Wakako Kaku

Wakako Kaku (September 1, 1961) is a Japanese lyricist, poet, singer-songwriter.
== History ==
1985: Began her career as a lyricist by providing lyrics to an avant-garde rock band, ‘Cioccolata’. Since then, she has provided lyrics to Kenji Sawada, Moonriders, FAIRCHID, ORQUESTA DEL SOL, Ayaka Hirahara, SMAP, Rimi Natsukawa, Kumiko, Tsutomu Aragaki, etc.
1992: Started poetry reading performances both within and outside of Japan. Kaku created her own new style of story-telling poetry called "Monogatari Shi" (物語詩, narrative poetry)which was highly praised.
2001: Won the 43rd Record Taisho award and the 25th Japanese Record Award for"Itsumo nandodemo" (いつも何度でも, Always With Me / Many Times Always sung by Youmi Kimura) , the theme song of the movie "sen to chihiro no kamikakushi" (千と千尋の神隠し, Spirited Away ).
2004: Released the first solo album "Aozora ichigō" (青空１号, Blue Sky#1) from Sony Music Direct.
2008: Co-produced with Hayao Miyazaki, "Umi no okāsan" (海のお母さん, Mother of the Sea), the opening theme song of the movie "Gake no ue no ponyo" (崖の上のポニョ, Ponyo on the Cliff ).
Kaku’s works include the first collection of story poems "Zero ni naru karada" (ゼロになるからだ, Body Becoming Zero) published by Tokumashoten, ‘Umi no youna otona ni naru’ (I Will Be a Grown-up Like the Sea), bublished by Rironsha and essays, translated children’s books and more.
Ya Chaika
She wrote an original story, scripted and co-directed (with Shuntaro Tanikawa) the film "Ya Chaika".
Hoshitsumugi no uta
The song "Hoshi tsumugi no uta" (星つむぎの歌, Weaving of Stars Song, sung by Ayaka Hirahara), which was planned, supplemented and supervised by Kaku was used in the outer atmosphere as a wake-up call for astronaut Takao Doi.
2009: Stage directed ‘Todokanakatta rabu retā’ (Love Letters Never Delivered), starring Kumiko and Yoshio Inoue at Le Theatre Ginza.
2010: Released her 2nd album ‘Karumin’ with the record label VALB.
2012: Released a single CD ‘Hoshizora to tenohira to (Starry Night and Palms)’, a theme song for the earthquake documentary film ‘Kyō wo mamoru (Protecting Today), directed by Yuka Kanno’.
2013: Began teaching at Middlebury Japanese Language Schools (Summer Program) in Vermont.
2014: Released her 3rd album ‘Vegetal’ with VALB.
2017: Released her 4th album ‘cidle’ from her workspace Momo-Launch.
Kaku has been participated in
*Shizuoka Renshi (Linked Poem): 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019
*Kumamoto Renshi :2010
*Roppongi Renshi: 2014
==Selected Works==
===Poetry===
* "Zero ni naru karada" (ゼロになるからだ, Body Becoming Zero), published by Tokuma Shoten, Tokyo, 2002
* "Umi no youna otona ni naru" (海のような大人になる, I Will Be a Grown-up Like the Sea), published by Rironsha, Tokyo, 2007
* Yes, co-authored with Photographer Junji Takasago, published by Shōgakukan, Tokyo, 2015
* "Poetaro orakuru kādo" (ポエタロ オラクル カード, Poetaro Oracle Card) published by Chiyūsha, Tokyo 2015
* "Hajimari wa hitotsu no kotoba" (はじまりはひとつのことば, In the Beginning There Was a Word), published by Minatonohito, Tokyo 2015
* "2 Bariki" (二馬力, 2 Horsepower), co-authored with Shuntaro Tanikawa, published by Nanarokusha, Tokyo 2017
===Essays===
* "Seiten hakujitsu" (青天白日, Blue Sky White Day), published by Shohbunsha, Tokyo, 2004 
* "Chōgakusei de deatteokitai 55 no kotoba" (小学生で出会っておきたい55の言葉, 55 Words of Wisdom You Want to Know in Elementary School) , published by PHP Kenkyūsho, Tokyo, 2014 
* "Chūgakusei de deatteokitai 71 no kotoba" (中学生で出会っておきたい71の言葉, 71 Words of Wisdom You Want to Know in Junior High School), published by PHP editor’s group, Tokyo, 2012 
* "Kōkōsei de deatteokitai 73 no kotoba" (高校生で出会っておきたい73の言葉, 73 Words of Wisdom You Want to Know in High School), published by PHP editor’s group, Tokyo, 2012 
===Children's Books===
*Hugtime, published by Asunaro, Tokyo, 2008
*Nedoko doko kana, published by Shōgakukan, Tokyo, 2006
*Hoshitsumugi no uta (Weaving of Stars Song) CD Picture Book , published by Kyōbunsha, Tokyo 2019
*Shiawase no chīsai tamago, published by Asunaro Shobō, Tokyo, 2015
===Music Albums===
* "Aozora ichigou" (青空１号, Blue Sky #1), GT Music, Tokyo, 2004
* Karumin, Space Shower Music, Tokyo, 2010
* Vegetal, VALB, Tokyo, 2014
* cidre, Momo-launch, Tokyo, 2017
===Directed Film===
*Ya Chaika, co-directed with Shuntaro Tanikawa, Frontier Works Inc., Tokyo, 2009
==External Links==
*Wakako Kaku's fan site
Category:Japanese lyricists
Category:Japanese songwriters
Category:Japanese singer-songwriters
Category:Japanese poets
Category:1961 births