was a ''

tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the ''Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short poem ...

'' poet in

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Early life

Yoshino was born in Takasaki city,

Gumma prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima P ...

, as the second son in a family of textile wholesalers. Of weak constitution, he was raised by his grandmother in

Tomioka, Gunma 250px, Nukisaki Shrine is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 57,013 in 20,367 households, and a population density of 390 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is the location of ...

. He enrolled in

Keio University , mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword , type = Private research coeducational higher education institution , established = 1858 , founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa , endowmen ...

's School of Economics, but was forced to quit school when he developed

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

with

hemoptysis Hemoptysis is the coughing up of blood or blood-stained mucus from the bronchi, larynx, trachea, or lungs. In other words, it is the airway bleeding. This can occur with lung cancer, infections such as tuberculosis, bronchitis, or pneumonia, and ...

. He relocated from

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

Kanagawa prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

in 1924, due to its reputation as a healthful environment for people with lung conditions. While recuperating, he became familiar with the verses of

Masaoka Shiki , pen-name of Masaoka Noboru (正岡升), was a Japanese poet, author, and literary critic in Meiji period Japan. Shiki is regarded as a major figure in the development of modern haiku poetry, credited with writing nearly 20,000 stanzas during ...

and

Itō Sachio was the pen-name of , a Japanese ''tanka'' poet and novelist active during the Meiji period of Japan. Biography Itō was born in what is now Sanmu city, Chiba prefecture, as the younger son to a farming family. He attended the ''Meiji Hōritsu ...

, two poets in the ''

Araragi ''Araragi'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. It is a small East Asian hairstreak genus. The larvae feed on ''Juglans'' (walnut) species. Species *'' Araragi enthea'' (Janson, 1877) *'' Araragi sugiyamai'' Matsui, 1989 *'' Ar ...

'' ''tanka'' group, and he began to compose verses himself. He was also attracted to the works of

Aizu Yaichi was a Japanese poet, calligrapher and historian. Biography Yaichi was born in the Furumachi area of Niigata, Niigata, and was a professor emeritus of ancient Chinese and Japanese art at Waseda University. His focus was mostly on Buddhist art of ...

and eventually became his pupil. In 1926, he married Hatsu Kuribayashi. However, his health condition steadily worsened in 1926 and 1927, deteriorating from

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

dyspnea Shortness of breath (SOB), also medically known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathing, breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of brea ...

, and with the development of painful

anal fistula Anal fistula is a chronic abnormal communication between the epithelialised surface of the anal canal and usually the perianal skin. An anal fistula can be described as a narrow tunnel with its internal opening in the anal canal and its externa ...

which required surgery.

Literary career

In 1926 Yoshino financed the publication of his own first poetry anthology, ''Tenjō gishi''. He also participated in the literary coterie centered on the

literary journal A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters ...

''Kawa'' ("River"), to which he contributed monthly from 1928. Yoshino developed

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1929, and was for a time on the critical list and not expected to live. However, after the birth of his son that summer, he recovered. The following year, he travelled to

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

and

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

to attend ceremonies centered on the 19th century

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

priest-poet,

Ryōkan (1758 – 6 January 1831) was a quiet and unconventional Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life. He is also known by the name ...

, whose tight, succinct style he attempted to emulate. Yoshino returned to Kamakura in 1931, and devoted his studies to folklore, ancient literature and languages, self-publishing a monthly magazine, ''Yoshino Fuji Monthly'', and holding monthly poetry meetings. He developed a unique style of ''tanka'' that was independent of the mainstream ''Araragi''. He also was inspired by the ancient classic from

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanes ...

, the ''

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

.'' However, most of his works did not appear in print until after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Yoshino divorced during World War II, and remarried after the end of the war to the widow of poet Jūkichi Yagi. In the immediate post-war period, Yoshino was an instructor at the

Kamakura Academy is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kama ...

, and made a lecture tour together with Masao Kume and Masajirō Kojima to Niigata. He won the

Yomiuri Literary Prize The is a literary award in Japan. The prize was founded in 1949 by the Yomiuri Shinbun Company to help form a "strong cultural nation". The winner is awarded two million Japanese yen and an inkstone. Award categories For the first two years, ...

in 1958 for his anthology, ''Yoshino Hideo kashū''. In the 1960s, Yoshino was known for his studies on Ryōkan. His anthologies include ''Seiin shū'' ("The Clear and Cloudy Collection", 1967) and ''Kansen shū'' ("The Autumn Cicada Collection", 1974).Yoshino also wrote a number of essays, including ''Yawarakana Kokoro'' ("Soft heart") and ''Korokono Furusato'' ("Home is the heart"). Suffering from ill health all of his life, Yoshino added

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

to his ailments before his death in 1967. His grave is at the temple of

Zuisen-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai sect in Nikaidō's in Kamakura, Japan.Kamiya (2008:98-102) During the Muromachi period it was the family temple of the Ashikaga rulers of Kamakura (the ''Kantō kubō''): four of the five ''kubō'' are burie ...

in Kamakura.

External links

* Abe, Ryuichi. ''Great Fool: Zen Master Ryōkan : Poems, Letters, and Other Writings''. University of Hawaii Press (1996).

Early life

Literary career

External links

See also