was a

Japanese poet Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written in t ...

. Well known as both 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 ...

and or poet, he began as a member of the Myōjō group of naturalist poets but later joined the "socialistic" group of Japanese poets and renounced naturalism. He died of

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, ...

Major works

His major works were two volumes of

poems plus his diaries: * Akogare (あこがれ) 1905 * Ichiaku no Suna (一握の砂) (A Handful of Sand) 1910 * Kanashiki gangu (悲しき玩具) (Sad Toys) published posthumously in 1912

Diaries

Ishikawa wrote some of his diaries in the

Latin script The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern ...

transliteration of Japanese so that his wife could not read them.

Timeline

* 1886 - Born at Joko Temple, Hinoto-mura (presently named Hinoto, Tamayama-mura), Minami-Iwate-gun,

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectu ...

, to Ittei, the father, who was the priest of the temple, and Katsu, his mother. * 1887 - Moved to Shibutami-mura (presently named Shibutami, Tamayama-mura) * 1891 - Attended Shibutami Elementary School (4 years) * 1895 - Attended Morioka Upper Elementary School (2 years) * 1898 - Attended Morioka Middle School * 1899 - Published a literary booklet "Choji-kai", printed by hand using a method called

hectograph The hectograph, gelatin duplicator or jellygraph is a printing process that involves transfer of an original, prepared with special inks, to a pan of gelatin or a gelatin pad pulled tight on a metal frame. While the original use of the technolo ...

* 1900 - Formed a self-study group, "Union Club", to learn English. First and second issues of "Choji Magazine" were published. Fell in love with Setsuko Horiai, a student at Morioka Girls’ Middle School. * 1901 - Published the third issue of "Mikazuki" (crescent moon), a magazine for circulating, and the first issue of "Nigitama". His tankas appeared on

Iwate Nippo is a Japanese regional daily newspaper published mainly in Iwate prefecture. The company is based in Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an est ...

(newspaper) under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of "Suiko", the first public appearance of his works. * 1902 - His tankas appeared in "Myōjō", a literary magazine, under the pen name of "Hakuhin". Dropped out of Morioka Middle School because of his aspiration for literature. Went to Tokyo and made the acquaintances of

Tekkan The , also known as ''tetsu-ken'' or , is a Japanese weapon that was used during the Edo period until the beginning of the 20th century. It was an iron truncheon; it could closely resemble a wakizashi-sized sword with a blunt iron blade, or it c ...

and

Akiko Yosano Yosano Akiko (Shinjitai: , seiji: ; 7 December 1878 – 29 May 1942) was the pen-name of a Japanese author, poet, pioneering feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji era as well as the Taishō and early Shōwa eras of ...

. * 1903 - Went home to Shibutami. Serial articles "Ideas of Wagner" appeared in Iwate Nippo. Poem "Shucho" (sorrowful melodies) appeared in "Myōjō". The pen name of "Takuboku" was used for the first time. In November, he joined the circle of poets "Shinshisha". * 1904 - Serial articles "Senun Yoroku" (personal memorandum of war time) appeared in Iwate Nippo. This was right after the outbreak of the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

. * 1905 - The first collection of poems "Akogare" (admiration) was published by Odajima Shobo. Married Setsuko Horiai. Published the literary magazine "Sho-Tenchi" (small world). * 1906 - Became a substitute teacher at Shibutami Upper Elementary School. Wrote the novel "Kumo wa Tensai dearu" (the clouds are geniuses), which was never published during his lifetime. His novel "Soretsu" (funeral procession) appeared in the literary magazine "Myōjō" (December issue of 1906). * 1907 - Became a substitute teacher at Hakodate Yayoi Elementary School, and a freelance reporter at Hakodate Nichinichi Shinbun (newspaper). There at the Hakodate Yayoi Elementary School, he met Chieko Tachibana, and he was instantly awestruck by her beauty. Although Takuboku only encountered Chieko in person twice, she left a lasting impression on him, and 22 of the tanka written in "Wasuregataki-Hitobito" in "Ichiaku-no-Suna" were written about Chieko Tachibana. Later despite efforts to visit Chieko in her home in Sapporo, to pursue courtship, he had learned from her father that she had recently married. Because of the great fire in Hakodate, he lost both jobs and left Hakodate. Employed at places like Hokumon Shinpo or Otaru Nippo (publishers of news paper) * 1908 - Employed at Kushiro Shinbun (news paper), wrote "Benifude-dayori". Moved to Hongo,

