Sankichi Tōge
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese poet, activist, and survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
. Believing himself to have only a few years to live, he spent most of his time an invalid. In 1948 Tōge learned that the diagnosis was wrong. He had bronchiectasis
, an enlargement of the bronchial tube. He started composing poems in the second year of middle school. Early influences included Tolstoy
, Heine
, Toson Shimzaki, and Haruo Sato
. In 1938 he read his first proletarian literature
. In December 1942, he was baptized into the Catholic Church. By 1945 he composed three thousand tanka
and even more haiku
. They were mostly lyric poems. Twenty-four-year-old Tōge was in Hiroshima when the A-bomb was dropped on the city. By 1951 he was writing poetry startlingly different from his earlier efforts. In 1949 Toge joined the Japanese Communist Party
. His first collection of the atomic bomb works, Genbaku shishu ("Poems of the Atomic Bomb") was published in 1951. Tōge died at the age of 36 in the Operating Room in Hiroshima. His first-hand experience of the bomb, his passion for peace and his realistic insight into the event made him the leading poet in Hiroshima.
Biography
He was born Mitsuyoshi Tōge in Osaka as the youngest son of Ki'ichi Tōge, a successful manufacturer of bricks. From the start Tōge was a sickly child, suffering from asthma and periodic vomiting. He graduated from Hiroshima Prefecture's school of commerce in 1935, and started working for the Hiroshima Gas Company. In 1938 Tōge was diagnosed, wrongly, as having tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Believing himself to have only a few years to live, he spent most of his time an invalid. In 1948 Tōge learned that the diagnosis was wrong. He had bronchiectasis
Bronchiectasis
Bronchiectasis is a disease state defined by localized, irreversible dilation of part of the bronchial tree caused by destruction of the muscle and elastic tissue. It is classified as an obstructive lung disease, along with emphysema, bronchitis, asthma, and cystic fibrosis...
, an enlargement of the bronchial tube. He started composing poems in the second year of middle school. Early influences included Tolstoy
Tolstoy
Tolstoy, or Tolstoi is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy who served under Vasily II of Moscow...
, Heine
Heine
Heine is a German family name. The name comes from "Heinrich" or the Hebrew "Chayyim" . When mentioned without a first name it usually refers ti the poet Heinrich Heine...
, Toson Shimzaki, and Haruo Sato
Haruo Sato
is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Office CHK. He is originally from Tokyo.-Television animation:*Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple *Cyborg 009...
. In 1938 he read his first proletarian literature
Proletarian literature
Proletarian literature refers to the literature created by working-class writers for the class-conscious proletariat, published by the communist parties. It was a literature without literary pretensions....
. In December 1942, he was baptized into the Catholic Church. By 1945 he composed three thousand tanka
Tanka
Tanka may refer to:* Tanka, a form of Japanese waka * Tanka prose, a literary genre which combines tanka poems and prose* Thangka, a pictorial representation in Tibetan Buddhism...
and even more haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
. They were mostly lyric poems. Twenty-four-year-old Tōge was in Hiroshima when the A-bomb was dropped on the city. By 1951 he was writing poetry startlingly different from his earlier efforts. In 1949 Toge joined the Japanese Communist Party
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
. His first collection of the atomic bomb works, Genbaku shishu ("Poems of the Atomic Bomb") was published in 1951. Tōge died at the age of 36 in the Operating Room in Hiroshima. His first-hand experience of the bomb, his passion for peace and his realistic insight into the event made him the leading poet in Hiroshima.
See also
- Atomic Bomb LiteratureAtomic bomb literatureis a literary genre in Japanese literature used to describe writing about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This can include diaries, testimonial or documentary accounts, poetry, drama or fictional works based around the bombings....