Toyo Shibata
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Toyo Shibata (柴田 トヨ, Shibata Toyo; June 26, 1911 – January 20, 2013)[1] was a bestselling Japanese poet.
Shibata was born in 1911 in Tochigi, to a family of wealthy rice merchants. She married aged 33 and had a son.[2]
After back pain forced Shibata to give up her hobby of classical Japanese dance, she turned to writing poetry at the age of 92, at the suggestion of her son Kenichi.[3] Shibata's first anthology Kujikenaide (″Don't lose heart″), published in 2009, sold 1.58 million copies.[4] In comparison, poetry book sales of 10,000 are considered successful in Japan.[4][3] Her anthology also topped Japan's Oricon bestseller chart.[5] It was originally self-published, but upon seeing its success the publisher Asuka Shinsha reissued it, with new artwork, in 2010.[4] It contains 42 poems.[4]
In December 2010, a TV documentary about Shibata was aired.[4] As of 2011 she was writing poems for a second anthology,[3] lived alone in the Tokyo suburbs, and was a widow.[3]
Shibata died on January 20, 2013,[6] at the age of 101. She died in a nursing home located in Utsunomiya, a city north of Tokyo.
References
- ↑ "Granny poet marks 100th birthday with verse for victims". Asahi. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
- ↑ "柴田トヨしばたとよ". 日本放送協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-04-22.
- 1 2 3 4 Oh, Hyun (2011-01-25). "Grandma next door poet a Japan bestseller at 99". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- 1 2 3 4 5 McCurry, Justin (2011-01-26). "Japanese woman is bestselling poet – aged 99". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ↑ Lundberg, John (2011-01-30). "Toyo Shibata, Japanese Grandma, Is Bestselling Author At 99". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ↑ Mosse, Kate (2025-09-18). Feminist History for Every Day of the Year: 366 incredible women, from Boudica to Taylor Swift. Pan Macmillan. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-5290-6623-4.
