Dakotsu Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 14 (1980) award
Saito Gen
さいとう げん
Saitō Gen
Pen Names:
Mikio（Early haiku pen name）,
Gen（Pen name adopted after meeting Ishida Hakyo; used primarily for haiku）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1914-08-22 （Kasuga (now Aoyagi), Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan）
- Died
- 1980-05-08 age 66
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Hakodate (birthplace) → Tokyo (studied at Waseda University) → Asahikawa (moved in 1978)
Career
- Occupations
- haiku poet, banker, editor (literary magazines)
- Active Years
- 1934-1980
- Influenced By
- Seito Sanki, Ishida Hakyo, Sugimura Seirinko (cousin)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hakodate Middle School (now Hokkaido Hakodate Chubu High School) | — | — | — | ～1932 | Japan |
| Waseda University | Commerce | — | 卒業 | 1930年代 | Japan |
Hakodate Middle School (now Hokkaido Hakodate Chubu High School)
Period:
～1932
Year of Graduation:
1932
Country:
Japan
Completed local secondary education
Waseda University
Commerce
Degree:
卒業
Period:
1930年代
Year of Graduation:
1937
Country:
Japan
Became interested in haiku during university
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Jakko Prize | Gandō | — | Jakko Prize Selection Committee | winner |
Jakko Prize
1979
Work:
Gandō
Organization:
Jakko Prize Selection Committee
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Gandō
1979 Haiku collectionA representative haiku collection including poems confronting his wife's death and his own later illness.
deathnaturewifenorthern (Hokkaido) landscapes
Gen
Haiku collectionA collection containing representative haiku; noted for its private, clear-eyed perspective.
everyday lifeintrospectionnature
Shaki
Haiku collectionA collection of early to mid-period haiku.
naturelandscape
Muhan
Haiku collectionA collection containing layered lyricism and quiet haiku.
solitudenature
Bibliography
- Shaki
- Gen
- Muhan
- Gandō
- Complete Haiku Collection of Saito Gen (Saitho Gen zenkushu)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realistic and lyrical short-verse influenced by the Shinko haiku movementclear-eyed, contemplative voice
- Recurring Motifs
- blizzardssea/winter landscapeswife/deathsolitude
Health
-
colorectal cancer1970年代後半～1980年His illness led to many poems confronting death and influenced the tone of his late work.
Legacy
A prominent Hokkaido-based haiku poet, highly regarded for poems addressing his wife's death and his own illness. His legacy includes haiku monuments and the posthumous complete collection.
Museums
- Saito Gen Haiku Monument (Takikawa) Takikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
- Saito Gen Haiku Monument (Hakodate Park) Hakodate Park, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
Academic Societies
- Modern Haiku Association
Archives
- Hakodate Cultural & Sports Promotion Foundation — related holdings
Quotes
-
My wife, who will die tomorrow, laments tomorrow's blazing sun.
Source: Collected in the haiku collection 'Gen' -
A blizzard until the soul becomes a cocoon.
Source: Collected in the haiku collection 'Gandō' (1979)
Trivia
- Real name: Toshihiko.
- Used the pen name 'Mikio' early, later adopted 'Gen'.
- Won the 14th Jakko Prize in 1979 — noted as the first Jakko Prize winner who was resident in Hokkaido.
- Haiku monuments dedicated to him exist in Takikawa and Hakodate Park.