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Takeyama Hiroshi

たけやま ひろし

Takeyama Hiroshi

Pen Names: Takeyama Hiroshi（Used as a pen name in modern kanji）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1920-02-29 （Minamitabira Village, Kitamatsura District, Nagasaki Prefecture (now Tabira, Hirado)）
Died
2010-03-30 （Togitsu, Nishisonogi District, Nagasaki Prefecture） age 90
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Household with hidden Christian background (Christianity)

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, printing business owner
Active Years
1981-2010
Influenced By
Akinori Baba

Education

Kaisei Middle School (old system)
Period: 卒業 1939年
Year of Graduation: 1939
Country: Japan
Graduated from the old-system Kaisei Middle School; subsequently worked at the Nagasaki branch of the Fukuoka Monopoly Bureau

Awards

Nagasaki Prefecture Literature Prize
1981
Work: Everlasting River (Tōkoshie no Kawa)
Organization: Nagasaki Prefecture
Result: 受賞
Nagarami Contemporary Tanka Prize
1996
Work: A Single Chair
Organization: Nagarami Contemporary Tanka Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Saito Mokichi Tanka Literature Award
2002
Work: Complete Tanka Collection of Takeyama Hiroshi
Organization: Saito Mokichi Tanka Literature Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Poetry and Poetics Museum Prize
2002
Work: Complete Tanka Collection of Takeyama Hiroshi
Organization: Poetry and Poetics Museum
Result: 受賞
Choko (Choko) Prize
2002
Work: Shato (Shooting Prayer)
Organization: Choko Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Nagasaki Shimbun Cultural Award
2002
Work: Complete Tanka Collection of Takeyama Hiroshi
Organization: Nagasaki Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Modern Tanka Grand Prize
2009
Work: May I Sleep?
Organization: Modern Tanka Grand Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Everlasting River

1981 tanka

First collection (debut). A late debut collection containing tanka reflecting hibakusha experience and everyday life.

hibakusha experienceeveryday lifenature
Translations
  • English translation 'Everlasting River' translated by Fumi Yuki, 2008

Hill of Cherry-Leaf Blossoms

1986 tanka

Second collection emphasizing nature poems and poems about daily life.

naturedaily life

Aftersound

1990 tanka

Third collection including poems deriving from his hibakusha experience.

atomic bombingremembrance

A Single Chair

1995 tanka

Fourth collection combining formal nature poems and hibakusha poems; highly regarded.

naturehibakusha experiencesolitude

Thousand Days, Thousand Nights

1999 tanka

Fifth collection covering a wide range of subjects during his mid-period.

timememory

Complete Tanka Collection of Takeyama Hiroshi

2001 tanka

Comprehensive collection that compiles his works and led to multiple awards.

hibakusha experiencenaturesocial commentary

Shato (Shooting Prayer)

2001 tanka

Sixth collection (included in the complete collection) highly praised and awarded the Choko Prize.

prayerhibakusha experience

Kanen (Distant Years)

2004 tanka

Seventh collection showing a mature poetic voice.

maturityreminiscence

Sky of Sky

2007 tanka

Eighth collection with reflections on nature and philosophical thought.

naturephilosophy

May I Sleep?

2008 tanka

Ninth collection including socially engaged poems criticizing public remarks by Shōsei Kuman; winner of the Modern Tanka Grand Prize.

social commentaryhibakusha experiencejustice

World of Earth

2010 tanka

Tenth collection published posthumously including works considered part of his late oeuvre.

life and deathearth

Bibliography

  • Everlasting River (1981)
  • Hill of Cherry-Leaf Blossoms (1986)
  • Aftersound (1990)
  • A Single Chair (1995)
  • Thousand Days, Thousand Nights (1999)
  • Complete Tanka Collection of Takeyama Hiroshi (2001)
  • Shato (2001)
  • Kanen (2004)
  • Sky of Sky (2007)
  • May I Sleep? (2008)
  • World of Earth (2010)

Adaptations

  • Choral pieces created based on his tanka

Translations of Works

  • English translation 'Everlasting River' translated by Fumi Yuki, 2008

Style & Themes

Literary Style
elevated nature poetrysocial commentaryhumorous everyday poemshibakusha poetry (based on atomic-bombing experiences)
Recurring Motifs
atomic bombingnaturefamilyeveryday scenesprayer

Health

  • pulmonary tuberculosis
    1945年（発病・入院）
    Suffered pulmonary tuberculosis and hemoptysis in 1945 and was hospitalized. He was hospitalized at the time of the Nagasaki bombing and survived with relatively light injuries; the experience affected his later life and work.
  • pulmonary disease (late-life)
    2010年（死因）
    Died of pulmonary disease in 2010. Respiratory decline in old age contributed to his death.

Legacy

Recognized as a leading hibakusha tanka poet from Nagasaki while also distinguished for nature poems, everyday verse, and social commentary. Despite a late debut he won multiple major awards and contributed to preserving and articulating atomic-bombing experiences from a regional base.

Archives

  • Materials held in the National Diet Library and other repositories

In Popular Culture

  • Choral arrangements and performances based on his tanka

Quotes

  • Having placed everything I wished for and left, the time drew near — may I sleep?
    Source: 'May I Sleep?' (2008), title poem (2008)
  • Beneath the collapsed stone wall five fingers spread — boy, is it something to say 'it can't be helped'?
    Source: 'May I Sleep?' (2008) — a poem criticizing Shōsei Kumma's remark (2008)

Trivia

  • He was a late-blooming poet who published his first collection at age 61.
  • Born into a family with hidden Christian (Kakure Kirishitan) background.
  • 'Everlasting River', an English translation of his works, was published in 2008.