Akiko Yosano

Akiko Yosano was a Japanese poet, writer, educator, feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, who was active in the late Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa eras of Japan. She is one of the most noted and controversial female poets of modern Japan, who brought a passionate individualism and sensuality to traditional tanka poetry. She also wrote essays, novels, and criticism, and advocated for women's rights, pacifism, and social reform. She was involved in several literary circles and magazines, and collaborated with her husband, Tekkan Yosano, who was also a poet and editor. She was influenced by Heian-era literature, especially The Tale of Genji, which she translated into modern Japanese. She also studied classical Chinese and French literature, and incorporated elements of both into her poetry. She was a prolific writer, producing more than seventy-five books, including twenty volumes of original poetry. She also founded a private girls' school, Bunka Gakuin, where she taught until her death. She died of a stroke in 1942, at the age of 63.