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Born in Shoe. The authority of sculpture in Buzen city.
He was a member of famous Nitten (Japan Arts Exhibition).
As a a child he was called Takumi but his real name was Sokou.
His father, Seijiro, was a carpenter of shrine architecture. His brother
Noboru was sculptor too.
His work "Daichi (mother earth)" decorate in the mayor's office.
Sokou studied under Tetsuya Mizutani, sculptor and professor of Tokyo Arts
School and the year after he entered the sculpture department of the school.
In 1928 he was first selected for an exhibition of Teiten. But at that
time he had no studio.
Mr.Tomoeda (born in Buzen) asked his friends to give Nakano a studio.
Sokou had three phases in his work: realistic bronze symbolized youth and
hope, realistic busts of celebrities; and traditional wooden masks(gorgeously
colored Noh masks).
His pieces are rich in spiritual fragrance.
Now there are some his works in Buzen city.
"Toshi (fighting spirit)" and "Seinen (youth)"in
the Buzen city office. "Kibou (hope)"
in the city gym. A statue of the young "Myojo (Venus)"
and a bust of "Old man Isao Kanzaki"
in front of the city hall. The "Masumaru
Masuda" bust in the Joen temple.
Born in Mikekado as Sadakichi Hisatsune. He
adopted his pen name Hare Kubo.
He moved to Moji, Kitakyushu city in 1925.
He studied Haiku poetry and worked at in insurance company.
Haiku pen name; "Ku" from his family name, "Bo" from
the insurance company and "HARE" from the god Amaterasu-Omikami.
In Kitakyushu he belonged to "Seagull",
"Kazunoko", "We", Haiku
Literature", "Spring Current",
"Mekari" Haiku associations.
He contributed to central Japanese Haiku
with, "Flagship", "Furyujin".
After the war he wrote in "Summer Grass"(under superintendent
Seiton Yamaguchi), "Young Bud", and "Winter Grass".
In local Moji he contributed to the world
of Haiku Literature. For example he was the
lecturer of Moji Senior High Women School,
the Chairman of Kitakyushu Literature Reporting
Union, Haiku selector of NHK Kumamoto Broadcasting,
and the chairman of Haiku union in Moji,
chairman of Kitakyushu Haiku Establishment
Committee.
He got a prize for distinguished service of Kitakyushu Education, Union
prize of All Nippon Haiku Rally, and a prize from the Minister of Education.
"Sentei
Haiku-Shu" was published in 1984 dedicated to Akama Shrine in Yamaguchi
city. It contains 333 poems about his lifetime expenses.
Mekari bi ya utata katamuku kai no umi
"Flickering fire of Mekari Shrine reflects on the sea of the strait"
Burning torch reflect on 1200 year tradition
of the Kanmon Strait.
The early morning of the first day in the old calendar an old rite "Mekari
Shinji" is held. This involves cropping seaweed by using sickles,
wooden buckets and torches. It takes place in February, the cold season.
After cropping seaweed participates dedicate to the god.
This monument was erected on Marine day July 20th in the year of 1950.
It was made by nearby Yahata iron foundry. It is 20kg in weight.
In the opening ceremony Kyoshi Takahama(popular Haiku writer) gave him
this Haiku poetry.
Sogi no hi to narabi arukoto mazu suzushi
"It's wonderful to stand in a line with the Shrine monument"
Mr.Kubo died after finishing his book of
"Sentei-saiku-shu"(collection
of late Emperor Festival Haiku poetry). His
whole life, he was involved
in Haiku poetry writing.
| Unshusai Kusumoto (1891-1946) |
Kusumoto was one of the most prominent sculptors
during the Taisho and the beginning of the
Showa eras in Buzen. He was born in Mikekado.
He was one of Suishu Tanaka's pupils, a professor
of Kyoto Art School. Later he studied under
Kihousai Soutou, a sculptor of shrines, Buddhist
temples and western orient arts. This tutelage lasted four years. Soutou gave him is pen
name "Unshusai". He finished studying
and returned to Buzen when he was 23 years
old.
Work attributable to Unshusai include the
main hall of the Seien temple, the Saint
Ryuten statue, the temple gate and the reparation
of the National Treasure of the God of Fire
statue in Mount Koya.
