Takashi Matsumoto (haiku poet)
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese haiku
poet active in Showa period
Japan
.
district of Tokyo
into a family of Noh
theater players of the Hosho school. His stage debut was at the age of eight. From the earliest age, he was devoted to honing his skills as a Noh actor. He also had a strong interest in classical Chinese literature
, calligraphy
and the English language
, and was also fond of popular theater and rakugo
comic storytelling.
While recovering from an illness in 1921, he came across the haiku literary magazine
Hototogisu (magazine). Later, he joined Shippo-kai, a haiku circle predominately for Noh actors and began to study haiku under the famed poet Takahama Kyoshi. At around the age of 20, Matsumoto abandoned the idea of becoming a Noh actor because of his ongoing health problems and turned to composing haiku professionally.
After spending the summer of 1925 recuperating from illness in Kamakura
, Kanagawa Prefecture
, Matsumoto moved there the following year and made it his until 1945. He composed many verses about Kamakura during that period.
In 1929, he joined the Hototogisu
group, where he was acknowledged to be an equal of the much acclaimed Kawabata Bosha.
anthology, Matsumoto Takashi Kushu. This was followed by the haiku anthologies Taka ("Hawk"), Yumi ("Arrow"), Nomori ("Gamekeeper") and the essay collections of Ego no Hana ("Styrax
blossom"), and Kanawa ("Iron Ring")
In 1946, he began his own literary magazine
, Fue ("Flute"). He also wrote a biographical novel
about the late 19th century Noh actor, Hosho Kuro.
Matsumoto died in 1956 at the age of 50.
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
poet active in Showa period
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
Matsumoto was born in the KandaKanda, Tokyo
See also Kanda, Fukuoka and the disambiguation page for Kanda. is a district in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It encompasses about thirty neighborhoods...
district of 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...
into a family of Noh
Noh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
theater players of the Hosho school. His stage debut was at the age of eight. From the earliest age, he was devoted to honing his skills as a Noh actor. He also had a strong interest in classical Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
, calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
and the English language
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...
, and was also fond of popular theater and rakugo
Rakugo
is a Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone sits on the stage, called the . Using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical story...
comic storytelling.
While recovering from an illness in 1921, he came across the haiku literary magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
Hototogisu (magazine). Later, he joined Shippo-kai, a haiku circle predominately for Noh actors and began to study haiku under the famed poet Takahama Kyoshi. At around the age of 20, Matsumoto abandoned the idea of becoming a Noh actor because of his ongoing health problems and turned to composing haiku professionally.
After spending the summer of 1925 recuperating from illness in Kamakura
Kamakura, 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...
, Matsumoto moved there the following year and made it his until 1945. He composed many verses about Kamakura during that period.
In 1929, he joined the Hototogisu
Hototogisu
Hototogisu may refer to:*Lesser Cuckoo , a bird native to Japan*Hototogisu , a literary magazine*Hototogisu , a 1922 Japanese film*Hototogisu , a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System...
group, where he was acknowledged to be an equal of the much acclaimed Kawabata Bosha.
Literary career
In 1935, Matsumoto published his first haikuHaiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
anthology, Matsumoto Takashi Kushu. This was followed by the haiku anthologies Taka ("Hawk"), Yumi ("Arrow"), Nomori ("Gamekeeper") and the essay collections of Ego no Hana ("Styrax
Styrax
Styrax is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern and southeastern Asia, but also crossing the equator in South America...
blossom"), and Kanawa ("Iron Ring")
In 1946, he began his own literary magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
, Fue ("Flute"). He also wrote a biographical novel
Biographical novel
The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional and usually entertaining account of a person's life. This kind of novel concentrates on the experiences a person had during his lifetime, the people he met and the incidents which occurred are detailed and sometimes...
about the late 19th century Noh actor, Hosho Kuro.
Matsumoto died in 1956 at the age of 50.