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Isamu Yoshii

Yoshii Isamu, tanka poet and playwright, was born in Tokyo in 1886. He 
dropped out of Waseda University and joined the Tokyo Shin-shi Sha (Tokyo 
New Poetry Society) in 1905 and published his tanka verses in the society ofs 
magazine, Myojo (Morning Star). Later he left the society to form a new 
group, Pan no Kai, with Kitahara Hakushu and became known for his wide 
contribution to the aesthetic movement in literature. In 1909, under the 
patronage of Mori Ogai, Yoshii brought out a new magazine, Subaru, with 
Ishikawa Takuboku and was responsible for the editorial side. The following 
year, he published his first collection of tanka, "Sake hogai," describing the 
joys and sorrows of drinking and sexual desire. This established his name 
firmly in tanka circles and was followed by other anthologies such as 
"Sakujitsu made" (Until yesterday), "Gion kashu" (Gion verses), and 
"Ningen kyo." He died in 1960 at the age of 74.


in
" Os Mais Belos Sonetos que o Amor Inspirou"
  J.G . de  Araujo Jorge - Vol. II - 1a ed.   1966

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