Simple Chaos

Yukio Tsuji (1939-2000), born in Asakusa, Tokyo, graduated from the French Department of Meiji University and took the pen name 'kamotsusen' (cargo ship) as a haiku poet. His poems have often been classified as 'light verse', light-hearted in essence; some people inevitably criticized him for his lack of seriousness and of a grand style. Since his poems are structurally beautiful, their architectural forms are, needless to say, the product of much trial and error as he struggled for 'perfect' compositions. In the English-speaking world Tsuji's poems, even though few in number, were included in the audio CD called Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry (Watch Word) and on the website Poetry International Web (Japan).