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Kazuko Shiraishi

しらいし かずこ

Shiraishi Kazuko

Pen Names: Hishinuma Kazuko（Legal / birth name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1931-02-27 （Vancouver, Canada）
Died
2024-06-14 （Japan） age 93
Nationality
Japanese
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Vancouver, Canada (birthplace) → Japan (returned at age 7; resident)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Translator, Essayist, Writer
Active Years
1951-2024
Affiliations
VOU (poetry magazine/group)
Memberships
Association for Article 9 (supporter)
Influenced By
Modernism, Surrealism, Beat Generation, Jazz, Katsue Kitazono, Kenneth Rexroth, Allen Ginsberg

Education

Waseda University, First Faculty of Letters
First Faculty of Letters / Department of Literature
Country: Japan
Published her first poetry collection '卵のふる街' while enrolled (1951).

Awards

H Award
1970
Work: Seasons of Sacred Lust
Result: 受賞
Mugen Prize
1978
Work: A Canoe Returning to the Future
Result: 受賞
Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize
1982
Work: Sand Tribe
Result: 受賞
Takami Jun Prize
1997
Work: Let Those Who Appear
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize
1997
Work: Let Those Who Appear
Category: 詩歌部門
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1998
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Bansui Prize
2003
Work: Floating Mother, the City
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literature Prize
2009
Work: Poetry Landscapes, Portraits of Poets
Category: 随筆・紀行部門
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Smederevo Golden Key Award
2010
Organization: City of Smederevo (Serbia)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Egg‑Falling Town

1951 Poetry collection

Her first poetry collection, published at age 20; marked by youthful sensibilities and urban perspectives.

YouthUrban lifeExistential themes

Tiger's Play

1960 Poetry collection

A collection marking her reemergence in 1960 with experimental and improvisational tendencies.

RenewalSelf-expressionExperimentation

Seasons of Sacred Lust

1970 Poetry collection

One of her signature works—surreal and erotic poems; introduced overseas through English translation.

DesireCorporealitySurrealism
Translations
  • Seasons of Sacred Lust (English translation)

Sand Tribe

1984 Poetry collection

1980s collection characterized by chains of imagery and bodily/place motifs.

Imagery chainsBodyLandscape

Let Those Who Appear

1996 Poetry collection

A mature work from the 1990s; earned the Takami Jun Prize and the Yomiuri Literature Prize (poetry).

MaturityEncounter with the otherManifestation of being

Poetry Landscapes, Portraits of Poets

2007 Essays / Criticism

An essay collection on poetry and poets; won the Yomiuri Literature Prize (essays/travel) in 2009.

PoeticsWritings on writersMemoir

Bibliography

  • Kazuko Shiraishi: First Poetry Collection 'Egg‑Falling Town' (Kyoritsu Shoten), 1951
  • Tiger's Play (Sedaisha), 1960
  • Don't Come Any Later (Shichosha), 1963
  • Rough Weather Tonight (Shichosha), 1965
  • How to Capture Men (Bunri Shoin), 1967
  • Seasons of Sacred Lust (Shichosha), 1970
  • American Black Journey (Kawade Shobo Shinsha), 1975
  • A Canoe Returning to the Future (Shichosha), 1978
  • The Breeze Blows, Sacred Lust (Shichosha), 1980
  • Sand Tribe (Shoshi Yamada), 1984
  • The Man with Fire Eyes (Shueisha), 1984
  • Let Those Who Appear (Shoshi Yamada), 1996
  • Stories of the Black Sheep: Personal Poetry History (Jinbun Shoin), 1996
  • Floating Mother, the City (Shoshi Yamada), 2003
  • Poetry Landscapes, Portraits of Poets (Shoshi Yamada), 2007

Adaptations

  • Album 'DEDICATED TO THE LATE JOHN COLTRANE' (with Sam Rivers), 1977
  • Album 'Talk To The Spirit From The Spirit!' (with Yoshisaburo Toyozumi et al.), 1999

Translations by Author

  • 'When the Sky Looks Like Lace' (translation of Eleanor L. Horowitz), 1976
  • 'Goodnight' vols.1-3 (translations of Robert Kraus), 1979
  • 'Mirror of Venus' (translation of Françoise Sagan et al.), 1981

Translations of Works

  • 'Seasons of Sacred Lust' (English translation of 聖なる淫者の季節)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Avant‑garde blending modernism and surrealismColloquial, improvisational spoken‑word emphasisRhythmic influences from Beat poets and jazz
Recurring Motifs
Urban landscapesMotherhood and familyAnimalsLove and desireTravel and journeysMusic (especially jazz)

Health

  • Heart failure
    2024-06-14
    Died of heart failure (aged 93)

Legacy

One of postwar Japan's prominent avant‑garde poets. Through international readings, translations, and collaborations with musicians she expanded poetic expression and contributed to the internationalization of Japanese poetry, receiving numerous literary honors.

In Popular Culture

  • Left recordings and live collaborations with jazz musicians, influencing the fusion of music and poetry.
  • Viewed as a pioneer of performance poetry due to readings at international poetry festivals.

Quotes

  • Kenneth Rexroth referred to Shiraishi as 'Japan's Allen Ginsberg.'
    Source: Seasons of Sacred Lust (English edition; preface by Kenneth Rexroth) (1978)

Trivia

  • Born in Vancouver, Canada; returned to Japan at age seven.
  • Legal name: Hishinuma Kazuko.
  • Sister is actress and cooking author Naomi Shiraishi.
  • Was married for a time to film director Masahiro Shinoda.
  • Known for introducing artist Niki de Saint Phalle to Japan.
  • Collaborated with musicians such as Sam Rivers on recordings.