13 Facts About Kyoshi Takahama

Kyoshi Takahama was a Japanese poet active during the Showa period of Japan.

Kyoshi Takahama's real name was Takahama Kiyoshi; Kyoshi was a pen name given to him by his mentor, Masaoka Shiki.

Kyoshi Takahama grew up in this rural environment, which influenced his affinity with nature.

Kyoshi Takahama became acquainted with Masaoka Shiki via a classmate, Kawahigashi Hekigoto.

Kyoshi Takahama's descendants include his son, the composer, Tomojiro Ikenouchi and great-granddaughter and cellist, Kristina Reiko Cooper.

In 1898, Kyoshi Takahama came to manage the haiku magazine Hototogisu, which had been previously edited by Shiki, and moved the headquarters of the magazine from Matsuyama to Tokyo.

Kyoshi Takahama attached importance to the symbolic function of the kigo, and he tried to exclude the more modern trend towards season-less haiku completely.

In 1908, Kyoshi Takahama began a full-length novel, Haikaishi, which appeared in newspapers in serialized form.

Kyoshi Takahama wrote 40,000 to 50,000 haiku in his lifetime, which appeared in anthologies such as Kyoshi Takahama-kushu and Gohyaku-ku.

Kyoshi Takahama encouraged his second daughter Hoshino Tatsuko to publish her own haiku magazine, Tamamo.

Kyoshi Takahama moved to Kamakura in 1910 for his children's health and a fresh start for himself, and lived there for nearly 50 years until his death.

Kyoshi Takahama's grave is at the temple of Jufuku-ji in Kamakura.

Kyoshi Takahama was posthumously awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class, by the Japanese government.