is 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 , a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
''
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
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...
active during the
Taishō and
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 ...
s of
Japan. He is regarded as one of the most popular and important poets in modern
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-Japan ...
.
Early life
Kitahara was born in
Yanagawa
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 71,848, with 24,507 households and a population density of 934.55 persons per km². The total area is 76.88 km².
On March 21, ...
,
Fukuoka prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, Kumamo ...
, to a family of ''
sake
Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and ind ...
'' brewers. He attended the
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
department of
Waseda University
, mottoeng = Independence of scholarship
, established = 21 October 1882
, type = Private
, endowment =
, president = Aiji Tanaka
, city = Shinjuku
, state = Tokyo
, country = Japan
, students = 47,959
, undergrad = 39,382
, postgrad ...
, but he left the university soon after without graduating. As a student he became interested in the poetry of
Tōson Shimazaki
was the pen-name of Haruki Shimazaki, a Japanese writer active in the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods of Japan. He began his career as a Romantic poet, but went on to establish himself as a major proponent of Japanese Naturalism.
Ear ...
, especially his ''Wakanashu'' (Collection of Young Herbs, 1897), which was written in the ''Shintaishi'', or New Style, format.
Literary career
In 1904, Kitahara moved to
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
and began submitting his poetry to various
literary magazine
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
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evalu ...
s. In 1906, he joined the ''Shinshisha'' (New Poetry Association) at the invitation of
Yosano Tekkan
was the pen-name of Yosano Hiroshi, a Japanese author and poet active in late Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa period Japan. His wife was fellow author Yosano Akiko. Cabinet minister and politician Kaoru Yosano is his grandson.
Early life
Yos ...
, and he published poems in its magazine
Myōjō
was a monthly literary magazine published in Japan between April 1900 and November 1908. The name ''Myōjō'' can be translated as either Bright Star or Morning Star.
History and profile
The magazine was established in 1900. It was the organ o ...
(Bright Star) that brought him instant fame as a rising young poet, and served as an introduction to a wide circle of writers and poets. From these contacts, Kitahara formed his own literary group, the ''
Pan no kai'' (The Society of
Pan), which was innovative in including painters, musicians and actors as well as writers.
In 1909, he became one of the founding members of the literary magazine, ''
Subaru'' (The Pleiades), where he published his first collection of verses, ''Jashumon'' (Heretics), which took the poetic world by storm. Through the use of its rich imagery and innovative structure, it (along with
Yosano Akiko
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 ...
's ''Midaregami''), is credited by critics with having set a new baseline for modern Japanese poetry. Kitahara's initial success was followed by ''Omoide'' (Memories, 1912), in which he evokes memories of the world from a child's perspective.
In 1907 he published the essays ''
5 Pairs of Shoes
''5 Pairs of Shoes'' is a series of essays of travel literature written by Tekkan Yosano and his students Mokutaro Kinoshita, Kitahara Hakushu, Hirano Banri and Yoshii Isamu, which was published in 1907 in a Tokyo newspaper. Because all five auth ...
'', together with
Yosano Tekkan
was the pen-name of Yosano Hiroshi, a Japanese author and poet active in late Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa period Japan. His wife was fellow author Yosano Akiko. Cabinet minister and politician Kaoru Yosano is his grandson.
Early life
Yos ...
,
Mokutaro Kinoshita,
Hirano Banri and
Yoshii Isamu
Count was a Japanese '' tanka'' poet and playwright active in Taishō and Shōwa period Japan. Attracted to European romanticism in his youth, his later works were more subdued.
Early life
Yoshii Isamu was born in the elite Takanawa district T ...
.
In 1912, Kitahara was arrested for
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and leg ...
and jailed for two weeks. Though the charges were later dropped, the experience was traumatic, as it was mentioned briefly in his first ''tanka'' anthology, ''Kiri no hana'' (Paulownia Blossoms, 1913), as having led to a religious influence in his outlook on life. This became evident in his second anthology, ''Shinju Sho'' (Selection of Pearls, 1914), and his third, ''Hakkin no koma'' (Platinum Top, 1915), which include one-line poems in the form of
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 ...
prayers. He strove for what he called “oriental simplicity”, a concept which he borrowed from his understanding of
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
in ''Suibokushu'' (Collection of Ink drawings, 1923) and ''Suzume no tamago'' (Sparrow's Eggs, 1921).
Children's poems
In 1918, he joined the ''
Akai tori'' (Red Bird) literary magazine at the request of founder
Suzuki Miekichi
was a Japanese novelist and author of children's stories from Hiroshima.
Biography
Suzuki was born in Hiroshima. He studied English literature at Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo), and later launched a children's literatu ...
, and was assigned to create
children's songs
A children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that children invent and share among themselves or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home or education. Although children's songs have been recorded and studied ...
, take charge of screening the poems submitted to the magazine, and collect
nursery rhymes
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes.
From t ...
from around the country. The same year, he relocated from Tokyo to
Odawara, Kanagawa
is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in the far western po ...
. In 1919 he published ''Tonbo no medama'' (Dragonfly's Eyes), a collection of lyrics for children he had previously published serially in Akai Tori. In 1921 ''Maza gusu'' (
Mother Goose
The figure of Mother Goose is the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. As a character, she appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as a nursery rhyme. This, howev ...
