ONAI Kotaro
Japanese poet working across poetry, tanka, haiku, and collective practice.
About ONAI Kotaro
ONAI Kotaro (born 1984 in Shizuoka) is a Japanese poet working across free verse, tanka, and haiku. Alongside his award-winning creative work, he organizes poetry events such as Shidon* in Hamamatsu City and serves as a facilitator for poetry workshops in collaboration with the public workshop center in Fukuroi City. He also works as a postman, delivering mail by motorbike. His daily practice of delivering letters informs his poetic rhythm and his fundamental commitment to connecting people through language.
Poetry Reading
At a poetry contest in Hamamatsu City, ONAI Kotaro recited his original poem titled Himawari.
Awards & Honors
- 2021: the annual Tanka Award from the Chunichi Shimbun*
- 2023: the Three Poetic Forms Division at the 9th Poetry Triathlon*
ONAI Kotaro won the annual Tanka Award from the Chunichi Shimbun newspaper in 2021 and received the award in the Three Poetic Forms Division (free verse, tanka and haiku) at the 9th Poetry Triathlon.
With shoes soaked in spring rain
I walk through this town
toward the door
closest to the moon / ONAI Kotaro
Birds wishing to swim
fish wishing to fly
and a human here
wanting to speak with someone / ONAI Kotaro泳ぎたい鳥と飛びたい魚いて誰かと話したいヒトがいる／尾内甲太郎
Poetry Activities
His poetry activities mainly consist of three areas: publishing poems in the Shizuoka Shimbun newspaper, producing the literary magazine Ramazan* 断食月 with poets from western Shizuoka Prefecture, and hosting poetry events, Shidon* 詩丼, a series of poetry events that blend poetry zine sales with open mic readings.
Furthermore, he organizes site-specific poetry readings in the local sand dunes* and works to revive Japanese four-line poetry (enshu-renshi*).
Beyond the window, a bird falls
Each time its red head sinks into the wasteland
A vivid wound opens in the vocal cords
One language is lost / ONAI Kotaro
You can read his other works via the link below.
- poetry collection of ONAI Kotaro
- short poems until 2025
Philosophy
His literary magazine and poetry event activities prioritize two things: creating a culture of listening to the words of the unknown person next to you, rather than having celebrities speak to the crowd, and building an open network instead of a closed, exclusive poetry organization.
Ramazan mainly features the works of about a dozen poets from western Shizuoka Prefecture. They are not collected by ONAI Kotaro, but are submitted by the poets' own volition.
Additionally, he was also invited to a workshop center in Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture, where he served as a facilitator for a tanka poetry workshop. What he valued most as a facilitator was enabling participants to immediately become facilitators themselves in the next workshop.
These activities are based on the belief that poetry arises not from structures of power, but from loose networks.
In other languages
This page is also available in several languages, reflecting the poet’s interest in cross-cultural dialogue and translation.
詩人介紹
尾內甲太郎是一位日本詩人，創作新詩、短歌與俳句。現居於靜岡縣濱松市。他的詩歌曾發表在日本報紙上，並於2021年榮獲中日歌壇年度獎。他於2023年在第九屆詩歌鐵人三項三詩型鼎立部門中獲獎。除了寫作，他亦主辦結合詩歌ZINE販售與開放式麥克風朗讀的詩歌活動，並與靜岡縣西部的詩人一同發行文學雜誌《斷食月》。此外，他亦身兼郵差，騎摩托車遞送郵件。
Présentation du poète
ONAI Kotaro est un poète japonais qui écrit de la poésie moderne, des tanka et des haïkus. Il réside actuellement à Hamamatsu, dans la préfecture de Shizuoka. Ses poèmes ont été publiés dans des journaux japonais. Outre son travail d’écriture, il organise et anime des événements poétiques combinant la vente de ZINEs de poésie et des lectures en open mic. Par ailleurs, il exerce également le métier de facteur et distribue le courrier à moto.
Şairin Tanıtımı
ONAI Kotaro, modern şiir, tanka ve haiku yazan Japon bir şairdir. Şu anda Shizuoka Eyaleti’ne bağlı Hamamatsu kentinde yaşamaktadır. Şiirleri Japon gazetelerinde yayımlanmıştır. Yazarlık faaliyetlerinin yanı sıra, şiir ZINE satışı ile open mic şiir dinletilerini bir araya getiren şiir etkinliklerini düzenler ve bu etkinliklere ev sahipliği yapar. Ayrıca postacı olarak çalışmakta ve postalarını motosikletle dağıtmaktadır.
Prezento de la poeto
ONAI Kotaro estas japana poeto, kiu verkas modernan poezion, tankaojn kaj hajkojn. Li nuntempe loĝas en Hamamacu, en la gubernio Ŝizuoka. Liaj poemoj estis publikigitaj en japanaj gazetoj. Krom sia verkista agado, li organizas kaj gvidas poeziajn eventojn, kiuj kunigas la vendadon de poeziaj libroj kaj malfermitajn mikrofonajn poemlegadojn. Krome, li laboras kiel poŝtisto kaj liveras poŝton per motorciklo.
Recent photo
Notification
ONAI Kotaro is open to international readings, collaborations, translations, and exchanges.