Tanka by Minoru KONO in Japan (1)

 

Minoru KONO （幸野稔）, Professor Emeritus, Akita University, is a tanka poet.

His tanka was exhibited at the AIU Festival 2010 held on October 10-11 at Akita International University（国際教養大学）.

 

 

Emeritus Professor KONO says in his brief bio as follows:

 

Biodata about KONO Minoru

 

In my high school and university days, I secretly wrote tanka poems and sent some works to be chosen by Akita Sakigake Newspaper Tanka Column once in a while.  After graduating from university in 1961, I became an English teacher.  Then I was encouraged to join Akita Rinkan led by FUJIWARA Eizo.  Under his guidance I tried to compose tanka regularly, but gave up before long.

 

My long slumber as a tanka poet was broken off in summer 1985, when I visited England.  Wordsworth’s world featured by undulating green hills and the Lake District revived poems in my mind.  Thus I contributed my tanka works every month to Kanryu led by ICHINOSEKI Yoshimi and to Seiran led by SHIMADA Shuji.  Thanks to their guidance, I learned to appreciate and compose tanka poems as literature.  After their deaths, however, I found it difficult to maintain the quantity of my tanka composition, and left Kanryu and Seiran after all.

 

Still, composing tanka poems, though unproductively, is one of my favourite pastimes, especially after my retirement from public office in 2004.  Now I am a member of Asahikawa Tanka Study Group, a community-based mini-group.  Gathering once a month, we enjoy discussing each other’s works and study about how to improve tanka expressions.  Why don’t you join us?

 

E-mail: mkono@zpost.plala.or.jp　　　　　

 

 

 

幸野　稔　歌歴

 

　高校生から大学生の頃、秘かに短歌をひねり、秋田さきがけ歌壇に投稿して、時折載せていただいておりました。1961年に大学を卒業後、英語教師となりましたが、『秋田林間』の主宰の藤原永三氏に勧められて同結社に入会しました。氏のご指導のもとで定期的に短歌を作るよう努めましたが、間もなく壁に突き当たり、実作から遠ざかってしまいました。

　転機は1985年夏の英国旅行の折に訪れました。なだらかな緑の丘や湖水地方といったワーズワースの世界は、長く休眠していた私の歌心を呼び覚ましてくれたのです。それから、一関吉美氏主宰の『寒流』と島田修二氏主宰の『青藍』に毎月欠かさずに詠草を送るようにしました。両氏のご指導により、文学としての短歌の鑑賞と実作を学ぶことができました。しかしながら、両氏の死後、私の出詠数を維持するのが困難となり、結局両結社から離れることになりました。

  とは言え、寡作ながら短歌創作は私の趣味の一つであり、特に2004年の定年退職後は最大の心の慰めとなっております。現在は旭川短歌研究会の会員として、こじんまりとした毎月の歌会を楽しみとしております。私達はより良い短歌表現を目指して合評を重ねてきました。皆さんの入会をお待ちしております。

 

 

Emeritus Professor KONO presented his tanka recitation to the audiences at the AIU festival.

 

 

 

Here I present his tanka to you.

 

 

TankaVerse Works                                                拙詠 

KONO, Minoru                                                     幸野　稔

 

 

(1988年 NHK学園短歌東北大会選者特選）

 

The holidays over,

My dear son hurried back                      疾風のごとく帰省子は去りゆきて 

On the wings of the wind,                                  花びらはつかに残る葉桜

Leaving some tiny petals

In the leafy cherry tree.

 

 

Farewell Poems for 2007 AFS                                  2007年度AFS秋田支部

Akita Chapter Recipient Students                            受入生の帰国に際して詠める

 

 

(For Tom from Australia)                                        （オーストラリア年間生トムに）

 

“I love Canberra,

My beautiful hometown,”                               キャンベラは美しい街と語りたる 

Says Tom smiling,                                             愛郷少年トムの笑顔よ 

His student days over

Here in snowy Akita.

 

 

(For Mengying from China)                                    （中国年間生モンインに）

 

It is now so nice

To see you smiling, Mengying,                       懐郷の愁いを見せしモンインは 

A high school girl                                    今ぞ笑顔の少女となれる 

Who used to look homesick

On arriving here in Akita.

 

 

(For Yejee from the Republic of Korea)                   （韓国年間生イェジに）

 

Write a novel, Yejee,                    

Based on your student days                    この町に学びし日日を小説に書き 

Here in Akita                                          給えそを読むまで生きたし

I would like to live

Until I read it.

 

 

(For Julius from USA)                         （アメリカ合衆国セメスター生ジュリアスに）

 

Have a dream, Julius,

Remembering Reverend King,                    差別無き国を目指ししキング師を 

Who aimed at making                             偲びて君も夢を持つべし

Your country a land

Without discrimination.

 

 

Farewell Poems for 2009 AFS                               2009年度AFS秋田支部

Akita Chapter Recipient Students                        受入生の帰国に際して詠める

 

Here is a photo of Luca, Professor Kono, and Julia at the AIU Festival 2009.

 

 

 

(For Luca from Switzerland)                                            （スイス年間生ルカに）

 

His one-year study

In Akita bearing fruit,                     一年(ひととせ)の学び実りて日本語を 

Luca, a Swiss boy,                                                       かくも巧みに操れるルカ

Has now acquired Japanese

With such a wonderful skill.

 

 

(For Daniela from Argentina)                        （アルゼンチン年間生ダニエラに）

 

Smiling all over,

Danie is pounding steamed rice        満面の笑みもて杵(きね)を振り上ぐる

With a mallet,                                                           ダニーと相取りせるホストパパ

Her host daddy beside

Kneading the pounded rice for her.

 

(For Julia from USA)                                  （アメリカ合衆国セメスター生ジュリアに）

 

One of the schoolgirls

Of the holy light, Julia                        小雪舞う駅前広場下校せる

Is walking back home                          光の子らの一人なるジュリア

Through the station plaza,

A light snow dancing about.

 

Composed in November, 2010                           近詠（2010年11月）

 

 

Calling me “Grandpa,”

In a rising tone,                                「ジッタン」と語尾上げわれを呼びながら

A one-year-old boy                                         居間駆け回る一歳の児は

Is running around

In the living room.

 

 

The next posting ‘International Haiku New Year’s Festival 2011 (Part 1)’ appears on January 1, 2011.

I wish you a Happy New Year!

 

 

― Hidenori  Hiruta