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 37.46 ...

in spring. * 1909 - Employed at

Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition a ...

as a proof reader. Issued literary magazine "

Subaru ( or ; ) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the twenty-first largest automaker by production worldwide in 2017. Subaru cars are ...

" as a publisher. * 1910 - First collection of tankas "Ichiaku-no-Suna" (a fistful of sand) was published by Shinonome-do Shoten. * 1911 - Moved to

Koishikawa is a district of Bunkyo, Tokyo. It consists of five sub-areas, . In Koishikawa are located two well regarded gardens: the Koishikawa Botanical Garden (operated by the University of Tokyo) in Hakusan, and the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden in Kō ...

because of health reasons. * 1912 - In March, his mother Katsu died. He himself died of tuberculosis on April 13, being looked after by his friend Bokusui Wakayama and his wife Setsuko, at the age of 26. After his death, his second collection of tankas "Kanashiki Gangu" (Sad Toys) was published by Shinonome-do Shoten. * 1926 - In August, his grave was erected by both Miyazaki Ikuu, his brother-in-law, who was also a poet, and Okada Kenzo, the chief of Hakodate Library. * 1988 - The main-belt asteroid

4672 Takuboku 4672 Takuboku, provisional designation , is a background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 17 April 1988, by Japanese astronomers Seiji Ueda and Hiroshi Kaneda at the Kushiro Ob ...

(1988 HB) is named in his honor.

In popular culture

A fictionalised Ishikawa appears in the anime ''

Woodpecker Detective's Office is a 1999 Japanese mystery novel written by Kei Ii. An anime television series adaptation by Liden Films aired between April and June 2020. Setting The novel is set in the Meiji era, and follows fictionalized versions of the poet Takuboku Is ...

.'' Ishikawa is summoned as a Pseudo-Servant in the body of Makidera Kaede in the '' Fate/Grand Order'' X Himuro's World

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

episode. Ishikawa also appears in ''

Golden Kamuy is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Satoru Noda. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from August 2014 to April 2022, with its chapters collected in thirty-one ''tankōbon'' volumes. The s ...

'', as an ally of

Hijikata Toshizō was a Japanese warrior. As of the ''Shinsengumi'', he resisted the Meiji Restoration and fought to his end. Background was born on May 31, 1835, in the Ishida village, Tama region of Musashi Province (present day Ishida, Hino, Tokyo), Ja ...

References

*Ishikawa Takuboku, ''On Knowing Oneself Too Well'', translated by Tamae K. Prindle, Syllabic Press, © 2010. *Ishikawa Takuboku, ''Romaji Diary and Sad Toys'', translated by Sanford Goldstein and Seishi Shinoda. Rutland, Charles E. Tuttle Co. 1985. *Ishikawa Takuboku, ''Takuboku: Poems to Eat'', translated by Carl Sesar, Tokyo. Kodansha International, 1966. * Ueda, Makoto, ''Modern Japanese Poets and the Nature of Literature'', Stanford University Press © 1983 shikawa Takuboku is one of the eight poets profiled in the book, with forty two pages devoted to him. There are nine "free-style" poems and thirty one tanka included in the commentary.

External links

e-texts of Ishikawa Takuboku's works
at

Aozora bunko Aozora Bunko (, literally the "Blue Sky Library", also known as the "Open Air Library") is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-o ...