Nakahara Chuya
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
poet
active during the early Shōwa period
of Japan
.
Yamaguchi Prefecture
in 1907, where his father was an army doctor. In his early life, his father was posted to Hiroshima
and Kanazawa
, returning to Yamaguchi
in 1914. In 1915, his younger brother died, and in sorrow he turned to composing poetry. He submitted his first three verses to a local newspaper in 1920, when he was still in elementary school. In 1923, he moved to the Ritsumeikan Middle School in Kyoto
. He later graduated from the Foreign Studies Department of Tokyo Imperial University.
format, but he was later (in his teens) attracted to the modern free verse
styles advocated by Dadaist poet Takahashi Shinkichi and by Tominaga Tarō.
After he moved to Tokyo
, he met Kawakami Tetsutaro and Ooka Shohei
, with whom he began publishing a poetry journal, Hakuchigun (Idiots). He was befriended by the influential literary critic Kobayashi Hideo
, who introduced him to the French symbolist
poets Arthur Rimbaud
and Paul Verlaine
, whose poems he translated into Japanese
. The influence of Rimbaud went beyond just his poetry, and Nakahara came to be known for his "bohemian
" lifestyle.
Chūya adapted the traditional counts of five and seven used in Japanese haiku
and tanka, but frequently tripped these counts with variations, in order to obtain a rhythmical, musical effect. Several of his poems were used as lyrics in songs, so this musical effect may have been carefully calculated from the start.
Chūya's works were rejected by many publishers, and he found acceptance primarily with the smaller literary magazine
s, including Yamamayu, which he launched together with Kobayashi Hideo, (although on occasion Shiki and Bungakukai would condescend to publish one of his works). He remained close friends with Kobayashi all of his life, despite the fact that his girlfriend left him for Kobayashi shortly after their first meeting. He eventually married and had a daughter who died in infancy, which sent him into a nervous breakdown
from which he never fully recovered. Many of his later poems seem like remembrances and attempts to mitigate this enormous pain.
Chūya died at the age of 30 of cerebral meningitis
. Only one of his poetry anthologies, Yagi no Uta ("Goat Songs", 1934) appeared while he was alive (in a self-financed edition of two hundred copies). He had edited a second collection, Arishi Hi no Uta ("Songs of Bygone Days") just before his death.
During his lifetime, Chūya was not counted among the mainstream of poets, but his verses have a wide and increasing following even to this day. Chūya is now a subject of classroom study in Japanese schools, and his portrait in a hat with a vacant stare is well known. Kobayashi Hideo, to whom Chūya entrusted the manuscript for Arishi Hi no Uta on his deathbed was responsible for the posthumous promotion of his works, and Ooka Shohei for collecting and editing The Complete Works of Nakahara Chūya, a collection containing the poet's uncollected poems, his journals, and many letters.
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...
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...
active during the early Shōwa 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
Nakahara Chūya was born in YamaguchiYamaguchi, Yamaguchi
is the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 198,971 and a population density of 194.44 persons per km²...
Yamaguchi Prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
in 1907, where his father was an army doctor. In his early life, his father was posted to Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
, returning to Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi
is the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 198,971 and a population density of 194.44 persons per km²...
in 1914. In 1915, his younger brother died, and in sorrow he turned to composing poetry. He submitted his first three verses to a local newspaper in 1920, when he was still in elementary school. In 1923, he moved to the Ritsumeikan Middle School in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. He later graduated from the Foreign Studies Department of Tokyo Imperial University.
Literary career
Initially, Chūya favored poetry in the Japanese traditional tankaWaka (poetry)
Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...
format, but he was later (in his teens) attracted to the modern free verse
Free verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
styles advocated by Dadaist poet Takahashi Shinkichi and by Tominaga Tarō.
After 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...
, he met Kawakami Tetsutaro and Ooka Shohei
Ooka Shohei
was a Japanese novelist, literary critic, and translator of French literature who was active during the Shōwa period of Japan. Ōoka belongs to the group of postwar writers whose World War II experiences at home and abroad figure prominently in their works...
, with whom he began publishing a poetry journal, Hakuchigun (Idiots). He was befriended by the influential literary critic Kobayashi Hideo
Kobayashi Hideo
was a Japanese author, who established literary criticism as an independent art form in Japan.-Early life:Kobayashi was born in the Kanda district of Tokyo. He studied French literature at Tokyo Imperial University and graduated in 1927...
, who introduced him to the French symbolist
Symbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
poets Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet. Born in Charleville, Ardennes, he produced his best known works while still in his late teens—Victor Hugo described him at the time as "an infant Shakespeare"—and he gave up creative writing altogether before the age of 21. As part of the decadent...
and Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
, whose poems he translated into Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. The influence of Rimbaud went beyond just his poetry, and Nakahara came to be known for his "bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
" lifestyle.
Chūya adapted the traditional counts of five and seven used in Japanese haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
and tanka, but frequently tripped these counts with variations, in order to obtain a rhythmical, musical effect. Several of his poems were used as lyrics in songs, so this musical effect may have been carefully calculated from the start.
Chūya's works were rejected by many publishers, and he found acceptance primarily with the smaller literary magazine
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, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
s, including Yamamayu, which he launched together with Kobayashi Hideo, (although on occasion Shiki and Bungakukai would condescend to publish one of his works). He remained close friends with Kobayashi all of his life, despite the fact that his girlfriend left him for Kobayashi shortly after their first meeting. He eventually married and had a daughter who died in infancy, which sent him into a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
from which he never fully recovered. Many of his later poems seem like remembrances and attempts to mitigate this enormous pain.
Chūya died at the age of 30 of cerebral meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
. Only one of his poetry anthologies, Yagi no Uta ("Goat Songs", 1934) appeared while he was alive (in a self-financed edition of two hundred copies). He had edited a second collection, Arishi Hi no Uta ("Songs of Bygone Days") just before his death.
During his lifetime, Chūya was not counted among the mainstream of poets, but his verses have a wide and increasing following even to this day. Chūya is now a subject of classroom study in Japanese schools, and his portrait in a hat with a vacant stare is well known. Kobayashi Hideo, to whom Chūya entrusted the manuscript for Arishi Hi no Uta on his deathbed was responsible for the posthumous promotion of his works, and Ooka Shohei for collecting and editing The Complete Works of Nakahara Chūya, a collection containing the poet's uncollected poems, his journals, and many letters.
Legacy
- A literary awardLiterary awardA literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...
, the Nakahara Chūya Prize was established in 1996 by Yamaguchi city (with the support of publishers Seidosha and Kadokawa ShotenKadokawa Shotenis a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
) in Chūya's memory. The award is presented annually to an outstanding collection of contemporary poetry characterized by a "fresh sensibility" (shinsen na kankaku). The winner receives a cash award of 1 million yen, and the winning collection is also published in an English languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation. - The acid-folkFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer Kazuki TomokawaKazuki TomokawaTenji Nozoki , best known by the stage name Kazuki Tomokawa , is a prolific Japanese musician, active in the Japanese music scene since the early seventies. He is often described as a "screaming philosopher" due to his idiosyncratic singing style...
recorded two albums entitled Ore no Uchide Nariymanai Uta and Nakahara Chuya Sakuhinnshu, using Nakahara's poems as lyrics.
External links
- Fan page in English and Japanese
- Nakahara Chūya Memorial Museum in Yamaguchi (Japanese site)
- e-texts of Chūya's works at Aozora bunkoAozora BunkoAozora Bunko is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-of-copyright books or works that the authors wish to make freely available....
(Japanese site) - Literary figures of Kamakura