Inoue Kenkabo
Encyclopedia
was the pen-name of a journalist and writer of senryū
(short, humorous verse) in late Meiji
, Taishō
and early Shōwa period
Japan
. His real name was Inoue Koichi.
city, Yamaguchi prefecture
, as the son of an ex-samurai
of the Chōshū domain. He was largely self-educated.
After working part time as an elementary school teacher and a reporter for a local newspaper, he moved to Tokyo
in 1900 and began writing the arts column for the literary magazine
, Myogi. Three years later, he joined the Nihon Shimbun newspaper as a reporter. Using the pen name, "Kenkabō", he began a column called Shindai yanagidaru, which advocated a new style of senryū poetry.
called Senryū. After retiring from working as an employee of the Nihon Shimbun newspaper, Inoue continued to manage the senryū columns of the Kokumin Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun
newspapers and later resurrected Senryū in 1912, renaming it Taishō Senryū, to mark the beginning of the new Taishō period
.
With the arrival of the Shōwa period
in 1926, he again changed the name of the magazine, this time to Senryūjin.
He also wrote the essays, Proletariat Literature and Bourgeois Literature, and Senryū ōdō ron ("Royal Way of Senryū"), and contributed pieces to the magazines, Nihon oyobi Nihonjin (Japan and the Japanese) and Kaizō ("Reconstruction").
Inoue's senryū are characterized by their grandeur and generosity. Inoue had disciples all around Japan, including Kawakami Santaro, Murata Shugyo and "Kijiro" (novelist Yoshikawa Eiji's senryū pen name). His works include Shin senryū rokusen ku ("Six Thousand New Senryū"), Senryū o tsukuru hito ni ("For Senryū Poets") and Ko senryū shinzui ("The Essence of Classical Senryū").
While staying at the temple of Kencho-ji
in Kamakura
, he suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage on September 8, 1934. He died three days later, and his grave is at that temple.
Senryu
is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 or fewer total morae . Senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious...
(short, humorous verse) in late Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, Taishō
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...
and early Shōwa 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...
. His real name was Inoue Koichi.
Early life
Inoue was born in HagiHagi, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan and was incorporated as a city on July 1, 1932. Formerly part of Abu District.On March 6, 2005, the former city of Hagi merged with the towns of Susa and Tamagawa, and the villages of Asahi, Fukue, Kawakami and Mutsumi to form the new city of Hagi.Iwami Airport...
city, Yamaguchi prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
, as the son of an ex-samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
of the Chōshū domain. He was largely self-educated.
After working part time as an elementary school teacher and a reporter for a local newspaper, he moved 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...
in 1900 and began writing the arts column for the 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...
, Myogi. Three years later, he joined the Nihon Shimbun newspaper as a reporter. Using the pen name, "Kenkabō", he began a column called Shindai yanagidaru, which advocated a new style of senryū poetry.
Literary career
In 1905, Inoue founded a poetry group called Ryusonji Senryū Kai, which brought out its own short-lived literary magazineLiterary 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...
called Senryū. After retiring from working as an employee of the Nihon Shimbun newspaper, Inoue continued to manage the senryū columns of the Kokumin Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
newspapers and later resurrected Senryū in 1912, renaming it Taishō Senryū, to mark the beginning of the new 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...
.
With the arrival of the Shōwa 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...
in 1926, he again changed the name of the magazine, this time to Senryūjin.
He also wrote the essays, Proletariat Literature and Bourgeois Literature, and Senryū ōdō ron ("Royal Way of Senryū"), and contributed pieces to the magazines, Nihon oyobi Nihonjin (Japan and the Japanese) and Kaizō ("Reconstruction").
Inoue's senryū are characterized by their grandeur and generosity. Inoue had disciples all around Japan, including Kawakami Santaro, Murata Shugyo and "Kijiro" (novelist Yoshikawa Eiji's senryū pen name). His works include Shin senryū rokusen ku ("Six Thousand New Senryū"), Senryū o tsukuru hito ni ("For Senryū Poets") and Ko senryū shinzui ("The Essence of Classical Senryū").
While staying at the temple of Kencho-ji
Kencho-ji
Kenchō-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which ranks first among Kamakura's so-called Five Great Zen Temples and is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan. These temples were at the top of the Five Mountain System, a network of Zen temples started by the Hōjō...
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...
, he suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage on September 8, 1934. He died three days later, and his grave is at that temple.