Hoza Ozaki - Ozaki Hoza

Japanese: 尾崎放哉 - おざき・ほうさい

Year of death: April 17, 1926
Year of birth: January 20, 1885 (Meiji 18)
A haiku poet from the Taisho period. His real name was Hideo, and his first pen name was Yoshiya. He was born in Tachikawa-cho, Tottori City, as a descendant of the Tottori clan's samurai. He was the second son of Shinzo and Naka. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Tokyo Imperial University. He started composing haiku in middle school, and participated in the haiku club of Ogiwara Seisen-sui at Ichiko. After graduating from university, he joined the Toyo Life Insurance Company and followed the elite course, but left the company in 1920. One theory is that this was due to his bad drinking habits. In 1911, he went to Korea to become the manager of the newly established Korea Fire and Marine Insurance Company, but was unable to keep his promise of abstaining from alcohol and resigned, wandering around Manchuria (northeastern China) with his wife. After returning to Japan, he entered Ittoen in Kyoto alone and began a life of service as a geza (low-ranking priest). In 1913, he moved to Chion-in Josho-ji Temple and was reunited with Seisen-sui, but he was unable to settle down and moved from one temple to another. In 1914, through an introduction from Seisen-sui, he became the head hermit of Nango-an, Ojisan Renge-in Saiko-ji Okunoin, Tonosho-cho, Shodoshima. This became his place of tranquility, and he spent his days engrossed in composing haiku, despite his poverty. Hosai had been submitting free-style haiku to the haiku magazine Soun since 1916, but most of the short-style haiku considered his masterpieces were written in his later years. "Even when I cough, I'm alone," "I wander around behind the grave," "If I wash the soles of my feet, they become white." He expressed his existence through his physical senses. This is where Hosai's individuality lies, and the reality of his haiku is also found there. The vast number of letters he left behind also reflect the haiku poet as he was in his honest and concise expressions. <Works> "Ozora," "Collected Letters of Hosai," "Complete Works of Ozaki Hosai" <References> Ose Toji, "The Poetry and Life of Ozaki Hosai"

(Noriko Hiraishi)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：昭和1.4.17(1926)
生年：明治18.1.20(1885)
大正時代の俳人。本名秀雄。初号芳哉。鳥取藩士族の末裔として鳥取市立川町に生まれる。信三,仲の次男。東京帝大法学部卒。中学時代より句作を始め,荻原井泉水の一高俳句会に参加。大学卒業後は東洋生命保険会社に入社し,エリートコースを歩んだが,大正9(1920)年退社。一説には酒癖の悪さのためだといわれる。11年には新設の朝鮮火災海上保険会社の支配人として現地に赴いたが,禁酒の約束を守れず退職,満州(中国東北部)各地を妻と流浪した。帰国後は単身京都の一灯園に入り,下座奉仕の生活を始める。13年には智恩院常称寺に移り,井泉水と再会したが,その後も落ち着くことができず諸所の寺を転々とした。14年に井泉水の紹介で小豆島土庄町の王子山蓮華院西光寺奥ノ院南郷庵の庵主となる。ここが安住の地となり,貧しいなかにも句作三昧の生活を送った。放哉は大正5年より俳句雑誌『層雲』に自由律俳句を投句していたが,代表作とされる短律のものはほとんど晩年に作られている。「咳をしても一人」「墓のうらに廻る」「足のうら洗へば白くなる」。彼は自分の存在を,身体感覚を通して表現した。そこに放哉の個性があり,彼の句の持つリアリティーもそこによっている。また彼の残した膨大な書簡は,素直で端的な表現のなかに等身大の俳人を映し出しているといえるだろう。<著作>『大空』『放哉書簡集』『尾崎放哉全集』<参考文献>大瀬東二『尾崎放哉の詩とその生涯』

(平石典子)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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