was a Japanese

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

, chiefly known for his dictations of

yukar () are Ainu sagas that form a long rich tradition of oral literature. In older periods, the epics were performed by both men and women; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Ainu culture was in decline, women were generally the most sk ...

, or sagas of the

Ainu people The Ainu are an Indigenous peoples, indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Ku ...

, as well as his study of the Matagi dialect. He is the author of the dictionary '' Meikai Kokugo Jiten''.

Biography

Kindaichi was born in

Morioka is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...

Iwate Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...

. His son Haruhiko Kindaichi was also a prominent linguist. He was active as a poet and had good contacts with

Ishikawa Takuboku was a Japanese poet. Well known as both a tanka 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. Major ...

In popular culture

A fictionalised Kindaichi 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 Ish ...

.''

Honours

Order of Culture The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...

(1954) * Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class, Grand Cordon (1971, Posthumous award) *

Junior Third Rank The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese language, Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the Nation, state. ''Ikai'' as a system was the indication of the rank of burea ...

(1971, Posthumous award)

References

1882 births 1971 deaths Linguists of Ainu Japanese lexicographers University of Tokyo alumni Academic staff of the University of Tokyo Academic staff of Taisho University People from Morioka, Iwate Laureates of the Imperial Prize Recipients of the Order of Culture 20th-century Japanese poets 20th-century Japanese linguists 20th-century lexicographers Linguists of Japanese Burials at Zōshigaya Cemetery {{ainu-stub