Kaijin Akashi

Kaijin Akashi (Japanese: 明石 海人) was the pen name of Shōtarō Noda (野田勝太郎, 5 July 1901 – 9 June 1939), a Japanese poet whose writing was inspired by his diagnosis of leprosy and confinement to a leper colony.

[2][3] He retired from teaching after his diagnosis and was soon subjected to the mandatory quarantine regime in practice in Japan at that time.

[3] While at Nagashima Aiseien, Akashi learned to write traditional Japanese poetry, primarily tanka.

[7][8] It sold over 250,000 copies[note 1] and drew significant attention to the plight of leprosy patients in Japan.

[8][9] Hakubyō was a bittersweet work, exploring Akashi's grief over his condition and the loneliness that stemmed from his lengthy mandated isolation, as well as his eventual view that his condition was a gift enabling him to experience beauty and insight beyond the physical world.