Graduation Thesis Presentation “The Evolution of Susukida Kyukin’s Poetry and His Attitude Toward Writing Poetry”～ A study by Sora Arizuka, a literature lover and bundle of curiosity. Did Kyukin’s poetry really “decline”?

The hometown of graduation thesis presenter Sora Arizuka is Tsurajima-cho, Kurashiki City.
In elementary school, she encountered a poem by poet Susukida Kyukin, who was also from Tsurajima-cho, and became interested in his work. She studied him from high school through university, completing her graduation thesis in January 2024.

Arizuka had taken part in community activities organized by Mizushima Park Management Lab (hereafter, “MPM Lab.”), and this connection led to the planning of a graduation thesis presentation, held on March 9, 2024.

Here, we introduce the graduation thesis presentation by Arizuka, who was also active as a university student writer for Kurashiki Tocotoco.

Introducing presenter Sora Arizuka

First, an introduction to presenter Sora Arizuka.

【Presenter Profile】

A devoted lover of literature and music. COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) emerged at the same time as the university entrance exams. Although university life began without being able to attend campus, she ventured out into the community and took part in a variety of initiatives. She also contributed to community revitalization events in Mizushima. In addition, during university she played in a band (on drums) and worked as a student writer. After graduating, she found a job in her hometown. As a next-generation “community member” who will help shape the future of the town, she is expected to achieve even more.

From the flyer for the graduation thesis presentation, “The Evolution of Susukida Kyukin’s Poetry and His Approach to Writing”

Who was Susukida Kyukin?

Susukida Kyukin, whom Arizuka chose as the subject of her graduation thesis, was a poet, editor, and essayist from Oe-Tsurajima Village, Asakuchi District, Okayama Prefecture (now Tsurajima-cho, Kurashiki City).

The Kurashiki City website introduces him as follows:

He was born on May 19, 1877, the eldest son of Tokutaro and Ritsu.
The Susukida family had many members who enjoyed literature, and Kyukin was also an exceptionally bright boy who loved reading. He submitted poems and prose to magazines from his days at Tsurajima Higher Elementary School.
In 1894, at the age of 17, he moved to Tokyo. While studying at Chinese classics schools and elsewhere, he read extensively in Japanese, Chinese, and Western books at the Ueno Library, educating himself. The knowledge he gained at this time would shape his later literary work.
In 1897, at the age of 20, he published 13 poems of varying lengths in the literary magazine Shinchoku Gekkan, under the title “Hana Mitsu ni Shite Kakurete Miegatashi” (“Flowers, Abundant and Hidden from Sight”), earning high praise. This was the first time he used the pen name Kyukin.
In 1899, at the age of 22, he published his first collection of poetry, Botekishu. This was followed by Yuku Haru in 1901 and Shira Tamahime in 1905. He also published Nijugogen, which included the poem “Standing Beneath the Ginkgo Tree.” As the leading poet after Shimazaki Toson, he reached the pinnacle of the Meiji poetry world.
“If Only I Were in Yamato” (Aa Yamato ni Shi Aramashikaba), published in the autumn of 1905, is considered one of the finest poems and was beloved by many young people.
His 1906 collection of poetry Hakuyukyu brought together all of Kyukin’s work as he entered his mature period. After this, he gradually shifted his focus from poetry to prose, but his major achievement was advancing the new-style poem (poetry in a fixed meter using literary language).
In August 1912, he joined the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun. His essay series Chawa, which ran in the Mainichi Shimbun from 1916, was well received. He published the essay collections Chawa in 1916, Ato no Chawa in 1918, and Shin Chawa in 1919.
Kyukin’s works captivated many readers; he was both widely learned and a gifted storyteller.
At the time, he also actively discovered emerging writers such as Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Kikuchi Kan, contributing to the development of the literary world.
In 1923, ill health effectively forced him to leave the Mainichi Shimbun. He continued writing while battling Parkinson’s disease, but his symptoms gradually worsened. In 1945, he returned to this house, where he had spent his sensitive boyhood, and died at the age of 68.

From Kurashiki City Cultural Promotion Division, “Cultural Figures with Ties to Kurashiki”

Graduation Thesis Presentation: The Evolution of Susukida Kyukin’s Poetry and His Approach to Writing

The presentation began with opening remarks by Akira Furukawa, representative director of MPM Lab., who has been close to Arizuka for some time.

