YOSANO AKIKO (1878-1942)

”RIVER OF STARS"
Selected Poems of Yosano Akiko”

Translated by
Sam Hamill and Keiko Matsui Gibson

SHAMBHALA CENTAUR EDITIONS
2002 /10/10
 
YOSANO AKIKO(1878-1942)

the author of more than seventyfive books, including twenty volumes of original poetry and the definitive translation into modern Japanese of The Tale of Genji-is one of the most celebrated Japanese writers of the twentieth century. Although she is probably best known for her exquisite erotic poetry, Akiko's work also championed the causes of feminism, pacifism, and social reform. Her poetry is profoundly direct, often passionate, exposing the complexity of everyday emotions in poetic language stripped of artifice and literary device. River of Stars is the first English translation to present the full breadth of Yosano Akiko's poetic vision. Included are ninety-one of her tanka and a dozen of her longer poems written in the modern style
 
 
 

Akiko Yosano (Dec.7 .1878-May. 29.1942) was one of the most successful tanka poets. Her lyrical collection 'Midaregami' (Tangled Hair) had special appeal for women because it seemed to glorify a new age of romantic love. In addition to her skills as a poet, she was also a social reformist. She was an open critic of war and a strong advocate for women's rights. Yosano once likened her fate to that of a shooting star. She wrote: ``A track of light traces half the sky, then another half is dark.'' Her perception typified that of the Japanese people at large, who reflected upon their lives while gazing at the starry skies.

"You Shall Not Be Killed, Brother!," which was dedicated to her younger brother who was a member of the besieging army at Port Arthur (now Lu-shun in China) during the Russo-Japanese War, and then assert that her being criticized for a lack of patriotism was a shock to her.
 
 

 
Sakai City Cultural Hall
Yosano Akiko Museum, Alphonse Mucha Museum

Yosano Akiko (1878-1942) is widely known as a poetess who personified the Romanticism of the Meiji period (1868-1912). The Yosano Akiko Museum introduces and displays a variety of her works and activities along with her life story. The Alphonse Mucha Museum displays works of Alphonse Mucha, a well-known Art Nouveau illustrator and painter who established his fame in Paris at the end of the 19th century.

The Museums are in Belle Marge in front of Sakai-shi Station, JR Hanwa Line.