Japanese Literary Awards

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Sueo Kira

きら すえお

Kira Sueo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1940-03-28 （Isshiki, Hazu District, Aichi Prefecture (now Nishio, Aichi), Japan）
Died
2008-10-06 age 68
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Japanese literature scholar, University professor, Researcher
Active Years
1964-2008
Affiliations
Aichi Shukutoku Junior College, Osaka Jogakuin University, Waseda University
Influenced By
Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson
Influenced

Education

Waseda University
Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences / Department of Japanese Literature
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1960s
Year of Graduation: 1964
Country: Japan
Waseda University
Graduate School / Doctoral program (licentiate by dissertation)
Degree: 文学博士（論文博士）
Period: 〜1986
Year of Graduation: 1986
Country: Japan
Awarded PhD (by dissertation) for thesis 'Studies on the Genroku Kyoto Haikai Circle' (1986)

Awards

Kubota Ubu Prize
1972
Result: winner
Arts Festival Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1985
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Studies on the Genroku Kyoto Haikai Circle

1985 Scholarly research

A scholarly study analyzing the haikai circle in Kyoto during the Genroku period based on primary sources.

Early modern haikaiGenroku culturePrimary-source research

On Haibooks

1989 Research / Commentary

A book explaining haibooks (printed works related to haikai).

Printing and publishing historyHaikai materials

Birds to the Clouds: A Stroll through Early Modern Haijin Calligraphy and Painting

1995 Criticism / Illustrated

Essays and illustrations exploring haikai culture through early modern haijin calligraphy and paintings.

Haiga (haiku painting)Letters and manuscriptsCultural history

Basho's Solitude, Buson's Freedom: Singular Thought and Diverse Representations

2005 Literary criticism

Comparative essays on Matsuo Basho and Yosa Buson, examining their representations and thought.

Comparative studies of haijinRepresentation theory

Bibliography

  • Studies on the Genroku Kyoto Haikai Circle
  • On Haibooks
  • Kusa no Chō (private edition)
  • Birds to the Clouds: A Stroll through Early Modern Haijin Calligraphy and Painting
  • The World of Haibooks
  • Continued Notes on Old Haibooks
  • Voice of the Owl: A Stroll through Early Modern Haijin Tansaku
  • In the Time of the Nightingale: A Stroll through Early Modern Haijin Tansaku
  • Basho's Solitude, Buson's Freedom: Singular Thought and Diverse Representations
  • The World of Edo Books: Tracing the Unei Collection (revised by Katsuaki Sato)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly, source-centered analysisEmphasis on detailed annotations and primary-source exegesis
Recurring Motifs
Early modern haikaiHaibooks and editionsHaijin letters and paintings

Health

  • Acute myelogenous leukemia
    2008
    Died of acute myelogenous leukemia

Legacy

A leading scholar of haikai who collected and catalogued numerous primary sources; his collection was deposited at Waseda University Library as the 'Unei Collection'. He is recognized for leaving foundational materials for early modern haikai studies.

Museums

  • Unei Collection (Waseda University Library) Waseda University Library

Academic Societies

  • Association for Early Modern Literary Studies and Criticism

Archives

  • Waseda University Library — Unei Collection

Trivia

  • In 1986 he received a PhD (by dissertation) from Waseda University for 'Studies on the Genroku Kyoto Haikai Circle'.
  • After his death, his collection of haikai-related materials was deposited at Waseda University Library as the 'Unei Collection'.