Chōkū Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 15 (1981) award
Toru Maeda
まえだ とおる
Maeda Tōru
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1914-09-16 （Okubo, Toyotama District, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan (now Shinjuku, Tokyo)）
- Died
- 1984-01-13 age 69
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Christianity
- Residence History
- Tokyo (Okubo / Shinjuku) → Seikei University (faculty residence) → Meisei University (faculty residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Tanka poet, University professor, Insurance company employee, Military (army accounting)
- Active Years
- 1935-1984
- Affiliations
- Shika (poetry society/journal), Japan Kajin Club
- Influenced By
- Yūgure Maeda
- Influenced
- Akemi Itsuji, Amari Hayashi, Tetsurō Sayama
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Seikei High School | Humanities (Class B) | — | — | 〜1935 | Japan |
| Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo) | Faculty of Economics | — | 学士 | 1935-1938 | Japan |
| Army Accounting School | — | — | — | 1939-1940 | Japan |
Old Seikei High School
Humanities (Class B)
Period:
〜1935
Year of Graduation:
1935
Country:
Japan
Graduated from old Seikei High School (Humanities Class B)
Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo)
Faculty of Economics
Degree:
学士
Period:
1935-1938
Year of Graduation:
1938
Country:
Japan
Graduated from Faculty of Economics; entered Fusō Kaijō (now Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance)
Army Accounting School
Period:
1939-1940
Year of Graduation:
1940
Country:
Japan
Entered as accounting cadre candidate; graduated and was deployed overseas
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Japan Kajin Club Recommended Anthology (15th) | Enju | — | Japan Kajin Club | 受賞 |
| 1981 | Choko Prize (15th) | Fuyu sude ni sugu (Winter Has Already Passed) | — | Choko Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Japan Kajin Club Recommended Anthology (15th)
1969
Work:
Enju
Organization:
Japan Kajin Club
Result:
受賞
Choko Prize (15th)
1981
Work:
Fuyu sude ni sugu (Winter Has Already Passed)
Organization:
Choko Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Seasons of Drift
1953 TankaFirst collection of tanka poems based on his experiences in East Timor. Noted for its tropical atmosphere and distinctive wartime reflections.
WarTropical motifsDrift/Exile
Fragments
1957 TankaSecond collection gathering fragmentary tanka; notable for its prose-like and fragmentary expressions.
FragmentsMemory
Enju
1968 TankaContains poems that earned the 15th Japan Kajin Club recommendation; characterized by refined technique and introspection.
IntrospectionNature depiction
Winter Has Already Passed
1980 TankaLate-career collection reflecting mature perspectives on seasons and the passage of time. Awarded the Choko Prize.
SeasonsPassage of timeAging
Bibliography
- Seasons of Drift (1953)
- Fragments (1957)
- Enju (1968)
- Ritsu to Sōzō (Criticism, 1970)
- Bronze Sky (1975)
- Islands and Drift (Selected, 1975)
- Appreciation: Naofumi, Kaien, Kuniji (1977)
- Biography: Yūgure Maeda (1979)
- Winter Has Already Passed (1980)
- Timor Notes (1982)
- Heaven's Broom (1982)
- Collected Tanka of Toru Maeda (1984)
- Young Lands (Poetry, co-authored, 2004)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- War-inflected tanka with tropical imageryRefined, introspective tanka style
- Recurring Motifs
- Sea / driftingChanging seasonsMemory and recollection
Health
-
Injury from traffic accident1984-01-11 to 1984-01-13Sustained serious injuries in a traffic accident and died on 1984-01-13
Legacy
Toru Maeda, successor to his father Yūgure Maeda, is known for his unique wartime tanka suffused with tropical atmosphere. He served in academic positions and mentored many disciples.
Academic Societies
- Japan Kajin Club
Archives
- Holdings at the National Diet Library
Trivia
- His father was the tanka poet Yūgure Maeda.
- Buried at Tama Cemetery (Tama Reien).
- Died in a traffic accident in 1984.
- Taught at Seikei University and Meisei University.