His major pieces are the statue of Nakatsu
town mayor, Haruji Iwata, the statue of Shin-sect
Buddhism priest Houken Nishimura. The architecture
and sculpture of the main gate of Manpuku
temple in Yukuhashi city, the statue of Shotoku
Taishi and the big frame of the main gate
and statue of Shaka of the Myoren temple
in Nakatsu, the statue of Sontoku Ninomiya
of Goiwa Elementary school and others.
| Ryuryoku Oniki (1859`1923) |
He was born at Kurotsuchi.
The first half of his life he devoted to
school education with knowledge of Chinese
literature and the latter half of his life
he devoted to much social education.
At the age of 7 he learned penmanship from Seppei Masuda, at 9 he entered
Meishinkan(Chizuka school of feudal clan: present Chizuka elementary school),
at 13 he studied Chinese literature under Engan Hashimoto in Nakatsu, and
studied Chinese literature under Shunson Tohaya and southern-school painting
under Shuhou Masuda.
At 17 he was appointed as the village master after his father, he resigned
shortly.
Later he studied under Jun Iso in Akizuki and Saizou Koh in Kusu.
In 1880 he learned from Seisai Tsuneto for years and was appointed as the
chief headmaster there.
In 1884 he worked at Hachiya branch of Toyotsu Junior High School which
was abolished and he founded Sukejindou-gijuku school in Hachiya and taught
there.
In 1887 he worked as a teacher of Kurotsuchi advanced elementary school
and taught Chinese literature and drawing.
In 1905 Japan declared war against Russia. He absorbed himself in social
education recommended by his mother.
He was a scholar of Chinese literature and master of style. When he
was on the platform his lecture was popular and plain with much humor and
gestures using his whole body. And he captivated the audience by describing
the situation and mental attitudes of that time.
In daily life he used Buzen dialect much and didn't keep up appearances
and was a distinguished man out of office. He traveled to many places.
In 1923 he lectured in Yamakuni Town in Oita
Prefecture) even in bad weather.
After returning he lay on his bed and soon passed away.
| Hibun Shimomura
(1902-1987) |
Hibun was his pen name in "Haiku" poem. His real name was Toshio
Shimomura.
He was born as the third son of Chizuka village master.
After graduating from Nakatsu Chugaku and the fifth Senior High School
in Kumamoto he entered Tokyo University. In his college days he traveled the famous "Small Path of Deep Inside" of Basho Matsuo(popular
Edo era poet) on foot.
In those days his poetic character was formed.
After graduating from Tokyo University he worked at the Taiwan Bank.
In 1927 his poem was selected to be published in the "Hototogisu(Cuckoo
in English)" magazine.
It was said it took a whole lifetime to be selected for publication in
Hototogisu.
Water
on fallen leaves of Old trees Wiping them out
He moved to Kanton, Shanghai and Naming for his work. In each place he
taught and instructed Haiku poem.
After the war he relocated to Amagasaki near Osaka.
In 1949 he was recommended as a member of "Hototogisu".
In 1959 he published a book called "Bakushu"(it named a lake
northwest of Naming.).
From 1973-1981 he compiled poetry in "Inano"(he lived there for
13 years).
He elected himself 482 poems in chronological order.
Hibun supervised "Sazanka"(sasanqua in English) in Sakai city
for 20 years.
In the precincts of Hachiman shrine, the ruins of the Chizuka Asahi castle,
his poem's monument was erected in 1981.
Many friends and disciples got together to unveil his epitaph. It reads:In country old path walking is fun
in the first visit to a shrine at the New Year
@
Benefactor of Unoshima harbor construction. Born in Moji(Kitakyushu city).
He built a harbor on a desert shoal site named Akaguma village(30 households
in that time) also habitat to cormorants.
He chose around 30 talented clansmen and began to construct the harbor
in 1821.
For transportation he newly built three-sized ships, and an other 30 small
ships.
In schedule there were three wharfs, 240m, 290m and 223m. It was a tremendously
big construction for the technical capabilities of that time.
It took 6 years and 9 months that was completed in 1828. And then 230 households
from Koiwai and 97 households from other areas were moved here.
In that year a big typhoon attacked the wharf. And part of the west dam
collapsed.
This accident provoked much criticism from some feuds.
Juemon felt his responsibility for the damage and the sharp-heavily over budgeted
project. At last he rejected his salary and expressed his home confinement.
In 1830 he died of disease. (According to another view it is said that
he did harakiri.)
In 1895 "Monument of Unoshima Harbor" was erected and Seisai Tsuneto's
long poem about Juemon was etched on it.
Around 1910 local people worshipped him as a guardian of Unoshima harbor
to the Unoshima shrine.
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