The expressive psychopathology of the Japanese poet, Sakutaro Hagiwara.

Sakutaro Hagiwara is a famous Japanese poet from the early part of this century. His debut collection of poems, 'Tsuki ni Hoeru', contains a number of works characterized by the strange and abnormal impression they convey. The various and characteristic psychotic symptoms exhibited by this poet have been the subject of much discussion and pathographic description. However, it seems that there have been few considerations as to the meaning of such poetic expression for Sakutaro. In the present study, the relationship between his internal psychopathology and such forms of expression was examined. Furthermore, the influence of the contemporary fin de siècle art and the significance of the choice of poetry as his medium of expression was considered. It was found that his earliest psychopathological problems, such as anthropophobia (which could well be viewed as having been engendered by the particular Japanese cultural climate of that time) and systemic depersonalization, both led to his own anxiety about existence; expressing himself through the medium of poetry was a kind of self-healing act for Sakutaro, who had been suffering seriously from feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.