From the poem named "KAKUNOSIRINUGUI"'s 8th stave by Hisao Suzuki
※"KAKUNOSIRINUGUI" means the name of an unexciting flower and the bearing of the consequences of nuclear power.
The 9.0 magnitude Touhoku Region Pacific Coast Earthquake has claimed significant lives, more than 30000 people and destroyed many towns and villages which have their own history, causing numerous tragic separations. It will be said in future ages that the meaning of living among Japanese people has changed since 3.11. Modern Japanese values will be reviewed fundamentally in that the economy should be the first priority: from the pursuit of a comfortable life by heavy energy consumption, including electricity, to the life style of respecting not only human but also other various lifeforms, with a view of nature that values a sense of belonging to communities and the world. For example anti-nuclear protests were held under the slogan of "Fukushima warning: Stop all the nuclear plants!" in four cities including Berlin in Germany that more than 200000 people allegedly took part in. 3.11, I think, must mark a turning point which makes civilization change its dependency on electricity infinitely, including nuclear energy.
I wrote the poem "KAKUNOSIRINUGUI"'s 8th stave, which I quoted at the front, around ten years ago. I wrote it, imagining the sight of hell that the Fukushima nuclear plant at my parent's and ancestor's hometown might bring a nuclear meltdown accident like Chernobyl catastrophe, and hoping Japanese people would notice and get back to harnessing the usefulness of natural light. I had already written before that the poem "10:35 pm on 30th September in 1999" that regretted the death of Hisashi Ohuchi and Rihito Shinohara who died in the criticality-caused nuclear accident at Tohkai village in Ibaragi prefecture. Since this more recent incident I've been deeply moved by around-the-clock convenience stores whose electricity is sent from the 30-year-old Fukushima nuclear plant. I named them "the grave of the light." Every convenience store in the Tokyo area has opened obscurely with a half level of illumination, and has had shadows in it late in the night since 3.11. The transportation systems, including JR , also switches off and removes the lights in cars and aisles. The only way of TEPCO surviving without bankruptcy, that caused the serious nuclear crisis could be to abolish all operating nuclear plants in turns and to increase power plants using renewable energy sources. I imagine we will have to change our life style fundamentally to realize that, from one that consumes too much power, for example in "all electric houses" and in the production of canned beer. The way of thinking in many businesses, I think, will be changing from the pursuit of a comfortable life to a down-to-earth point of view in their commercials.
Many people in publishing have talked about digital books as if they would be the future form of publishing. But I've thought those who rely on those electric media automatically aren't aware of the simple and basic value of paper books. Books originally have three dimensions, and can be said to be a composite art in which poets, writers, researchers, publishers for planning, editors, and designers, printing and binding firms, and paper companies take part. I've made books with such a thought.
It is with a mind for the beauty and fundamentality as an aesthetic feeling, the spirit of art, and the spirit of criticism of authors and publishers that builds appealing books. I think books as spiritual cubes are the place where readers can communicate with such a feeling and spirits. COAL SACK Publishing Company hopes to provide books as a composite art to many readers from poets, writers, and researchers. And my wish is that you would read good books by COAL SACK using minimum electricity in the night, under the natural light in the daytime.
I'd like to ask for your support for our publishing business and poetic movement both now and in the future.
The history of Hisao Suzuki
1954 Born in Minamisenju, Arakawa, Tokyo. His grandfather and father ran a coal company.
1979 Graduated from Hosei University, Faculty of Literature majored in Philosophy. He learnt about Kant, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Heidegger and Sartre. His graduation thesis was on Heidegger.
Books
1981 Hisao Suzuki published the first collection of poem, "Wind and Pray". Also, he has published eight collections of poems so far including "The swing in the night light", "Uchimizu", "The memory of fire", "Calling", "The tree strawberry map", "The trace of sun", "Hisao Suzuki: 133 Poems".
1993 Hisao Suzuki published his first collection of poetics, "The power of poetic iteration". He has published four collections of poetics so far including "To the hometown of poems - The power of poetic iteration II", "Where poems fall - The power of poetic iteration III", "The deep desire of poets - The power of poetic iteration IV".
Planning⁄Compiling⁄Publishing activity
2001 Hisao Suzuki published "Chisho Hamada: All collection of poems" and "Eikichi Narumi: All collection of poems" while he was a company employee.
2006 He turned his individual poetry magazine "Coal Sack" into company specializing in poetry and became president of the company. He started publication of collections of poems and poetics, and by May 2011, he has published 130 books on poems such as "Ko Hyonyoru collection of poems: Long verse - Little boy", "Mariko Fukuda: Complete collection of poems", "Jiro Osaki: Complete collection of poems", "Against nuclear Weapons: A Collection of Poems by 181 poets" (Japanese and English), "The daily life words: A Collection of Poems by 276 poets", "The Great Air Attacks: A Collection of Poems by 310 poets", "Requiem: A Collection of Poems by 404 poets". He is now compiling "Lives in Danger: A Collection of Poem by 311 poets", and is planning to publish the poems by July this year.
Poetry movement
1987 Hisao Suzuki wanted to publish a magazine filled with poems by outstanding poets like "Kenji Miyazawa" who conveyed the world's agonies and wrote poems that reflects the self which lead him to publish his individual poetry magazine called "Coal Sacks" (a bag of coals) and also started poetry reviews. He has published up to volume 69 of the magazine.
1997 Hisao Suzuki accompanied Chishou Hamada to a conference in Hiroshima, where he was moved by the "Hiroshima's philosophy" which is that the tragedy of atomic bomb should be spoken out to the world, and became involved in a poetry movement that passed on the tragedies of not only the atomic bomb but wars as well. The result of the poetry movement was realized in anthologies such as "Against nuclear Weapons: A Collection of Poems by 181 poets", "The Great Air Attacks: A Collection of Poems by 310 poets". In 2004, the first workshop on "EIKICHI NARUMI" was held. The workshops have been held five times so far.
Exchanges with South Korea
1999 Hisao Suzuki met Mr. Hyonyoru Ko. He deeply sympathized with his philosophy of poems and poetic activities, and from Coal Sack volume 35, he started publishing "Ko Hyonyoru - Long verse: Little boy" translated by Mr. Hansonre.
2001 In "Coal Sack volume 39" Hisao Suzuki wrote "The sky of Spring" for Mr. Suhyon Lee who sacrificed his life to help a Japanese from a train accident.
2005 February Hisao Suzuki wrote a monody, "Hometown person who burns black diamond", on the 4th anniversary of Mr. Suhyon Lee's death. He attended the fourth anniversary of Mr. Suhyon Lee's death in Busan on February 4th, and he read the monody there.
September Since the Korean Delegation Cultural Agency wanted to invite a qualified Japanese jazz band to Busan, Hisao Suzuki accompanied "Tokyo five bridge" as a manager.
2006 August "Ko Hyonyoru: Long verse - Little boy" which had been serialized for 7 years on the poetry magazine, "Coal Sack" was issued on August 6th which was the Hiroshima bombing memorial day. Mr. Ko Hyonyoru was invited to Hiroshima and the publication party was held there on August 5th. Many Japanese poets gathered and celebrated the great achievements.
2010 September "Asia line - At Vladivostok this morning" (translated by Mijya Lee) which had been serialized for 4 years on "Coal Sack" was issued. In October, Hisao Suzuki invited Mr. Hyonyoru Ko to Japan, and they held a joint publication party of "Requiem: A Collection of Poems by 404 poets" and "Asia line" at Toyo University.
