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Shindō Ryōko

しんどう りょうこ

Shindo Ryoko

Pen Names: Furuya Ryoko（Birth name (legal name)）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1932-03-23 （Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2022-10-07 （Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan） age 90
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Manchuria (former Manchukuo / present-day Northeast China) → Tokyo (Shinjuku), Japan → Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Career

Occupations
Poet, Editor-publisher, Essayist
Active Years
1952-2022
Affiliations
Editor-publisher of the poetry magazine 'Rekitei', Japan Modern Poets Association (former president), Gendai Shijin-kai (member)
Memberships
Japan Modern Poets Association, Gendai Shijin-kai
Influenced By
Kusano Shimpei

Education

Kyoritsu Women's University
Period: 在学のち中退
Country: Japan
Attended; did not graduate (dropped out)

Awards

Takami Jun Prize
1986
Work: Barafumi (Stepping on Roses)
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: winner
Maruyama Kaoru Prize
2007
Work: The Rose-Colored Seagull
Organization: Maruyama Kaoru Prize Committee
Result: winner
Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
2013
Work: Renshi: Akuboshima no Majutsushi (co-authored)
Organization: Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Barafumi (Stepping on Roses)

1985 Poetry collection

A collection of poems mixing everyday life, memory and nature from a female perspective.

womanhoodmemorynature

Collected Poems of Shindō Ryōko

1989 Poetry collection

A volume in the modern poetry library series collecting representative works.

modern poetrypersonal memory

The Rose-Colored Seagull

2006 Poetry collection

A volume of poems written from a mature viewpoint. Winner of the Maruyama Kaoru Prize.

ageingseatime

Koya (The Wasteland)

Poetry

Bibliography

  • Barafumi (Shichosha, 1985)
  • Collected Poems of Shindō Ryōko (Shichosha, 1989)
  • The Rose-Colored Seagull (Shichosha, 2006)
  • Koya
  • Karasuurino Hana (co-authored, 1998)
  • Hyaku-Ha Tsumonogatari (co-authored, 2001)
  • Around-the-World Voyage Stories (co-authored, 2006)
  • The Sorcerer of Akuboshima (co-authored, 2013)

Adaptations

  • 'Mehyou' (Fuji TV serial drama, 1964)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical, contemporary-poetic style emphasizing a personal viewpointConcise expression using symbolic imagery
Recurring Motifs
rosesthe seamemoryjourney

Health

  • Interstitial pneumonia
    2022
    Hospitalized and died of the condition

Legacy

Shindō Ryōko was an influential female poet active from the postwar era into the 21st century. As editor-publisher of the poetry magazine 'Rekitei' and a former president of the Japan Modern Poets Association, she had notable influence in the literary scene. She received several awards and was recognized for poetry centered on a female perspective.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Modern Poets Association
  • Gendai Shijin-kai

Archives

  • Holdings at the National Diet Library

In Popular Culture

  • Considered one of the models for the character Tokuko Saneyoshi (Oha) in Dan Ichio's novel 'Katachi no Hito' (Fire in the House).

Trivia

  • Ran a literary bar 'Toto' in Shinjuku in the 1950s.
  • Lived with writer Mizukami Ben for a period.
  • Was close to Takahashi Junko and Kurumatani Chokichi; the three took a round-the-world boat trip in 2005.
  • Her original work 'Mehyou' was adapted as a Fuji TV serial drama in 1964.