Japanese Literary Awards

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Tomiko Dodo

どど とみこ

Dodo Tomiko

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1929-08-04 （Osaka）
Died
2019-06-28 age 89
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Osaka → Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, elementary school teacher
Active Years
1951-2019
Affiliations
Tanka-jin (magazine), Genkei (journal; participated as committee member), Naka no Kai (regional poets' group)
Influenced By
Fumi Saitō
Influenced
Takashi Okai, Takeru Kasugai

Awards

Modern Tanka Poets Assembly Prize
1981
Work: Tanka Collection: Sōmaiki
Organization: Modern Tanka Poets Assembly
Result: winner
Kuzuhara Taeko Prize
2013
Work: Tanka Collection: Natsu no Tsuji (Summer Crossroads)
Organization: Kuzuhara Taeko Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Blind Carousel

1962 tanka collection

Early collection featuring fantastical and symbolic imagery.

fantasysymbolism

Soar

1969 tanka collection (self-published)

Self-published collection blending personal sensibility with natural description.

naturepersonal emotion

Tani-kami (Valley God)

1976 tanka collection

Collection from her regional period; intertwines local character with fantastical elements.

sense of placefantasy

Sōmaiki

1981 tanka collection

One of her representative works showing a clear fantastical bent; won the Modern Tanka Poets Assembly Prize in 1981.

fantasybirds

Tengu (Longhorn Beetle)

1989 tanka collection

Collection containing delicate poems depicting nature and creatures.

naturecreatures

Seven Lanterns

1996 tanka collection

Mid-period collection noted for its tranquility and meditative perspective.

tranquilitymeditation

Large Fan

2001 tanka collection

Work from her mature period showing refinement of form and imagery.

formal beautynatural imagery

Tomiko Dodo: Fūtaku (Wind Bell)

2005 tanka collection

Collection notable for its imagery of wind and sound.

windsound

Tomiko Dodo: Kumo no Ne (Roots of Clouds)

2008 tanka collection

Collection of works from the early 21st century exploring intersections of fantasy and everyday life.

fantasyeveryday life

Tomiko Dodo: Natsu no Tsuji (Summer Crossroads)

2013 tanka collection

Published in 2013; winner of the Kuzuhara Taeko Prize, featuring mature-perspective tanka.

maturityseasonality

Tomiko Dodo: Araki Nogiku (Wilderness Wild Chrysanthemum)

2020 tanka collection (posthumous/collected poems)

Posthumous collection including farewell poems; published after her death.

memoriallate period

Bibliography

  • Blind Carousel (Fudō Kōbō, 1962)
  • Soar (self-published, 1969)
  • Tani-kami (Kokubunsha, 1976)
  • Sōmaiki (Sunagoya Shobō, 1981)
  • Tengu (Sunagoya Shobō, 1989)
  • Seven Lanterns (Sunagoya Shobō, 1996)
  • Large Fan (Sunagoya Shobō, 2001)
  • Fūtaku (Sunagoya Shobō, 2005)
  • Kumo no Ne (Kadokawa Shoten, 2008)
  • Natsu no Tsuji (Sunagoya Shobō, 2013)
  • Araki Nogiku (Sunagoya Shobō, 2020; posthumous)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
fantastical bentlyrical and symbolic expression
Recurring Motifs
birdswindnature

Health

  • pneumonia
    2019年（晩年）
    Died of pneumonia on 2019-06-28

Legacy

Known for her fantastical imagery and frequent use of bird motifs, she contributed to fostering younger tanka poets regionally. She won the Modern Tanka Poets Assembly Prize and the Kuzuhara Taeko Prize and was affectionately called 'the poet of birds.'

Trivia

  • She was sometimes called "the poet of birds."
  • She continued writing tanka while working as an elementary school teacher.