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is one of the most prominent
women writers Women have made significant contributions to literature since the earliest written texts. Women have been at the forefront of textual communication since early civilizations. History Among the first known female writers is Enheduanna; she is also ...
of contemporary Japan, with more than a dozen collections of
poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...
, several works of
prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...
, numerous books of essays, and several major literary prizes to her name. She divides her time between the towns of
Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south of ...
, California and
Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,0 ...
in southern Japan. She is currently teaching at School of Culture, Media and Society in
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 ...
, Tokyo.


Biography


Early career

Born in 1955 in Tokyo, Japan, Itō became well known in the 1980s for a series of dramatic collections of poetry that described
sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wi ...
, pregnancy, and feminine erotic desire in dramatically direct language. From her earliest work, Itō embarked on a lifelong battle against the stylized and artful language common in 20th-century
Japanese poetry 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 ...
. Much of her poetry is narrated in extended passages of relatively
colloquial Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in convers ...
text. Jeffrey Angles, Translator's Introduction, ''Killing Kanoko: Selected Poems of Hiromi Itō'' (Notre Dame, IN: Action Books, 2009), pp. vii–xii. Her poems so skillfully represent spoken language that they often give the illusion of being records of spoken speech. Not coincidentally, commentators have often described Itō as a "
shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...
ess" for her ability to channel voices onto the page.


Women's issues

In 1982, Itō's book ,'appeared in the series "The Present State of Women's Poetry," which was published by the Japanese publisher Shichōsha and also featured a number of rising young female poets, including
Toshiko Hirata Toshiko is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings *敏子 "agile/clever, child" *俊子 "genius, child" *淑子 "graceful/polite, child" *寿子 "longevity, child" *年子 "year/age, child" *歳子 "age/time, child" *稔子 "humble, ch ...
,
Yōko Isaka Yoko may refer to: People * Yoko (name), a Japanese feminine given name; variants include Yōko and Yohko * Yoko Gushiken (具志堅 用高, born 1955), Japanese professional boxer * Yoko Taro (横尾 太郎, born 1970), Japanese video game di ...
, and Kōko Shiraishi. In the mid-1980s, Itō's writing gravitated to issues of the feminine body, sexuality, and motherhood, making her the most prominent voice of what came to be known as the "women's poetry boom." The two collections , published in 1985, and , published in 1987, describe her feelings after giving birth to her first daughter, Kanoko Nishi. These poems probe the meaning of the mother-child relationship and the demands that
motherhood ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...
places on the mother's identity and sexuality. For instance, in the often anthologized poem , she describes the feelings of a young mother experiencing
postpartum depression Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and cha ...
and anger at her newborn, even though the world is congratulating her on becoming a mother. Her eagerness to explore women's issues has led some to think of her as a feminist writer, although this is a term that Itō has not always embraced in building her public persona. Throughout her career, however, Itō has embraced the metaphor of the poet as a
shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...
ess. In 1991, she collaborated with the prominent feminist scholar Chizuko Ueno from
Tokyo University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...
on a collection of essays and poetry called , which the two likened to the collaboration between an
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
n shamaness and the figure who makes sense of her utterances for the outside world. A few years later in 1993, Itō explicitly played out the metaphor of poet as shamaness in her long narrative poem , in which she takes a story recorded from a shamaness in Tsugaru in the early 20th century and refashions it into a dramatic new myth of
healing With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells ...
from
sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
and self-discovery.


