Japanese Literary Awards

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Sasaki Yukitsuna

ささき ゆきつな

Sasaki Yukitsuna

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1938-10-08 （Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, Japanese literature scholar, university professor, editor
Active Years
1958-
Affiliations
Tanka magazine 'Kokoro no Hana', Waseda University (Professor Emeritus), Kawade Shobo Shinsha (former editor)
Memberships
Japan Art Academy, Modern Tanka Poets Association (former chair)
Influenced By
Sasaki Nobutsuna, Sasaki Hirotsuna
Influenced
Tawara Machi, Oguchi Reiko

Education

Seikei Elementary School
Period: 〜1951
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: Japan
Seikei Junior & Senior High School
Period: 〜1957
Year of Graduation: 1957
Country: Japan
Seikei University (left)
Faculty of Political Science and Economics (left)
Period: 1957-1958
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: Japan
Left the Faculty of Political Science and Economics
Waseda University, First Faculty of Letters
First Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese Literature
Degree: 学士
Period: 1959-1963
Year of Graduation: 1963
Country: Japan
Waseda University Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Graduate School of Letters / Japanese Literature
Degree: 修士
Period: 1963-1966
Year of Graduation: 1966
Country: Japan
Completed master's program

Awards

Modern Tanka Poets Association Award
1971
Work: Gunrei
Organization: Modern Tanka Poets Association
Result: winner
Shika Bungakukan Prize
1990
Work: The Golden Lion
Organization: Poetry and Song Literary Museum
Result: winner
Choko Prize
1994
Work: Time of the Waterfall
Organization: Choko Prize Committee
Result: winner
Wakayama Bokusui Prize
1998
Work: Traveler
Organization: Wakayama Bokusui Prize Committee
Result: winner
Saito Mokichi Tanka Literature Award
1999
Work: Don-gyu
Organization: Saito Mokichi Award Committee
Result: winner
Arts Encouragement Prize by the Minister of Education
2000
Work: Anima / Gyakutabi
Organization: Arts Encouragement Prize (MEXT)
Result: winner
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2002
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: honor
Yamamoto Kenkichi Literature Prize
2004
Work: First Snow
Organization: Yamamoto Kenkichi Prize Committee
Result: winner
Modern Tanka Grand Prize
2004
Work: First Snow
Organization: Modern Tanka Grand Prize Committee
Result: winner
Yomiuri Literature Prize
2012
Work: Moonwalk
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: winner
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
2022
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: honor

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Gunrei

1970 tanka

A collection of energetic early tanka poems that brought critical attention and led to the Modern Tanka Poets Association Award.

physicalityyouthrebellion

Hanka

1989 tanka

A mid-career collection showing deeper introspection and frequent classical allusions.

introspectionclassical references

The Golden Lion

1989 tanka

A powerful collection characterized by masculine lyricism and vivid imagery; winner of the Shika Bungakukan Prize.

valorvivid imagery

Time of the Waterfall

1993 tanka

A set of poems exploring the intersection of nature and time; recipient of the Choko Prize.

naturetime

Traveler

1997 tanka

A travel-themed collection; awarded the Wakayama Bokusui Prize.

travelmovement

Don-gyu

1998 tanka

A collection notable for poems about drinking and relationships; winner of the Saito Mokichi Tanka Literature Award.

drinkinghuman relationships

Moonwalk

2011 tanka

One of his notable recent works, blending contemporary perspective and personal memory; recipient of the Yomiuri Literature Prize.

memorymodernity

Horohoro Torotoro

2014 tanka

A late-career collection mixing lightness with deep emotion.

late lifereflection

Bibliography

  • Gunrei
  • Stand Upright, a Line of Poetry
  • Summer Mirror
  • Hanka
  • The Golden Lion
  • Time of the Waterfall
  • Traveler
  • Don-gyu
  • Anima
  • Gyakutabi
  • Tenma
  • First Snow
  • Moonwalk
  • Horohoro Torotoro
  • Spring's Theodor

Style & Themes

Literary Style
robust, masculine tanka stylemodern tanka with classical allusions
Recurring Motifs
physicalitytravelnaturememory

Legacy

Sasaki Yukitsuna is known for his robust, masculine tanka and deep knowledge of classical poetry. As a scholar and editor, and through leadership of the magazine 'Kokoro no Hana' and teaching at Waseda University, he mentored many poets and had a major impact on modern tanka.

Museums

  • Kokin Denju no Sato Field Museum (Honorary Director)

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets Association
  • Japan Art Academy

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings / authority data)

Trivia

  • Born into a family of poets including his grandfather and father.
  • In youth he was passionate about rugby and boxing; that physical sensibility influenced his poetic style.