Hideo Yoshino

Hideo Yoshino (吉野秀雄) was a tanka poet in Showa period Japan.

Early life
Yoshino was born in Takasaki city, Gumma prefecture. He enrolled in Keio University's school of Economics, but was forced to quit school when he developed tuberculosis. He relocated from Tokyo to Kamakura in Kanagawa prefecture in 1911, due to its reputation as a healthful environment for people with lung conditions.

While recuperating, he became familiar with the verses of Masaoka Shiki and Ito Sachio, two poets in the Araragi tanka group, and he began to compose verses himself. He was also attracted to the works of Aizu Yaichi and eventually became his pupil.

Literary career
In 1926 Yoshino financed the publication of his own first poetry anthology, Tenjo gishi. However, most of his works did not appear in print until after the end of World War II. He developed a unique style of tanka that was independent of the mainstream Araragi verses, and used a tight, succinct style borrowed from the 19th century Buddhist priest-poet, Ryōkan. He also was inspired by the ancient classic from Japanese literature, the Man'yōshū. His anthologies include Seiin shū (The Clear and Cloudy Collection, 1967) and Kansen shū (The Autumn Cicada Collection, 1974). Yoshino also wrote a number of essays, including Yawarakana Kokoro (Soft heart) and Korokono Furusato (Home is the heart).

He won the Yomiuri Prize in 1958 for his anthology, Yoshino Hideo kashū.

Yoshino died in 1967. His grave is at the temple of Zuisen-ji in Kamakura.