Gozo Yoshimasu: marteau / hammer (gozo)

Gozo Yoshimasu, considered one of the most representative figures of Japanese modern literature, has published over thirty books of poetry—among them works that have been available in several languages—since the release of his first book of poetry in 1964 at the age of twenty-five. His poetry, which he challenges himself to constantly reinvent and reinvigorate, chronicles a tireless pursuit of origins. He also explores the idea of always being in movement. As a traveler his itineraries initially followed those of the great 17th century Japanese poet Basho and then widened to a more personal ‘pilgrimage’ from the isles of Japan to the American desert, to Central Asia and the common streets in most continents in the world. It’s no wonder that this constant movement—walking, driving, traveling by train or boat—is one of the foundations of his poems, giving them a sense of rhythm and speed in “the pursuit of his desire to go far away” (from his poem Weaver Girl). He has also developed his poetry into other forms of artistic expression. As a performer, he has cultivated a unique style of recitation, and uses rhythm and vocal modulation to the extent that one might consider it a form of incantation. His readings have been called “electrifying revelations of the power of poetry to move the heart and mind without the air of translation.”