Relocation to the US

Since at least the 1980s, Itō had been fascinated with Native American poetry, which she first read in Japanese translations. In 1990, she met the American poet
Jerome Rothenberg Jerome Rothenberg (born December 11, 1931) is an American poet, translator and anthologist, noted for his work in the fields of ethnopoetics and performance poetry. Early life and education Jerome Rothenberg was born and raised in New Yor ...
when he visited Japan. Rothenberg had been a major force in re-examining Native American poetry in the movement known as "
ethnopoetics Ethnopoetics is a method of recording text versions of oral poetry or narrative performances (i.e. verbal lore) that uses poetic lines, verses, and stanzas (instead of prose paragraphs) to capture the formal, poetic performance elements which w ...
," and he encouraged Itō to come to America. She had recently separated from her husband, the literature scholar
Masahiko Nishi Masahiko (written: 正彦, 雅彦, 誠彦, 昌彦, 允彦, 政彦, 真彦, 正比古 or まさ彦) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army imprisoned for his involvement ...
, and at Rothenberg's invitation, she started making regular, extended trips to America with her children, before eventually settling in 1997 in
Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south of ...
, California with her new partner, the British artist Harold Cohen. The change of setting led to several significant changes in her writing, in terms of both
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other ...
and subject matter. She began writing novellas, both because she was tired of poetry and because she felt
prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...
was better suited to exploring her new experiences as an immigrant. Several of her novellas from this time describe the difficulties of immigration and the experience of being a transplant in a new environment.


Since 2000

Itō returned to poetry, publishing several long,
fantastic The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, characte ...
narrative works that blur the lines between prose and poetry. These include , published in 2005, the narrative , published in 2007, and , published in 2007. In these works, Itō writes about the experiences of modern people, often
migrants Migrant may refer to: Human migration *Human migration *Emigration, leaving one's resident country with the intent to settle elsewhere *Immigration, movement into a country with the intent to settle * Economic migrant, someone who emigrates from o ...
or transnationals, but does so in a way that has an almost
mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
grandeur and frequently veers into the surreal. One of Itō's bestsellers was her book of essays , published in 2010. This book consists of a series of personal essays about her involvement with the
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 ...
classic, the Heart Sutra, and other
Buddhist texts Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhism, Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manu ...
. While relating the texts to her own life, she describes her understanding of the text and provides her own modern Japanese translation from the
classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...
. Itō's interest in
Buddhism 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 ...
and
Buddhist texts Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhism, Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manu ...
in particular had been visible earlier in her career, for instance, in the 1993 poem , which incorporates elements of folk Buddhist narrative, and the 2004 book , which retells several of the stories in the
Heian-period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
Buddhist classic
Nihon Ryōiki The is an early Heian period setsuwa collection. Written by Kyōkai between 787 and 824, it is Japan's oldest collection of Buddhist setsuwa. It is three volumes in length. Title Commonly abbreviated as ''Nihon Ryōiki'', which means "Record of ...
by the
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
Kyōkai. In 2012, Itō published , a book of personal essays and contemporary Japanese translations of correspondence between the Japanese Buddhist monk
Shinran ''Popular Buddhism in Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture'' by Esben Andreasen, pp. 13, 14, 15, 17. University of Hawaii Press 1998, was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino (now a part of Fushimi, Kyoto) at the turbulent close of ...
and his mother. A common theme in these books, especially ''The Heart Sutra Explained'', ''Reading the ''Lamentations of Divergences'' Falteringly Out Loud'', and the 2014 book about the slow decline and death of Itō's father, is the question of how life changes as one grows older and faces death. (This is a major issue in Japan due to the
demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...
imbalances brought about Japan's declining birth rate and rise in numbers of senior citizens). As a means to understand and cope with this process, Itō frequently turns to
Buddhist texts Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhism, Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manu ...
for inspiration. In addition to these works of poetry and prose, Itō has published numerous books of essays,
manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...
criticism, and translations of American literature for young Japanese readers. Among the books she has translated into Japanese are ''
The Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bo ...
'' and '' Oh, the Places You'll Go!'' by
Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
''
Out of the Dust ''Out of the Dust'' is a children's verse novel by Karen Hesse, first published on January 1, 1997. Summary Billie Jo begins with how her father wanted to have a son instead of a daughter. He still loves her but treats her like the son he ne ...
'' and ''
Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'' by
Karen Hesse Karen S. Hesse (born August 29, 1952) is an American author of children's literature and literature for young adults, often with historical settings. She won the Newbery Medal for ''Out of the Dust'' (1997). Early years and education Karen Hesse ...
.Jeffrey Angles, "Dr. Seuss Goes to Japan: Ideology and the Translation of an American Icon," ''Japan Forum'' 26.2 (May 2014): 177–183. In addition to her modern Japanese translations of the
Buddhist texts Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhism, Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manu ...
mentioned above, she has also written a modern Japanese translation of a short story by
Ichiyō Higuchi , real name or , was a Japanese writer from the Meiji Period. She was Japan's first professional female writer of modern literature, specialising in short stories and poetry, and also an extensive diarist. Biography Early life Natsuko Higuc ...
. Itō divides her time between her home in
Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south of ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
and
Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,0 ...
in southern Japan. In the latter, she has been the organizing force between a group of local writers and artists known as the . Itō's work is featured prominently in the
Kumamoto Modern Literature Museum is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000 ...
.


