Ishizuka Tomoji
Encyclopedia
was the pen-name of Ishizuka Tomoji (written in different kanji
(石塚友次)), a Japanese
haiku
poet
and novel
ist active during the Showa period
of Japan
.
. He moved to Tokyo
in 1924, and found a job in a bookstore, while hoping to find a break into the literary world. His chance came when a friend introduced him to the famed novelist Yokomitsu Riichi
, who agreed to take Ishizuka on as his disciple. However, Ishizuka was interested in poetry as well as prose, and also joined a literary circle organized by Hasegawa Reiyoshi.
. Around this time, he went to work for Tenbosha Books as an editor of the essay magazine, Buntai (“Style”). In 1935, he started his own bookstore, called Sara, which enabled him to published works by Yokomitsu Riichi and Kawabata Yasunari, and the haiku anthologies of Nakamura Kusatao and Ishida Hakyo. He co-founded the haiku magazine, Tsuru (“Crane”) in 1937 with Ishida.
In 1940, he succeeded in publishing his own haiku anthology, Hosun Kyojitsu, which brought him to the attention of the haiku world. After the death of Ishida Hakyo in 1969, he took over full control of Tsuru. His other haiku anthologies include Iso Kaze (“Beach Wind”), Kojin (“Light Dust”) and Tamanawa-sho.
In 1942, he changed from poetry to prose, and published the novel, Matsukaze ("Pine Wind"), serialized in the magazine Bungakukai. His subsequent novels included Seishun (“Youth”) and Hashi-mori (“Bridge Guard”).
Ishizuka lived in Kamakura
, Kanagawa prefecture
from 1945 until his death in 1986 at the age of 79. In Kamakura, he was a member of the Nanboku (“North-South”) literary circle and (through a recommendation by Kawabata Yasunari) was hired as an editor to the short-lived Kamakura magazine published by Kamakura Bunko.
A memorial stone with one of his haiku is at the temple of Kencho-ji, but his grave is at the Kamakura Reien cemetery.
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
(石塚友次)), a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
poet
Japanese poetry
Japanese poets first encountered Chinese poetry during the Tang Dynasty. It took them several hundred years to digest the foreign impact, make it a part of their culture and merge it with their literary tradition in their mother tongue, and begin to develop the diversity of their native poetry. For...
and novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist active during the Showa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Early life
Ishizuka was born in Niigata PrefectureNiigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
. He moved to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 1924, and found a job in a bookstore, while hoping to find a break into the literary world. His chance came when a friend introduced him to the famed novelist Yokomitsu Riichi
Yokomitsu Riichi
was an experimental, modernist Japanese writer.Yokomitsu began publishing in dōjinshi such as Machi and Tō after entering Waseda University in 1916. In 1923, he published Nichirin , Hae and more in the magazine Bungeishunjū, which made his name popular...
, who agreed to take Ishizuka on as his disciple. However, Ishizuka was interested in poetry as well as prose, and also joined a literary circle organized by Hasegawa Reiyoshi.
Literary career
In 1933, he contributed haiku verses to the Ashibi literary magazineLiterary 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, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
. Around this time, he went to work for Tenbosha Books as an editor of the essay magazine, Buntai (“Style”). In 1935, he started his own bookstore, called Sara, which enabled him to published works by Yokomitsu Riichi and Kawabata Yasunari, and the haiku anthologies of Nakamura Kusatao and Ishida Hakyo. He co-founded the haiku magazine, Tsuru (“Crane”) in 1937 with Ishida.
In 1940, he succeeded in publishing his own haiku anthology, Hosun Kyojitsu, which brought him to the attention of the haiku world. After the death of Ishida Hakyo in 1969, he took over full control of Tsuru. His other haiku anthologies include Iso Kaze (“Beach Wind”), Kojin (“Light Dust”) and Tamanawa-sho.
In 1942, he changed from poetry to prose, and published the novel, Matsukaze ("Pine Wind"), serialized in the magazine Bungakukai. His subsequent novels included Seishun (“Youth”) and Hashi-mori (“Bridge Guard”).
Ishizuka lived in Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
, Kanagawa prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
from 1945 until his death in 1986 at the age of 79. In Kamakura, he was a member of the Nanboku (“North-South”) literary circle and (through a recommendation by Kawabata Yasunari) was hired as an editor to the short-lived Kamakura magazine published by Kamakura Bunko.
A memorial stone with one of his haiku is at the temple of Kencho-ji, but his grave is at the Kamakura Reien cemetery.