), a collection of his translations of the English classic, came out, and that year, ''Usagi no denpo'' (Rabbit Telegrams), a collection of his nursery rhymes, was published. Starting with its April 1922 issue, ''
Kodomo no kuni
''Kodomo'' is the Japanese word for child.
Kodomo may also refer to:
* Kodomo (musician), the moniker for electronic musician Chris Child
* Children's anime and manga or kodomo, manga with a target demographic of children
* Kodomo, a toothpaste ...
'' (Children's Land), it invited readers to submit children's songs, and Kitahara took charge of the screening and comments. In 1929 he published a collection of essays on children's songs, ''Midori no shokkaku'' (The Feel of Green).
Later life
Always enjoying travel, Kitahara visited
Misaki
Misaki ( ja, 御先, "misaki") are a collective term for spirit-like existences in Japan like gods, demons and spirits, among other supernatural entities. Their name comes from a kannushi's vanguard.
Summary
Misaki are subordinate to the hig ...
,
Chiba,
Nagano,
Shiobara in 1923,
Shizuoka in 1924,
Hokkaidō and
Karafuto
Karafuto Prefecture ( ja, 樺太庁, ''Karafuto-chō''; russian: Префектура Карафуто, Prefektura Karafuto), commonly known as South Sakhalin, was a prefecture of Japan located in Sakhalin from 1907 to 1949.
Karafuto became te ...
in 1925.
Kitahara moved back to Tokyo in 1926, living at first in Yanaka, then moving to Setagaya in 1928. Kitahara continued to experiment with his style, and continued to be inspired by classical Japanese literature (such as the ''
Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperi ...
''), as seen in his ''Kaihyo no kumo'' (Sea and Clouds, 1929). This later work was inspired by a trip from
Oita to Osaka by
airplane
An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spe ...
, which was sponsored by the
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 an ...
as a publicity stunt. In 1930, Kitahara travelled to
Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym "Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East ( Outer ...
, and rode on the
South Manchurian Railroad. On his return to Japan, he visited
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...
.
In 1935, Kitahara founded ''Tama'', a ''tanka'' magazine, and became known as the spearhead of the fourth stage of the symbolist movement. Among his protégés were
Kimata Osamu and
Miya Shuji. He also accepted an invitation by the
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by
In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English language news website called ''The Mainichi'' (prev ...
to tour
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...
(then
under Japanese rule), in exchange for poems on his impressions. Kitahara remained active even after almost going blind due to complications arising from
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 ...
in 1937. In 1940, he returned for a visit to Yanagawa after many years, and also visited
Miyazaki Miyazaki may refer to:
People
* Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator
* Hidetaka Miyazaki, video game director
* Gorō Miyazaki, Japanese film director and landscaper, and son of Hayao Miyazaki.
* For others, see Miyazaki (surname)
Places
* Miyaza ...
and
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...
. That same year he was made a member of the
Japan Art Academy
is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of ...
. In 1942, his health condition worsened, and he died of complications from his diabetes. His grave is located at the Tama Reien in the outskirts of Tokyo.
Legacy
Kitahara published a total of over 200 books within his lifetime. In addition to his writings, he also edited the poetry magazine ''Chijo junrei'' (Earthly Pilgrimage), which enabled later authors, such as
Hagiwara Sakutaro to get their start into the literary world. He also wrote anthems for high schools around the country, including
Tōyō Eiwa Jogakuin
is a private girls academy founded on November 6, 1884, in Azabu, Minato, Tokyo by Martha J. Cartmell, a Methodist missionary from Canada.SeHistory of Tōyō Eiwa Jogakuin, page 1. Accessed June 15, 2006] Toyo Eiwa Women's University, estab ...
. Many of his poems remain popular to this day. The ''Nihon Densho Doyo Shusei''
ollection of Traditional Japanese Nursery Rhymes a six-volume publication edited by Kitahara, finally came out in 1976.
A
annual festivalcelebrating the life and works of Kitahara is still held in his hometown of Yanagawa during the month of November. Stages are set up along the canals of the city, and at night, by firelight, fans of Kitahara's works read poems and passages from them aloud. There are also canal parades and musical performances.
See also
*
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-Japan ...
*
List of Japanese authors
This is an alphabetical list of writers who are Japanese, or are famous for having written in the Japanese language.
Writers are listed by the native order of Japanese names, family name followed by given name to ensure consistency although some ...
References
* Fukasawa, Margaret Benton. ''Kitahara Hakushu: His Life and Poetry''. East Asia Program Cornell University (1993).
External links
e-texts of Hakushu's worksat
Aozora bunko
Aozora Bunko (, literally the "Blue Sky Library", also known as the "Open Air Library") is a Japanese language, Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. ...
Kitahara Hakushu BirthplaceMunisipal Folk MuseumHakushu Memorial Museum, Yanagawa, Fukuoka (Japanese site)Hakushu Memorial Museum, Miura, Yokosuka (Japanese site)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitahara, Hakushu
1885 births
1942 deaths
Deaths from diabetes
Japanese children's writers
People from Yanagawa, Fukuoka
Writers from Fukuoka Prefecture
Waseda University alumni
20th-century Japanese poets