BEGINNING THE FUTURE Shuntaro Tanikawa × MEIDENSHA

In 2017, we will celebrate our 120th anniversary. As a junction between past and
future, we asked Shuntaro Tanikawa, a Japan's most legendary poet, himself once
an "electric boy," to create an original poem for the occasion.

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©Mizuho Fukahori

Shuntaro Tanikawa (1931-   )
1931 - Born in Tokyo. Poet.
1952 - Published his first collection of poetry, Two Billion Light-Years of Solitude
(Nijyuoku Konen no Kodoku).
1962 - Won the 4th Japan Records Award for Lyrics with "A Song of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday(Getsu Ka Sui Moku Kin
Do Nichi no Uta)".
1975 - Won the Japan Translation Cultural Award for Songs of Mother Goose (Maza Gusu no Uta).
1982 - Won the 34th Yomiuri Literary Prize for A Map of Days (Hibi no Chizu).
1993 - Won the first Sakutaro Hagiwara Prize for The Naif (Sekenshirazu).
2010 - Won the First Nobuo Ayukawa Prize for Tromsө Collage.
He has written many books and received many awards. In addition to poetry, he has created many diverse pieces, including picture books, essays, translations, scripts, and lyrics. In recent years, he has been engaging with new ways to expand the possibilities of poetry, including the poetry app "Tanikawa" for the iPhone, and "Poemail," which sends poetry through the mail.