Japanese Literary Awards

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Hiroshi Yoshikawa

よしかわ ひろし

Yoshikawa Hiroshi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1969-01-15 （Tōgō, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tōgō, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan → Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

Career

Occupations
tanka poet, magazine editor (tanka), poetry selector
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Tō Tankakai (Tou Tanka-kai)
Memberships
Tō Tankakai (Tou Tanka-kai)
Influenced By
Kazuhiro Nagata, Sumiyuki Shigaki

Education

Miyazaki Prefectural Miyazaki Ōmiya High School
Country: Japan
Kyoto University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese Literature
Country: Japan
Participated in the revival of the Kyoto University Tanka Society during university

Awards

Kadan Prize
1990
Work: Nagisa, Yūnagi
Organization: Kadan Prize Committee
Result: finalist
Gendai Tanka Criticism Prize
1994
Work: Changes in Human Relations Surrounding Pregnancy and Childbirth — Focusing on Male Tanka Poets
Organization: Gendai Tanka Criticism Prize Committee
Result: winner
Modern Tanka Poets Association Award
1996
Work: Aosemi
Organization: Modern Tanka Poets Association
Result: winner
Nagarami Contemporary Tanka Prize
2001
Work: Yako (Night Light)
Organization: Nagarami Prize Committee
Result: winner
Tanka Kenkyu Prize
2005
Work: Death and Salt
Organization: Tanka Kenkyu-sha
Result: winner
Terayama Shuji Tanka Prize
2006
Work: Kaiu
Organization: Terayama Shuji Prize Committee
Result: winner
Yamamoto Kenkichi Literary Prize
2006
Work: Kaiu
Organization: Yamamoto Kenkichi Prize Committee
Result: winner
Oda Sakunosuke Prize (finalist)
2008
Work: Landscape and Sensation
Organization: Oda Sakunosuke Prize Committee
Result: finalist
Maekawa Samio Prize
2013
Work: Oats
Organization: Maekawa Samio Prize Committee
Result: winner
Wakayama Bokusui Prize
2016
Work: What the Bird Saw
Organization: Wakayama Bokusui Prize Committee
Result: winner
Ono City Poetry and Literature Prize
2017
Work: What the Bird Saw
Organization: Ono City Poetry Prize Committee
Result: winner
Art Encouragement (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award)
2020
Work: Ishirenka
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: winner
Saitō Mokichi Tanka Literature Prize
2020
Work: Ishirenka
Organization: Saitō Mokichi Prize Committee
Result: winner
Chōkū Prize
2024
Work: The Coincidence of Snow
Organization: Chōkū Prize Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Aosemi

1995 Tanka collection

An early representative collection mixing personal scenes with contemporary sensibilities in tanka.

natureeveryday lifepersonal reminiscence

Yako (Night Light)

2000 Tanka collection

A collection centered on poems about night and light.

nightlightsolitude

Kaiu

2005 Tanka collection

A collection themed on sea and rain, characterized by symbolic natural imagery.

searainviews of nature

Hikibune

2006 Tanka collection

A mid-period collection emphasizing restrained language and imagery.

journeymemoryrestrained emotion

Saigyō's Lungs

2009 Tanka collection

Includes motifs related to the historical poet Saigyō; explores literary lineage.

literary inheritancehistorical imagery

Oats

2012 Tanka collection

A collection interweaving nature and everyday life.

naturedaily life

What the Bird Saw

2016 Tanka collection

Poems exploring shifts of perspective and relations with others.

perspectiveothernesslife and death

Ishirenka

2019 Tanka collection

A mature collection layering nature imagery with personal memory.

memorynaturematurity

The Coincidence of Snow

2023 Tanka collection

A recent collection featuring delicate observation and chance encounters.

chancenatureeveryday life

Bibliography

  • Aosemi
  • Yako (Night Light)
  • Selection: Works of Hiroshi Yoshikawa
  • Kaiu
  • Hikibune
  • Saigyō's Lungs
  • Oats
  • What the Bird Saw
  • Ishirenka
  • The Coincidence of Snow

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Observational, restrained tanka style combined with critical essays
Recurring Motifs
naturedeathfamilyjourneymemory

Legacy

Regarded as a leading contemporary tanka poet. Influential both as a creator and critic, he has contributed to the tanka community through nurturing younger poets and leading a tanka magazine.

Academic Societies

  • Modern Tanka Poets Association (Gendai Kajin Kyokai)

Trivia

  • His wife is tanka poet Yasuko Maeda.
  • His son is film director Ayuta Yoshikawa.