The First Modern Japanese: The Life of Ishikawa Takuboku

Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture

by Donald Keene

Many books in Japanese have been devoted to the poet and critic Ishikawa Takuboku (1886–1912). Although he died at the age of twenty-six and wrote many of his best-known poems in the space of a few years, his name is familiar to every literate Japanese. Takuboku's early death added to the sad romance of the unhappy poet, but there has been no satisfactory biography of his life or career, even in Japanese, and only a small part of his writings have been translated. His mature poetry was based on the work of no predecessor, and he left no disciples. Takuboku stands unique.

Takuboku's most popular poems, especially those with a humorous overlay, are often read and memorized, but his diaries and letters, though less familiar, contain rich and vivid glimpses of the poet's thoughts and experiences. They reflect the outlook of an unconstrained man who at times behaved in a startling or even shocking manner. Despite his misdemeanors, Takuboku is regarded as a national poet, all but a saint to his admirers, especially in the regions of Japan where he lived. His refusal to conform to the Japan of the time drove him in striking directions and ranked him as the first poet of the new Japan.

Genres: Japan, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Japanese Literature, Poetry

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 27, 2016

About the author

Donald Keene was a renowned American-born Japanese scholar, translator, and historian of Japanese literature. Born in Brooklyn in 1922, he developed a love for foreign cultures early in life. He graduated from Columbia University in 1942 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he studied Japanese at the Navy Language School. After the war, he returned to Columbia for his master’s and later earned a second master’s at Cambridge, followed by a PhD from Columbia in 1949. He studied further at Kyoto University and became a leading authority on Japanese literature.
Keene taught at Columbia University for over fifty years and published extensively in both English and Japanese, introducing countless readers to Japanese classics. His mentors included Ryusaku Tsunoda and Arthur Waley, whose translations deeply influenced him. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Keene retired from Columbia, moved to Japan, and became a Japanese citizen under the name Kīn Donarudo. He was awarded the Order of Culture in 2008, the first non-Japanese recipient. Keene remained active in literary and cultural life in Japan until his death in 2019 at the age of 96.

Reviews

[Danlin Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can feel the admiration from Donald Keene, as he manages to tell the life story of Takuboku in such a beautiful and almost lyrical way. I personally enjoy Takuboku's poetry very much, and reading his biography indeed deepens my understanding of his works. A fusawashii life for a young man, in an new era, who were born to be among the best poets ever.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

As this is the only in-depth biography of Takuboku Ishikawa (the world's greatest poet) in the English language, it is invaluable. But it is also surprisingly readable, moving, and fascinating. Thanks, Donald Keene!

[Leo David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sour ending, more to come soon…