Nishiwaki Junzaburo
Encyclopedia
was a contemporary Japanese poet and literary critic, active in Shōwa period
Japan
.
, where his father was a banker. He came to Tokyo
intending to become a painter and studied under the famous Fujishima Takeji
and Kuroda Seiki
but had to give up an artistic career due to his father’s sudden death. Instead, he enrolled in Keio University
's Department of Economics, and also studied Latin
, English
, Greek
, and German
. Even as a student he demonstrated extraordinary language abilities, writing his thesis entirely in Latin.
. Nishiwaki expressed distaste for the romanticism
and subjective modes which dominated modern Japanese poetry.
He accepted a teaching post at Keiō University in 1920, while continuing to contribute English verses to various journals, and editing poetry magazines on the side.
After graduation, he was hired by the Japan Times newspaper, but was forced to resign due to poor health. Soon afterwards, in 1922, Nishiwaki went to study at New College
, Oxford in Great Britain
where he spent the next three years. While at Oxford, he was introduced to modernist literature
and the works of James Joyce
, Ezra Pound
, and T. S. Eliot
. He was also fascinated by Charles Baudelaire
and developments in the French surrealism
, and even attempted to compose some works in French
. His first volume of poetry, Spectrum (1925), was written in English and published in London
at his own expense.
Returning to Japan, Nishiwaki accepted a position as a professor at Keiō University and taught the history of English Literature
as well as a range of courses in linguistics
. However, he kept writing on the side, and was especially inspired by the poetry of Hagiwara Sakutarō, who was lauded by critics as one of the great poets of the Taishō period
. Nishiwaki experimented with new techniques, and began writing poetry in Japanese for the first time. In 1927, he published Japan's first surrealist
poetry magazine, Fukuiku Taru Kafu Yo. The next year, along with collaborators such as Anzai Fuyue, he brought out another new magazine Shi to Shiron ("Poetry and Poetic Theory") and became a leader of the new contemporary poetry movement. In 1933, he published Ambarvalia, a collection which gathered together the previous experiments and efforts in writing poetry in Japanese; however, Nishiwaki suddenly stopped publishing two years later.
, Kanagawa prefecture
during the Pacific War
years of 1942-1944. After the war, he revealed another major collection titled Tabibito kaerazu ("No Traveler Returns"). Nishiwaki also devoted effort to translation, publishing a Japanese version of T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land
, which was received with great critical acclaim. He followed this with yet another collection of his own verse in 1953, titled Kindai no gūwa ("Modern Fables").
While writing poetry and translations, Nishiwaki continued teaching at Keiō University until his retirement in 1962.
In 1962, Nishiwaki was appointed to the Japan Art Academy
, and in 1974 was made a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature
.
Nishiwaki died of heart failure at the age of 88 at his hometown in Niigata. His grave is at the temple of Zōjō-ji
in Shiba, Tokyo
.
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...
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
Nishiwaki was born in Ojiya 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 :...
, where his father was a banker. He came 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...
intending to become a painter and studied under the famous Fujishima Takeji
Fujishima Takeji
was a Japanese painter, noted for his work in developing Romanticism and impressionism within the yōga art movement in late 19th- and early 20th-century Japanese painting...
and Kuroda Seiki
Kuroda Seiki
Viscount was the pseudonym of a Japanese painter and teacher, noted for bringing Western theories about art to a wide Japanese audience. He was among the leaders of the yōga movement in late 19th- and early 20th-century Japanese painting...
but had to give up an artistic career due to his father’s sudden death. Instead, he enrolled in Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
's Department of Economics, and also studied Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, English
English language
English 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...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. Even as a student he demonstrated extraordinary language abilities, writing his thesis entirely in Latin.
Literary career
Nishiwaki became interested in poetry while a student at Keio University, and contributed verses to the boy's magazine Shonen Sekai. He also began to write poetry in EnglishEnglish language
English 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...
. Nishiwaki expressed distaste for the romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
and subjective modes which dominated modern Japanese poetry.
He accepted a teaching post at Keiō University in 1920, while continuing to contribute English verses to various journals, and editing poetry magazines on the side.
After graduation, he was hired by the Japan Times newspaper, but was forced to resign due to poor health. Soon afterwards, in 1922, Nishiwaki went to study at New College
New College
-United Kingdom:* North East Worcestershire College Redditch and Bromsgrove* New College Durham, County Durham* New College, Edinburgh, Edinburgh* New College London, St John's Wood, London* New College Nottingham, Nottingham...
, Oxford in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
where he spent the next three years. While at Oxford, he was introduced to modernist literature
Modernist literature
Modernist literature is sub-genre of Modernism, a predominantly European movement beginning in the early 20th century that was characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional aesthetic forms...
and the works of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
, and T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
. He was also fascinated by Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
and developments in the French surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, and even attempted to compose some works in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. His first volume of poetry, Spectrum (1925), was written in English and published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at his own expense.
Returning to Japan, Nishiwaki accepted a position as a professor at Keiō University and taught the history of English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
as well as a range of courses in linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
. However, he kept writing on the side, and was especially inspired by the poetry of Hagiwara Sakutarō, who was lauded by critics as one of the great poets of the Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
. Nishiwaki experimented with new techniques, and began writing poetry in Japanese for the first time. In 1927, he published Japan's first surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
poetry magazine, Fukuiku Taru Kafu Yo. The next year, along with collaborators such as Anzai Fuyue, he brought out another new magazine Shi to Shiron ("Poetry and Poetic Theory") and became a leader of the new contemporary poetry movement. In 1933, he published Ambarvalia, a collection which gathered together the previous experiments and efforts in writing poetry in Japanese; however, Nishiwaki suddenly stopped publishing two years later.
Later literary career
Nishiwaki lived in KamakuraKamakura, 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...
during the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
years of 1942-1944. After the war, he revealed another major collection titled Tabibito kaerazu ("No Traveler Returns"). Nishiwaki also devoted effort to translation, publishing a Japanese version of T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land
The Waste Land
The Waste Land[A] is a 434-line[B] modernist poem by T. S. Eliot published in 1922. It has been called "one of the most important poems of the 20th century." Despite the poem's obscurity—its shifts between satire and prophecy, its abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location and time, its...
, which was received with great critical acclaim. He followed this with yet another collection of his own verse in 1953, titled Kindai no gūwa ("Modern Fables").
While writing poetry and translations, Nishiwaki continued teaching at Keiō University until his retirement in 1962.
In 1962, Nishiwaki was appointed to the Japan Art Academy
Japan Art Academy
is the highest ranking artistic organization in Japan. The Academy discusses art-related issues, advises the Minister of Education on art-related issues, and promotes art is the highest ranking artistic organization in Japan. The Academy discusses art-related issues, advises the Minister of...
, and in 1974 was made a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
.
Nishiwaki died of heart failure at the age of 88 at his hometown in Niigata. His grave is at the temple of Zōjō-ji
Zojo-ji
San'en-zan is a Buddhist temple in the Shiba neighborhood of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is the Great Main Temple of the Chinzai sect of the Shingon school. The main image is of Amida Buddha...
in Shiba, Tokyo
Shiba, Tokyo
Shiba is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, located near Hamamatsucho and Tamachi Stations on the Yamanote Line and Mita Station on the Toei Mita Line....
.
External links
- Junzaburo Nishiwaki's Memorial Room in Ojiya, Niigata.
- Literary Figures of Kamakura