Inspirational Quotes by Takuboku Ishikawa (Japanese Poet)

Ishikawa Takuboku (1886–1912,) pseudonym of Ishikawa Hajime, was a Japanese poet. He was a master of the traditional Japanese tanka verse form. He died of a chronic illness complicated by malnutrition at age 26. Still, he attained popularity for his freshness and surprising imagery.

Born in Hinoto, Iwate prefecture, Takuboku did not complete formal education but read both Japanese and Western literature. In Tokyo, he became a proofreader and poetry editor of the Asahi newspaper. He described his enduring financial hardship in his diaries, particularly in Romaji Nikki (1954; “Romaji Diary.”)

Takuboku’s collections of poems include Ichiaku no Suna (1910; A Handful of Sand,) Kanashiki gangu (1912; Sad Toys,) and Yobuko no fue (1912; “Whistle and Flute”)

Wesleyan University’s Carl Sesar translated Takuboku’s poetry as Poems to Eat (1966.) Sanford Goldstein and Seishi Shinoda translated Takuboku’s Romaji nikki and Kanashiki gangu (1985; revised 2000.)

The American-Japanese scholar and translator Donald Keene wrote a full-length biography of Ishikawa, The First Modern Japanese (2016.)

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Takuboku Ishikawa