The thesis was titled “The Evolution of Susukida Kyukin’s Poetry and His Approach to Writing.”

After writing a literary critique of Susukida Kyukin in her third year of high school, she decided to study his poetry. She went on to Okayama University, where a professor who researched Susukida Kyukin would later become her mentor.

Because there was little prior research on Susukida Kyukin’s poetry, she reportedly struggled with the topic right up to the deadline before managing to bring the thesis together.

Four representative works selected for the thesis

From among Kyukin’s many poetry collections, the thesis selected four, including Hakuyukyu, regarded as the culmination of his poetic career.

We can see that he experimented in various ways, including with poetic forms (different meters).

Susukida Kyukin was a popular poet of his time

Susukida Kyukin was reportedly popular both in literary circles and in society at large.

• In literary circles, Kanbara Ariake, Yosano Tekkan, and Maeda Ringai published poems influenced by “Standing Beneath the Ginkgo Tree” (included in Nijugogen).
• In society at large, the first edition of Botekishu sold out in less than two months and went through three printings. The first edition of Yuku Haru sold out on its release day and went through four printings. In particular, records attest to the popularity of “Standing Beneath the Ginkgo Tree,” which also influenced literary circles.

Here, we introduce some examples that illustrate his popularity.

Popularity in literary circles

The presentation introduced “Standing Beneath the Ginkgo Tree,” included in Susukida Kyukin’s Nijugogen, and “The Song of the Fallen White Birch” by Yosano Tekkan, who was influenced by it.

The similarities in poetic expression, along with descriptions of Mt. Nagi, Mt. Akagi, and war, make it clear that the poem was an influence.

Popularity in society

The presentation also introduced how “Standing Beneath the Ginkgo Tree” was received by the general public.

People were moved that Susukida Kyukin, the leading figure from their hometown, had written a poem celebrating their region. Records tell of people who carved a passage from the poem into the trunk of a giant tree at Bodai-ji Temple on the slopes of Mt. Nagi, and others who collected its leaves to use as bookmarks in their poetry collections.

This is one of the anecdotes that offers a glimpse of the fervor for poetry, something difficult to imagine today.

Did Kyukin’s poetry really “decline”? His poetry after “Hakuyukyu”

Previous research has judged that Susukida Kyukin’s poetry declined after Hakuyukyu. Arizuka questioned whether it had really “declined,” and presented and summarized Kyukin’s later poetry and essays.

Susukida Kyukin’s dedication to poetry

Susukida Kyukin’s poetry and other works after Hakuyukyu include the following:

The presentation also introduced two sources that show how deeply Susukida Kyukin devoted himself to poetry.
His actions and thoughts—such as “sinking a poetry collection in the Arashiyama Gorge as an offering to the water deity,” “the work of poetry must be done alone,” and “I would not mind wasting away”—reveal an extraordinary, almost obsessive determination.

I believe it was in late spring of the following year, 1902. I dedicated a volume of Yuku Haru to the water deity of the Arashiyama Gorge, and, wishing to bury the dreams of my youth, hired a boat and floated out onto a deep pool in the Hozu River. I once tied the poetry collection crosswise with the strings of a koto, attached a stone weight, and sank it deep beneath the water.
(Omitted)
Looking back, from the very beginning of my journey to the land of poetry, I was all alone, with not a single companion. I traveled entirely alone. I believed that the work of the land of poetry had to be done by me alone.

(From “Afterword,” Volume 2 of The Complete Works of Susukida Kyukin)

This shows that around the time Hakuyukyu was published, around 1906, Kyukin wrote in a letter to Yosano Tekkan that “I would not mind wasting away for the revival of classical language.” Even in the year he married, he was still so passionate about writing poetry.

(From the graduation thesis materials)

Conclusion

Based on the above, Arizuka reached the following conclusion:

Previous research has described Kyukin’s poetry from the 40s of the Meiji era onward as having “declined.” In response to the question of whether it really declined, the circumstances surrounding the publication of his poems and accounts of his attitude toward writing suggest that, rather than declining, he may have continued writing poetry while changing his style.

