tanka Collection (Modern Tanka Library)
  • The Boat Is a Cradle
  • Kuka (Nine Summers)
  • Kumano Forest News (essays)
  • Wandering the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki — Japan's Lost Things (essays)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, sharp tanka centered on natureanimistic imagery and sensibility
Recurring Motifs
KoyasanKumanoforestsanimals

Legacy

A tanka poet known for works rooted in Koyasan and Kumano. Since winning the Kadan Prize in 1999, she has been recognized mainly within the Kansai literary community.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets Association
  • Japan Writers' Association

Quotes

  • A horse closes its eyes as if before something arrives, as if after something has receded.
    Source: Kuka (tanka collection) (2021)

Trivia

  • Born in 1948 in Kada, Wakayama.
  • Resides in Osaka.
  • Studied under Kunio Tsukamoto.
  • Won the Kadan Prize in 1999.