Mitsuo Aida
Mitsuo Aida (相田みつを Aida Mitsuo?, 20 May 1924 – 17 December 1991) was a Japanese poet and calligrapher known as The Poet of Zen. His work was influenced by Zen Buddhism and he is known for his works, Ningen damono (Because I'm Human), Okagesan (Our Debt to Others), and Inochi ippai (Live a Full Live).
Early life
Aida was born in Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan, in 1924. At an early age he showed interest in calligraphy and tanka poetry and was characterized for an original style. He attended Tochigi Prefectual Ashikaga High School. After graduation he proceeded to study poetry with Yamashita Mutsu and calligraphy with Iwasawa Kei-seki. His work is also known to have been influenced by Michiaki Zheng, Takei Akira, and Kinono Kazuyoshi. In 1953, Aida graduated from Kanto Junior College, a private college in Tatebayashi, Gunma.
In 1954, Aida married Hiraga Chie. Their eldest son, Kazuto Aida, is the director of the Mitsuo Aida Museum in Tokyo.
Career and Legacy[edit]
Aida's works became well known after the publishing of his book, Ningen damono (Because I'm Human), in 1984.
Following a brain hemorrhage, Aida died in Ashikaga, Tochigi, in 1991. Shortly after his death, in 1996, the Mituso Aida Museum opened in Ginza, a neighborhood in Tokyo. In 2003, the museum moved to the Tokyo International Forum, a multi-purpose exhibition center. The art show includes approximately 450 of Aida's calligraphy works, and the museum foundation organizes several art appreciation seminars throughout the country each year.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is known to be a patron of Aida's. In a 2011 pre-election speech, the politician quoted Aida's poetry, saying, “The loach, it doesn't have to imitate the goldfish.” This remark let to some confusion about Noda's meaning among his followers, but also a sharp increase in the number of visitors to the Mituso Aida Museum and a renewed interest in Aida's work.
“If you take something by force there is never enough. If you share it , there will always be something left over.”
“Because it has lived its life intenselythe parched grass still attracts the gaze of passers-by.The flowers merely flower,and they do this as well as they can.The white lily, blooming unseen in the valley,Does not need to explain itself to anyone;It lives merely for beauty.Man, however, cannot accept that 'merely'.If tomatoes wanted to be melons,they would look completely ridiculous.I am always amazedthat so many people are concernedwith wanting to be what they are not;what's the point of making yourself look ridicuolous?You don't always have to pretend to be strong,there's no need to prove all the time that everything is going well,you shouldn't be concerned about what other people are thinking,cry if you need to,it's good to cry out all your tears(because only then will you be able to smile again).”