Takuboku Ishikawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Takuboku Ishikawa
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| Born | February 20, 1886 |
| Died | April 13, 1912 (aged 26) |
| Other names | 石川 啄木 |
| Occupation | Poet |
Takuboku Ishikawa (石川 啄木, Ishikawa Takuboku, February 20, 1886 – April 13, 1912) was a famous Japanese poet. He wrote two main types of poems: tanka and "modern-style" poems. Tanka are short Japanese poems with 31 syllables. Modern-style poems, also called "free-style," have no strict rules.
Takuboku started writing with a group of poets who focused on nature. Later, he joined a group interested in social issues. He became very well-known for his unique writing style. Sadly, he died young from tuberculosis, a serious lung disease.
Contents
Takuboku's Famous Works
Takuboku Ishikawa wrote several important books of poetry and kept detailed diaries. These works help us understand his life and feelings.
Poetry Collections
His main poetry books are collections of tanka poems:
- Akogare (meaning "Admiration") published in 1905.
- Ichiaku no Suna (meaning "A Handful of Sand") published in 1910. This book is very famous.
- Kanashiki Gangu (meaning "Sad Toys") was published in 1912, after he passed away.
His Secret Diaries
Takuboku wrote some of his diaries using a special way of writing Japanese. He used Latin script (like the English alphabet) instead of Japanese characters. He did this so his wife could not read them!
A Look at Takuboku's Life
Takuboku Ishikawa lived a short but busy life. Here are some important moments:
- 1886: He was born on February 20 in a temple in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. His father was a priest.
- 1891: He started elementary school.
- 1898: He began attending Morioka Middle School.
- 1899: He published his first small literary booklet, made by hand.
- 1900: He started a group to study English. He also published his own magazine and fell in love with Setsuko Horiai.
- 1901: His tanka poems were printed in a newspaper for the first time. He used the pen name "Suiko."
- 1902: He dropped out of middle school to focus on writing. He went to Tokyo and met famous poets like Tekkan and Akiko Yosano.
- 1903: He started using the pen name "Takuboku" for the first time.
- 1904: He wrote articles about the Russo-Japanese War for a newspaper.
- 1905: His first poetry book, Akogare, was published. He married Setsuko Horiai.
- 1906: He worked as a substitute teacher. He also wrote a novel that was not published until after his death.
- 1907: He worked as a teacher and a reporter in Hakodate. He met Chieko Tachibana, who inspired many of his poems in A Handful of Sand. He lost his jobs due to a big fire and moved to other cities.
- 1908: He worked for another newspaper and then moved to Tokyo.
- 1909: He became a proofreader for the famous Asahi Shimbun newspaper. He also started a literary magazine called Subaru.
- 1910: His most famous book of tanka, Ichiaku no Suna (A Handful of Sand), was published.
- 1911: He moved because of his health.
- 1912: In March, his mother passed away. Takuboku himself died on April 13 from tuberculosis. He was only 26 years old. His second book of tanka, Kanashiki Gangu (Sad Toys), was published after his death.
- 1926: A grave was built for him by his brother-in-law and a librarian.
- 1988: An asteroid was named 4672 Takuboku in his honor.
Images for kids
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Takuboku Ishikawa and his wife Setsuko after their engagement in 1904
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Friend Kyōsuke Kindaichi (left) and Takuboku Ishikawa (right) in 1908
See also
In Spanish: Takuboku Ishikawa para niños
