was a Japanese author. Wakayama was a Naturalist tanka poet who was active at the beginning of the 20th century, during the tanka revival started by Yosano Tekkan.

He traveled all over Japan and Korea, which, at that time, was under Imperial Japanese control composing many tankas about the places he visited. He also loved Sake. Heavy drinking eventually damaged his liver and he died relatively young.

Before he died he wrote a death haiku

Death poem

A death poem is a poem written near the time of one's own death. It is a tradition for literate people to write one in a number of different cultures, especially in Joseon Korea and Japan.-History:...

 that reads:



Jisei nado

zansetsu ni ka mo

nakarikeri



A parting word?

The melting snow

is odorless.

Poetry books

1. (published July 1908)
2. (published January 1910)
3. (published April 1910)
4. (published September 1911)
5. (published September 1912)
6. (published September 1913)
7. (published April 1914)
8. (published October 1915)
9. (published June 1916)
10. (published August 1917)
11. (published July 1918)
12. (published May 1918)
13. (published March 1921)
14. (published May 1923)
15. (published September 1938)

External links

• Official website
• E-texts of Wakayama's works at Aozora Bunko
  Aozora Bunko
  Aozora 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....