Awards

* 1978:
Gendai Shi Techo Prize may refer to: * Gendai, a modern aesthetic movement in haiku * Gendai budō, Japanese martial arts established after the 1860s * GameSalad (company), formerly Gendai Games, an American computer software company * '' Shūkan Gendai'', a Japanese ...
for the poetry collection * 1993: Nominated for Mishima Yukio Prize for * 1998: Nominated for
Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History ...
for the novella * 1999: Nominated for
Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History ...
for the novella * 1999:
Noma Literary Prize The Noma Literary Prize (''Noma Bungei Shō'') was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association (''Noma Hōkō Kai'') in accordance with the last wishes of Seiji Noma (1878–1938), founder and first president of the Kodansha publishing c ...
for New Writers for the novella * 2006: Takami Jun Prize for the book * 2007:
Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize Hagiwara (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * (also known as Sho-Ken), the lead singer of The Tempters *, Japanese pop singer *, San Francisco landscape designer often credited with inventing the fortune coo ...
for the novel * 2008: Izumi Shikibu Prize for the novel


Bibliography

Translations into English * Itō, Hiromi (2009), ''Killing Kanoko: Selected Poems of Hiromi Itō'', translated by Jeffrey Angles. Notre Dame, IN: Action Books. . * Itō, Hiromi (2014), ''Wild Grass on the Riverbank'', translated by Jeffrey Angles. Notre Dame, IN: Action Books. * Itō, Hiromi (2020), ''Killing Kanoko / Wild Grass on the Riverbank'', translated by Jeffrey Angles. London: Tilted Axis Press. Translations into German * Itō, Hiromi (1997), ''Mutter töten,'' translated by Irmela Hijiya-Kirschnereit. St. Pölten, Austria: Residenz verlag GmbH. . * Itō, Hiromi and Masahiko Nishi (1999), ''Das anachische Aschenputtel,'' translated by Richmod Bollinger and Yoriko Yamada-Bochynek. St. Pölten, Austria: Residenz verlag GmbH. . * Itō, Hiromi (2021), ''Dornauszieher. Der fabelhafte Jizo von Sugamo. Roman,'' translated by Irmela Hijiya-Kirschnereit. Berlin, Germany: Matthes & Seitz Verlag. . Translations in Anthologies * Itō, Hiromi ''in'' Kikuchi, Rina & Crawford, J. (eds.) (2017), ''Poet to Poet: Contemporary Women Poets from Japan'', translated by Jeffrey Angles. Recent Work Press, Canberra: Australia. Secondary Sources * Angles, Jeffrey, editor (2007). Special issue on Itō Hiromi, ''U.S.-Japan Women's Journal,'' vol. 32. ISSN 1059-9770. * Morton, Leith (2004), ''Modernism in Practice: An Introduction to Postwar Japanese Poetry.'' Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. .


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 ...
*
Japanese poetry 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 ...
*
Feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...


References


External links


Poetry International Web
Website which contains an English-language description of Itō's career and English translations by Jeffrey Angles of several of Itō's poems. * at
Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the tr ...
.
Hiromi Itō's personal blog
Itō's personal blog written in Japanese. * Japanese-language Wikipedia article Contains a thorough list in Japanese of Itō's publications.
Writing About Death and Sexuality. An interview with Hiromi Itō
Video by
Louisiana Channel Louisiana Channel is a non-profit web-TV channel based at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek, Denmark. By the end of the first year, 28 November 2013, Louisiana Channel had published 130 videos featuring international artists, film m ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ito, Hiromi 1955 births Japanese literature 20th-century Japanese novelists 21st-century Japanese novelists Feminist writers Feminist literature Feminist fiction Living people 20th-century Japanese poets 21st-century Japanese poets