Bokusui Wakayama (若山 牧水) was the pen-name of Shigeru Wakayama (若山 繁), a Japanese author noted for his poetry in pre-World War II Japan.

Life

Wakayama was born in Togo, Miyazaki, (now part of the city of Hyūga) as the eldest son of a doctor. He became interested in poetry from middle school, taking the name of "Bokusui" from the age of 18. He entered Waseda University in 1904, where one of his classmates was Hakushu Kitahara. After graduation, he was hired by the Chuo Shimbun newspaper in 1909, but quit after only five months. He decided to devote himself to poetry, and became a disciple of Saishū Onoe. He traveled all over Japan and Korea, composing many tanka about the places he visited. He settled in Numazu, Shizuoka in 1920. He also loved sake, and heavy drinking eventually resulted in cirrhosis of the liver. He died in 1928. Before he died he wrote a death haiku that reads:

Works

Poetry books