+24 Niikuni Seiichi (新国誠): Poetic Works
Niikuni Seiichi (新国誠): Poetic Works
Niikuni Seiichi (新国誠): Poetic Works
Niikuni Seiichi (新国誠): Poetic Works
Niikuni Seiichi (新国誠): Poetic Works
Niikuni Seiichi (新国誠): Poetic Works
Niikuni Seiichi (新国誠): Poetic Works
A pioneer in the concrete-poetry movement, Niikuni Seiichi enjoyed success and appreciation in both Japan and Germany. However, his work remains relatively obscure and there are few English language sources of reference for both his biography and his poetic works.
The following column provides a brief introduction to the life and work of Niikuni Seiichi, with additional resources for those interested in diving deeper. I’ve done my best to gather as many of Niikuni’s poetic pieces as possible.
If you are aware of additional pieces that are not included here, or notice any errors, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Life & Death1
Niikuni Seiichi (新国誠) was born on December 7, 1925 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. During his time at technical school he studied architecture before moving on to study English literature at Tohoku Gakuin University. In 1952, one year after graduation, Niikuni began his career as a poet with works published in Hyōga Magazine (氷河 , lit. “glacier”).
His wife, Niikuni Kiyo, often contributed to his work and assisted in picking out the titles for individual works. The title of his first collection, Zero-on (0音), was chosen by Niikuni Kiyo.
Plagued by chest ailments throughout his life, Niikuni Seiichi succumbed to sudden illness and died on August 23, 1977.
Initial Work1
In the fifth issue of Hyōga Magazine, Niikuni published his first poem, ‘Urei wo Paipu ni Tsumete’ ( うれいをパイプにつめて ). Soon after, he published a poetry anthology Zero-on ( 0音 ), a book of 48 pages, with a limited run of 300 copies.
Zero-on is considered to be his most important work. Divided into two halves, the first half consists of calligraphic poetry constructed of kanji in varying sizes, hiragana, and katakana characters placed on the pages with intention regarding their spatiality. This is considered to be Niikuni’s first experiment in visual poetry. The second half consists of aural poetry, and contains a note encouraging readers to read to poems aloud.
Inspirations & Growing Popularity1
Niikuni was influenced by the works of ee cummings, and in 1964 began studying the works of cummings in a dedicated study group. He was also fascinated by surrealism, new objectivity, and existentialism, growing tired of the ‘limiting’ and ’empty’ metaphors often used in poems.
Niikuni’s poetry involved stripping words down to the barest form. He was also particular about carnal expression “such as using sexual kanji like 男女 (danjo, men and women) and 唇 (kuchibiru, lips).”1
As his popularity increased, and his audience widened, Niikuni began incorporating brief English translations alongside each piece to allow non-Japanese speaking audiences to understand the intended message. However, his works were – and often still are – regarded as visual art, a fact that Niikuni himself disliked.
Collaboration With Pierre Garnier2
In 1966, despite never having met in person – and without knowing each other’s language – Niikuni and the French poet Pierre Garnier began exchanging letters, leading to a collaboration on a collection of French-Japanese concrete poems – both visual and audial – , Nichifutsu Shishū ( 日仏詩集 ).
Their friendship lasted until Niikuni’s death in 1977.
The following audial poem published in 1970, Kuchibiru To Shitto (Lips And Jealousy) combines elements of both Japanese and French in visual and audial format:3
Legacy1
With his death in 1977, the concrete poetry movement in Japan came to a close, and his work was all but forgotten until 2008 when a retrospective exhibition was held at the National Museum of Art in Osaka, drawing public attention to his work once more.
He is also considered to be a fundamental influence in the creation of ASCII art, which uses characters as material to create images.
Works & References1
Poetry anthologies and writings
- Zero-on ( 0音 ) (1963, Shōshinsha )
- This was the only poetry anthology released while Niikuni was still alive.
- Nichifutsu Shishū ( 日仏詩集 ) (1966, published by André Silvaire)
- Collaborative work with Pierre Garnier.
- Niikuni Seiichi Shishū ( 新國誠一詩集 ) (1979)
- A compilation published by Yasuo Fujitomi , Hiroo Uemura and Shōji Yoshizawa .
- Niikuni Seiichi works 1952-1977 ( 新国誠一 works 1952-1977 ) (2008, Shichōsha )
- In addition to including the entirety of Zero-on, this compilation also includes aural poetry.
Major works
- Kan ( 姦 ) (1965)
- Kawa mata wa Shū ( 川または州 ) (1966)
- Yami ( 闇 ) (1966)
- Ame ( 雨 ) (1966)
- Hansen ( 反戦 ) (1970)
- Sawaru ( 触る ) (1972)
Critique and essays
- Kūkan Shugi Tōkyō Sengensho ( 空間主義東京宣言書 ) in the 3rd issue of ASA
- Metafā no Koto ( メタファーのこと ) in the 29th issue of Mugen ( 無限 ) (August 1972)
EP records
- Kūkan Shugi no Onseishi ( 空間主義の音声詩 ) released by Columbia in 1971
- This was an EP record of aural poetry. Pierre Garnier’s wife Ilse also joined in the making of the record. In 2000, Chabashira Records re-released it in CD format.
- Jinruigaku ( 人類学 ) (Pierre Garnier)
- Kuchibiru to Shitto ( くちびるとしっと ) (Seiichi Niikuni)
Further Reading
Interlingual Encounter in Pierre Garnier and Niikuni Seiichi’s French-Japanese Concrete Poetry