From the graduation thesis presentation

Questions for Sora Arizuka

We spoke with presenter Sora Arizuka about what led her to research Susukida Kyukin. Here, we also summarize questions from participants at the graduation thesis presentation.

What first introduced you to Susukida Kyukin?

Arizuka (honorific omitted)

At Kurashiki Municipal Tsurajima Higashi Elementary School, which I attended, children from nearby elementary and junior high schools gathered every year for events where they recited Susukida Kyukin’s poems. We also recited his poems at school performances. That was how I first encountered him.

So you grew up in an environment where Susukida Kyukin’s poetry felt close to you. What do you find appealing about his poems?

Arizuka

I like the sound and rhythm of the words in his poems. When I read them, I really feel that “the words have a resonance you don’t find in poetry today.” I think the content is difficult, but you don’t have to focus only on the content—you can enjoy the poems from many different angles. That’s one of their appeals.

Do you have a favorite poem by Susukida Kyukin?

Arizuka

I first read Kyukin’s poems when I was in elementary school. I still remember and love several poems from Lullaby, which I read then. Among his short poems, I like one called Good Morning.

I can’t remember which collection the longer poem was in, but it’s Longing for Love, which I read in a complete works edition when I was in high school. I remember thinking it was a very beautiful poem.

Was anything particularly difficult in your research?

Arizuka

In his later years, Susukida Kyukin began writing essays, and there is a great deal of prior research on them. However, as I mentioned today, there is little prior research on his poetry. Perhaps that is because his symbolist poems are difficult to understand and complex.

At first, I considered choosing a poem that interested me and writing my thesis by studying it in depth, but I kept deliberating until the last minute.
Previous studies have focused on the trends in each poetry collection, and I couldn’t find any that developed an argument by looking at Kyukin’s poetic career as a whole.

I think it was good that, in this thesis, I examined the trends and characteristics of his poetry in chronological order and brought everything together with an overview of the whole.

This may touch on the social status of people considered poets at the time, but how do you view Susukida Kyukin’s position in society back then?

Arizuka

I haven’t yet managed to fully understand the prior research describing the position of poets at the time, but looking at Susukida Kyukin’s activities, I don’t think being a poet was a high-status occupation.

For example, this may not be directly about social status, but there are records of his family worrying about him when he returned to his family home, saying that he was “writing poetry without even having a job.”

This may be a different aspect of his position, but as for whom he was writing for, I feel that people who loved literature were his main audience. Susukida Kyukin made his debut when a poem he submitted was published in the new-style poetry section of the literary magazine Shincho Gekkan.

I read that Goto Chugai, an editor at the magazine, praised the content of Kyukin’s poem and the beauty of his handwriting, which led to his debut. So I imagine he may have thought, “Rather than appealing to everyone, it’s enough to reach the people it resonates with.”

Could you tell us how literature contributes to society?

Arizuka

I don’t think literature contributes much to society, especially in the modern era.

For that period, I imagine people wrote novels and other literature not so much because they “wanted to help someone,” but rather “to express themselves”, and then their work sold when they published it.

If we apply this to the present day, reading something written by another person is meaningful as an “experience that lets you see a world you’ve never seen before.” So I do think there is something in literature that can bring something to society.

It’s difficult to answer what literature contributes to society, but personally, I think of it as one “tool for learning about diverse perspectives beyond your own.”

From the Writer

Hiramatsu-sensei, Arizuka’s mentor who invited her to join the literary club when she was in her first year of high school, also attended the graduation thesis presentation.
Hiramatsu-sensei said that when Arizuka was in the photography club, he asked her, “Would you like to write a literary critique about Susukida Kyukin’s poetry?”

Hiramatsu-sensei fondly recalled that Arizuka was “crazy about literature” and “full of curiosity, able to find anything interesting.” His cheerful stories about her high school days left a strong impression.

Presenter Sora Arizuka graduated from the Department of Humanities, Faculty of Letters, Okayama University, in March 2024, and started working for a company in Kurashiki City in April. She is now thriving in her career.

Sora Arizuka first encountered Susukida Kyukin in elementary school. We look forward to her research on Kyukin, which she pursued through high school and university, continuing and being presented again. We would also be delighted if this article inspires readers to take an interest in Susukida Kyukin, the poet from our hometown.

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