Izuru Shinmura’s life as a writer: tanka poems and connections with Yamaguchi

文学者としての新村出 : 短歌、そしてやまぐち

Izuru Shinmura’s life as a writer: tanka poems and connections with Yamaguchi

Creators Yasumitsu Hiroko

A strong light shines on Izuru Shinmura’s illustrious achievements as a linguist and scholar of Japanese, but his achievements as a writer have not received so much attention. The focus of this　paper is therefore on Shinmura’s seldom discussed career as a writer, and particularly from the aspect　of his having been born in Yamaguchi. Shinmura is generally well-known for having been a recipient of the Japanese Order of Culture and　as the editor of the Kōjien dictionary. The general public probably imagines him as being an inflexible　and strict academic giant, but the tanka poems he wrote show his gentler side, with his love of　ornamental plants and the natural world, his dislike of conflict and desire to preserve moderation. He　was a devoted husband, and loved his children and grandchildren, which shows that he was a kind old　man. His admiration for actresses is indicative of his sociable nature.　Although Shinmura was born in Yamaguchi it seems that after he left, he only returned to Yamaguchi on three occasions. Notwithstanding his only having lived in Yamaguchi for a very short period, the fact that he wrote an　essay using Yamaguchi as a motif　indicates that, as far as he was　concerned, Yamaguchi was his　birthplace and it can be said that it　held an unforgettable nostalgia for　him to the end of his life.　Evidence for this is also shown in　the preface he wrote to the posthumous　writings of Yamaguchi writer　Santōka Taneda. Shinmura wrote　that, “We share a connection with the　same place”, and “He helps me to　reminisce about the town where I was　born”.

[ISSN]2189-4825