Japanese Literary Awards

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Matsuo Watanabe

わたなべ まつお

Watanabe Matsuo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1955-05-13 （Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Tanka poet, Poet (tanka)
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Tanka society Karin (Karin no Kai), Jomo Shimbun tanka selector (1999–2010)
Influenced By
Akiko Baba, Tadashi Iwata

Education

Gunma Prefectural Maebashi High School
Country: Japan
University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of Literature
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Faculty of Letters (year not specified)

Awards

Karin Prize
1992
Work: Chika ni Kaeseri (30 tanka)
Organization: Karin Tanka Society
Result: 受賞
Kadan Prize
1995
Work: Mayuge wa Ugoku (30 tanka)
Organization: Kadan
Result: 受賞
Modern Tanka Poets Association Prize
1998
Work: Tanka collection 'Kanki Hanran'
Organization: Modern Tanka Poets Association
Result: 受賞
Nagarami Modern Tanka Prize
2000
Work: Tanka collection 'Awa Uchuu no Kaeru'
Organization: Nagarami Modern Tanka Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Terayama Shūji Tanka Award
2003
Work: Tanka collection 'Aruku Butsuzō'
Organization: Terayama Shūji Memorial Committee
Result: 受賞
Choko Prize
2012
Work: Tanka collection 'Chō (Butterfly)'
Organization: Choko Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
2023
Work: Tanka collection 'Makino Botanical Garden'
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / MEXT
Result: 受賞
Tanka Kenkyu Prize
2023
Work: Work 'Tokicha Suzumecha Tobicha' (28 tanka)
Organization: Tanka Kenkyu (Research) Society
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kanki Hanran

1997 Tanka collection

A collection of tanka characterized by colloquial language and onomatopoeia, expressing a distinctive view of nature.

naturelife and deatheveryday life

Awa Uchuu no Kaeru

1999 Tanka collection

Contains tanka that combine images such as bubbles and the universe, often highly symbolic.

cosmossymbolismlife

Aruku Butsuzō

2002 Tanka collection

A group of tanka that depict the equivalence of humans and living creatures through images of Buddhist statues and walking.

Buddhist imagerywalkingliving beingsequivalence

Keyaki Shōnen

2004 Tanka collection

Explores memory and time through images of boys and trees.

memorytimegrowth

Vacant Room

2007 Tanka collection

Includes tanka themed on emptiness and vacant spaces.

spaceloss

The Pig in the Bicycle Basket

2010 Tanka collection

A set of tanka that weave everyday strangeness with humor.

everyday lifehumorstrangeness

Butterfly

2011 Tanka collection

Depicts fragility and transformation through butterfly imagery. Awarded the Choko Prize in 2012.

transformationfragilitynature

Meteorite

2013 Haiku collection

A haiku collection expressing views of nature in a form distinct from tanka.

naturecelestial bodies

Kinagetsu no Sakana

2014 Tanka collection

Expands a worldview by layering images of fish and waterside scenes.

waterfishworldview

Tanka collection 'Furu (Rain)'

2016 Tanka collection

A collection that serially depicts images and inner scenes related to rain.

rainmental imagery

Makino Botanical Garden

2022 Tanka collection

A series of tanka centered on a botanical garden. Received the Art Encouragement Prize (MEXT) in 2023.

plantsgardensobservation

The Snail of the God of Time

2023 Tanka collection

A recent work (2023) treating motifs evoking time and mythology.

timemythsymbolism

Bibliography

  • Kanki Hanran
  • Awa Uchuu no Kaeru
  • Aruku Butsuzō
  • Keyaki Shōnen
  • Vacant Room
  • The Pig in the Bicycle Basket
  • Butterfly
  • Meteorite
  • Kinagetsu no Sakana
  • Tanka collection 'Furu (Rain)'
  • Makino Botanical Garden
  • The Snail of the God of Time

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Gentle colloquial styleFrequent use of onomatopoeiaDepictions that connect everyday life and nature
Recurring Motifs
Nature (equivalence of humans and other living beings)Butterflies, insects, waterside imageryTime and memory

Health

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
    2010-present
    Battling ALS since 2010. The illness has affected daily life and creation, but publication activity has continued.

Legacy

An important contemporary tanka poet known for a distinctive view of nature using colloquial language and onomatopoeia. He has received multiple major awards and is a prominent figure in the tanka community based in Gunma.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings)
  • VIAF (authority record)

Trivia

  • Born in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture.
  • Served as a tanka selector for the Jomo Shimbun from 1999 to 2010.
  • Has been battling ALS since 2010.