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Shigeo Washizu

わしす しげお

Washizu Shigeo

Pen Names: Fugun（Pen name used for Chinese-style poetry）, Danil Vasilievsky（Poetic persona derived from his baptismal name, used in his epic-style series）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1915-01-07 （Hanasaki-cho, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan）
Died
1982-07-27 （Omiya (now part of Saitama), Saitama, Japan (hospital)） age 67
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Eastern Orthodox (Greek Orthodox) （Baptismal Name: Danil）
Residence History
Yokohama, Kanagawa (birth and early years) → Sapporo (postwar period until early 1970s) → Yono, Saitama Prefecture (from 1971) → Omiya (now part of Saitama), Saitama (later years)

Career

Occupations
poet, critic, religious critic, proofreader
Active Years
1930-1982
Influenced By
Saint-John Perse, Charles Baudelaire, Akio Tomizawa, Tetsuzo Wada

Education

Yokohama Commercial School (now Yokohama Municipal Yokohama Commercial High School)
Period: 1927–1934 (school years; approximate)
Year of Graduation: 1933
Country: Japan
Studied classical Chinese poetry and other poetic forms while enrolled
Kokugakuin University
Period: 入学・在籍時期不詳
Country: Japan
Studied under Norio Orikuchi's circle; exact enrollment/graduation details unknown

Awards

Rekitei Prize (10th)
1971
Work: Collected Poems of Shigeo Washizu (Definitive Edition)
Organization: Rekitei (literary circle/publication)
Result: winner
Takami Jun Prize (12th)
1982
Work: Song of Deeds: Daniel's Revelation, Book III
Organization: Takami Jun Prize Committee
Result: winner
H Prize (nominee)
1966
Work: Journey to the End of Night: Book I of Danil Vasilievsky's Writings
Organization: unknown
Result: nominated

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Collected Poems of Shigeo Washizu (Definitive Edition)

1971 Poetry collection

A definitive large-volume collection combining previously published poetry with unpublished works and essays; a comprehensive edition of his poetry.

religiositytransformationepic-mode narration

Song of Deeds: Daniel's Revelation, Book III

1981 Poetry

One of his late representative works, a series of poems using religious and symbolic motifs.

Christian mythrevelationritual

Akuin

1950 Poetry

First poetry collection, published by the North Poetry Society; contains works from the immediate postwar period.

postwar experiencenaturesolitude

Bibliography

  • Haiku collection 'Rekijitsu', Azumaya Group, 1939
  • 'Akuin', Hokuhō Shiwakai, 1950
  • 'The Banner of Descendants', Sarorun Shobō, 1951
  • 'Under the Eyes of the Barbarians', Sarorun Shobō, 1954
  • 'Metamorphosis', Japan Futurists, 1957
  • Collected Poems of Shigeo Washizu (Definitive Edition), Kokubunsha, 1971
  • Shigeo Washizu Poetry Collection, Shichōsha, 1972
  • 'Book of Memory: Writings of Danil Vasilievsky, Vol. IV', Shichōsha, 1975
  • 'Lamentations: Daniel's Revelation Book I', Shoji Ringo-ya, 1976
  • 'Song of Spiritual Wisdom: Daniel's Revelation Book II', Shichōsha, 1978
  • 'Song of Deeds: Daniel's Revelation Book III', Ozawa Shoten, 1981
  • Haiku collection 'Sekitai: Washizu Shigeo Old Haiku', Kokubunsha, 1981
  • 'Madness and the Lyre', Ozawa Shoten, 1976
  • 'Gods by the Roadside', Meisōsha, 1976
  • Translation (co-translation) 'The Rose and the Cross' by Alexander Blok, Shoji Ringo-ya, 1979

Style & Themes

Literary Style
epic-longform poetrymetaphysical versesymbolist expression
Recurring Motifs
religious / Christian motifsrevelation and transformationclassical and Eastern icon imagery

Health

  • malaria
    1939年頃（復員後〜その後の再召集時期）
    Hospitalization and ill health influenced his departure from farming and subsequent employment changes

Legacy

An important figure in postwar Japanese poetry for his religiosity and epic-style expression. Influenced by Eastern Orthodox Christianity, he is recognized for a distinctive worldview and poetic theory; his collected works and late poetry prompted critical reevaluation.

Museums

  • Saitama City Museum (formerly Omiya City Museum) Saitama City, Saitama, Japan Opened in 2000

Academic Societies

  • Japan Contemporary Poets Association

Archives

  • Saitama City Museum (hosted exhibitions and holds related materials)

Trivia

  • Born into a family of Eastern Orthodox Christians; his baptismal name was 'Danil'.
  • Served as a radio operator during the wars and composed Chinese-style poetry relying on prosody.
  • Won the Rekitei Prize for his definitive collected poems one year before retirement.
  • 'Song of Deeds' won the 12th Takami Jun Prize; he collapsed and died in the same year.