Japanese Literary Awards

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Toriko Takarabe

たからべ とりこ

Takarabe Toriko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1933-11-11 （Niigata Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2020-05-14 （Japan） age 87
Nationality
Japanese
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Grew up in Jiamusi (Manchuria, China) → Niigata Prefecture, Japan (returned after repatriation)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Translator, Editor
Active Years
1965-2020
Affiliations
Japan Poets Association, Rekitei (member/contributor)
Memberships
Japan Poets Association, Rekitei (Literary magazine group)
Influenced By
Michizō Tachihara

Awards

Entaku Prize (2nd)
1966
Work: Itsumo Miru Shi (included in 'When I Was a Child')
Organization: Entaku Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Chikyu (Earth) Prize (9th)
1984
Work: Xiyouji
Organization: Chikyu Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Gendai Shi Hanatsubaki Prize (10th)
1992
Work: Nakaniwa Gentouhen (Courtyard Slides)
Organization: Gendai Shi Hanatsubaki Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize (6th)
1998
Work: Uyo no Hito (People of Nothingness)
Organization: Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Shiika Bungakukan Prize (18th)
2003
Work: Monochrome Chronos
Organization: Shiika Bungakukan Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Takami Jun Prize (46th)
2016
Work: Ice Confection and Cantata
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: Winner
Recognition of Distinguished Senior Poet
2017
Organization: Japan Poets Association
Result: Honor/Recognition

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

When I Was a Child

1965 Poetry collection

Early collection of poems reflecting childhood memories and feelings of loss through symbolic imagery.

memorychildhoodloss

Xiyouji

1984 Poetry collection

A representative mid-career work employing symbolic and experimental imagery.

journeymythic imagerytransformation

Courtyard Slides

1992 Poetry collection

A poetry collection depicting time and memory by juxtaposing retrospective views and fragments of daily life.

memorytimeeveryday life

People of Nothingness

1998 Poetry collection

A set of poems on existential emptiness and nihilism. Awarded the Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize.

nihilismexistenceloneliness

Monochrome Chronos

2002 Poetry collection

Contains poems that delve into overlapping perceptions of time and memory.

timememorymonochrome imagery

Ice Confection and Cantata

2015 Poetry collection

A late-career collection characterized by delicate sensibility and musical rhythms.

agingtimevoice and music

Bibliography

  • 'When I Was a Child' (private edition, 1965)
  • 'Corrosion and Freezing' (Chikyu-sha, 1968)
  • 'Words of Love' (Bogan-sha, 1970)
  • 'Flowers and Birds 45' (Shichosha, 1975)
  • 'Xiyouji' (Shichosha, 1984)
  • 'The Man of Drygrass Fungus' (Shichosha, 1986)
  • 'Courtyard Slides' (Shichosha, 1992)
  • 'Ahmed's Rainy Season' (Shichosha, 1994)
  • 'Contemporary Poetry Library 145: Toriko Takarabe Collected Poems' (Shichosha, 1997)
  • 'People of Nothingness' (Shichosha, 1998)
  • 'Monochrome Chronos' (Shichosha, 2002)
  • 'Days of an Aging Woman Poet' (Shoshi Yamada, 2006)
  • 'The Walnut Cracker' (Shoshi Yamada, 2008)
  • 'Ice Confection and Cantata' (Shoshi Yamada, 2015)
  • 'Contemporary Poetry Library: Continued Toriko Takarabe Collected Poems' (Shichosha, 2017)
  • 'Wings of a Year' (with Chen Dongdong, 1996)
  • 'Tianfu, Underworld' (Kodansha, 2005)
  • 'Cat Willow Festival – Saisei's Manchuria' (Shoshi Yamada, 2011)

Translations by Author

  • Chen Dongdong: Selected Short Poems (Artland, 1996)
  • Co-translated 'Contemporary Chinese Poetry: China Mist' (Shichosha, 1996)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Symbolic and lyrical poetic styleImage-focused experimental expressionFusion of musical rhythm and lyricism
Recurring Motifs
memorytimelonelinessnature

Health

  • Pancreatic cancer
    晩年（〜2020年5月）
    Cause of death. Affected her late-life activities and health.

Legacy

One of the prominent postwar female poets in Japan, recognized for her symbolic, experimental poetry and translations of modern Chinese poetry. She served as president of the Japan Poets Association and is acknowledged for her contributions to the poetic community.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Poets Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library (bibliographic/authority records)
  • Shichosha-related archives (works holdings)

Trivia

  • Grew up in Jiamusi (Manchuria) and repatriated to Japan in 1946.
  • Served as president of the Japan Poets Association from 2013 to 2014.
  • Also translated modern Chinese poetry.