Daigaku Horiguchi was a writer. He wrote many poems. He also changed French books into Japanese. This helped people learn new ways to write. He loved words from far away. Do you like to read poems?
Daigaku Horiguchi was a writer from Japan. He wrote many poems. He also changed French books into Japanese. This helped people learn new ways to write. He lived in many lands like Mexico and Belgium. This helped him learn the French language. He used new words in his writing. His work changed how people wrote poems in Japan. He won many big prizes for his art. He was a very famous man for his words.
Daigaku Horiguchi was a famous poet from Japan. He was also a great translator. A translator takes words from one language and puts them into another. Horiguchi changed more than 66 French books into Japanese. This helped Japanese readers enjoy new ideas.
He lived in many places. He spent time in Mexico, Belgium, and Brazil. Living in these lands helped him learn French well. He loved French poetry. He brought new styles, like surrealism, to Japan. This changed how people wrote poems in his home country.
In his work, he used everyday Japanese words. He did this to keep the feeling of the original French poems. He wanted the new words to match the old images.
Horiguchi won many big awards. He received the Order of Culture from the Japanese government. He even won the Yomiuri Prize for his work. In 1967, he wrote a poem about fish. Emperor Hirohito liked his poem very much. Horiguchi lived to be 89 years old. He left behind more than 20 books of poetry.
Daigaku Horiguchi was a famous poet and translator from Japan. He lived during the Taishō and Shōwa periods. Horiguchi is very important because he brought French surrealism to Japanese poetry. Surrealism is a style of art and writing that uses strange ideas. He translated the works of over 66 different French authors into Japanese. This helped Japanese readers discover new ways of thinking and feeling. His work changed how people wrote poems in Japan during the 1920s and 1930s.
Learning to translate is a very careful job. Horiguchi did not want to force French poems into old Japanese styles. Instead, he used everyday Japanese words. He did this to keep the original images of the poems clear. He wanted the new words to match the feeling of the French language. This way, the poems felt natural to Japanese readers. He used the flexibility of his own language to capture the spirit of the French writers.
His life was full of travel and learning. He was born in the Hongō neighborhood of Tokyo. His father was a diplomat who worked for the Japanese government. In 1911, Horiguchi left school to travel with his father. He lived in many places like Mexico, Belgium, and Brazil. While in Belgium, he studied French poets like Paul Verlaine. He also lived in Spain, Paris, and Romania. These travels helped him become fluent in the French language.
During his time in Mexico, Horiguchi faced a hard job. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis. This illness made him change his life goals. He stopped trying to become a diplomat like his father wanted. Instead, he decided to focus on writing and translating. He also lived through the Mexican Revolution during this time. Later, he stayed in a sanatorium in Switzerland to rest. While he recovered, he translated works by Thomas Mann.
Throughout his long life, Horiguchi received many honors. He won the Yomiuri Prize in 1959. In 1967, he wrote a poem about fish for a contest. Emperor Hirohito liked the poem very much. The Japanese government gave him the Order of Culture in 1979. He also received the Order of the Sacred Treasures twice. Horiguchi died in March 1981 at the age of 89. He left behind more than 20 books of his own poetry.
Daigaku Horiguchi was a significant Japanese poet and translator. He lived during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan. Horiguchi is most famous for introducing French surrealism to Japanese poetry. Surrealism is an artistic movement that uses unexpected or dream-like imagery. He also translated the works of more than 66 different French authors. His unique approach to translation changed the landscape of modern Japanese literature.
Horiguchi developed a specific method for his translation work. He did not try to force French poems into traditional Japanese formats. Instead, he used colloquial Japanese, which means everyday spoken language. This allowed him to stay closer to the original imagery of the French authors. He combined the flexibility of the Japanese style with the resonance of French. This technique helped the poems feel natural while keeping their original spirit.
His early life was shaped by international travel and study. He was born in the Hongō neighborhood of Tokyo. His father, Horiguchi Kumaichi, was a career diplomat for the Foreign Ministry. In 1911, Horiguchi left school to accompany his father to various overseas postings. During these 14 years abroad, he became fluent in the French language. This fluency was assisted by his Belgian stepmother. He lived in many places, including Mexico, Belgium, Spain, Paris, Brazil, and Romania.
Life was not always easy for Horiguchi during his travels. While living in Mexico, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. This serious illness caused him to change his career path. He abandoned his father's hope for him to become a diplomat. Instead, he devoted his life to writing verse and translating French works. He also experienced the Mexican Revolution during this time. Later, he stayed at a sanatorium in Switzerland to recover. While there, he maintained correspondence with authors like Thomas Mann.
Horiguchi's literary career grew through several important publications. In 1919, he published his first anthology, *Gekko to Pierrot* (Moonlight and Pierrot). After returning to Japan in 1925, he released a collection that introduced Japanese readers to Jean Cocteau and Guillaume Apollinaire. This work influenced Japanese poetry throughout the late 1920s and 1930s. His translation of Paul Morand's *Ouvert la nuit* also impacted the *Shinkankakuha*, or the New Sensation School. He even launched his own poetry magazines, such as *Orpheon*.
As Japan moved toward militarization, Horiguchi made personal choices to express his views. He spoke out against the increasing militarization of the country. Following the National Mobilization Law, he entered self-imposed confinement at a hotel by Lake Nojiri. Even under the watchful eyes of government censors, he continued his translations. During World War II, he was evacuated to Okitsu in Shizuoka. He eventually returned to Tokyo briefly in 1942 to give a eulogy for Akiko Yosano.
In his later years, Horiguchi received many prestigious honors from the Japanese government. He was made a member of the Japan Art Academy in 1957. In 1959, he won the Yomiuri Prize for his work. In 1967, he entered a poetry contest at the Imperial Palace. His poem about fish earned praise from Emperor Hirohito. For his many contributions, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasures twice. In 1979, he received the Order of Culture.
Horiguchi's legacy is found in the more than 20 books of poetry he published. He passed away in March 1981 at the age of 89. His grave is located at the Kamakura Reien cemetery. His work remains a bridge between French and Japanese literary traditions. He proved that translation could be a way to expand a culture's creative boundaries. By using modern language, he helped make foreign ideas feel at home in Japan.
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