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The Results of the Six HIA Haiku Contest
The Award ceremony for the Six HIA Haiku Contest was held at Tokyo Kaikan from 11:00 till 14:00, on friday November 26th, 2004. The five prizes were presented to the winners by representatives of the four Japanese haiku organizations and the two companies sponsoring the prizes. A lecture by Mr. Mabesoone Seigan and a reception party followed.
The Six HIA Haiku Contest
Sponsored by Haiku International Association,
Supported by Nihon Keizai Shimbun, The Japan Times
| Number of submission |
Japanese haiku 768
Non Japanese haiku 351 |
| The announcement and comments on the winning haiku |
The announcement of the winners of the Japanese haiku and comments were given by Bôjô Nakako, (the representative of the contest judges; the vice President of the HIA).
The announcement and the comments on the non Japanease haiku were given by Hoshino Tsunehiko (the representative of the contest judges; the vice President of the HIA).
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the 6th : 2004
| Translations by Miyashita Emiko and Lee Gurga |
Judges :
Kaneko Tôta, Inahata Teiko, Takaha Shugyô, Matsuzawa Akira, Arima Akito, Kogure Gôhei, Bôjô Nakako, Nagata Ryûtarô, Yamazaki Hisao, Kurahashi Yôson, Miyazu Akihiko, Ôkubo Hakuson, Tsunemoto Ushio, Katô Kôko, Yamada Hiroko
The comments are made by Bôjô Nakako.
The HIA Awards
| kage sukoshi okure te mawaru sômatô |
| Kawasaki city@Watanabe Fumie |
the circling shadows
fall a little behind --
the revolving lantern
The kidai, seasonal subject,in this haiku is sômatô, revolving lantern, which has a special patterned screen inside a paper lantern that turns when hearted by the candle inside. This ia a common kind of haiku. these haiku depict the shadow projected on the walls surrounding the lantern that delay a little. We can imagine the two sets of shadows chasing one after another. The revolving lantern and its shadows, the subjects, which are moving, tend to produce haiku of one chasing the other. In this haiku, the author is successfully simplified the situation, which adds reverberation to the poem. As judges are always saying, a haiku which can be easily understood can be immediately pictured in the imagination. That may be the reason this haiku was selected by many jadges. |
| zavieru no funade no hama ni iwashi hiku |
| Tokorozawa city@Miyoshi Kahoru |
on the beach
from which Xavier sailed:
hauling in sardines
gXavierh refers to the Christian missionary Francisco de Xavier(1506-1552).He left Goa in India, and came to Japan, stopping at port towns of Saigon,Macao,etc.en route, A Japanese man named Ôtomô Sôrin became his guardian, and under his protection.Xavier went to Kagosima and Nakatsu in Ôita. Xavier converted Sôrin to Christianity. Xavier conducted business while he promoted trading with Europe via the South. The author, like the person in this haiku,is fishing for sardines, and while doing so he is thinking about Xavier. gAh,it is here that he sailed from!h It seems that the memories are endless. I think this is a nostalgic haiku that combines the poet's personal experience with historical facts. |
The Association of Haiku Poets Award
| shinryô ya aruku hayasa ni kawa nagare |
| Tô kai city@Kuno Noriko |
early autumn chill:
at walking speed
the river flows
I think the selection of the kidai, seasonal subject,was precise. One is walking along a river and the speed is theme. The hot summer is shifting to autumn. The refreshing breeze along the river, the cutaneous sensation, the coolness felt in early autumn is well conveyed.Even the trees along the river swaying in the wind can be pictured well, which adds to the effect. As this poem shows, haiku can make the reader feel refreshed. |
The Modern Haiku Association Award
| mizu wo uchi aratana yohaku tsukuri keri |
| Meguro-ku@Furuya Asao |
by sprinkling water
I unexpectedly created
a new blank space
This was one of the most difficult haiku to comment on. I cannot stop thinking of this haiku as being sensuous with its sense ofesomehow' orewithout knowing why'. These is a touch of someesomehow'in this haiku, and somehow the fine sensibility of the author shows through. I Think every judge has different thoughts, each has a space for accepting other imaginations, and such space is what makes things interesting. |
The Association of Japanese Classical Haiku Award
| sukoshi yoi sukoshi nemuri te mochi no yoru |
| Chiba city @Torikai Emiko |
a little drunk,
a little asleep
moongazing night
This happens under the full moon, drinking a cup of rice wine and feeling great. As the time passes, one begins to get drunk and also sleepiness creep in. these are rice dumplings offered to the moon on the small wooden table; the dumplings seem to be waving with pampas grass. Mochi no tsuki is another mane for fifteenth day moon in eighth manth in the lunar calendar. The haiku depicts the night very well, and very easy to understand. |
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Award
| mô kanja kurumai iyoyo odoran ka |
| Fukuchiyama City@Ôtsuki Ujô |
no more patients!
at last I shall
be able to dance
gAfter closing the clinic, I shall join the Bon dance!h The doctor seems to have his own plan to dance for the evening. He decides that there will be no more patients coming that evening and closes the entrance door of the clinic. Doctor is also ahuman being after all and therefore he needs such an entertainment for a change. I think there is humor in this haiku. It is important to heel one's own tiredness, too.The doctor is going out dancing.I can even imagine his gallant footsteps, and that makes me smile. |
The Japn Times Award
| poketto no konomi kutsukutsu warai au |
| Chôfu city @Yagi Miyoshi |
acorns in my pocket:
they chuckle
at each other
I have never before senn a haiku with an expression like an kutsukutsu, an onomatopoeia for chuckle. I think the author is expanding her imagination with the acorns; this can be considered an emotional type of personification. The response to the acorns rolling around and piling up in one's pocket is expressed in a laggh with the word kutsukutsu. Then what? When we look up it up in a dictionary, kutsukutsu is used in the case of humans laughing.If we use an expression,korokoro,an onomatopoeia for a substance rolling,it maight be too oridinary.
I was sttracted by the idea of acorns laughing at funny thing.They are laughing secretly.Since they are laughing inside the poket,the author must have been for a ginko walk and picked them up while walking. |
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| (Translations by Miyashita Emiko and Lee Gurga) |
Judges :
Hoshino Tsunehiko, Kiuchi Toru
The HIA Award
Selected by Hoshino
morning fog
the ferryman's laugh
drifts ashore
Nara Bauer, U.S.A
we go outside
for cigarettes¥¥¥
and fireflies
John Stevenson, U.S.A
Selected by Kiuchi
opening a jar
of fireflies¥¥¥
starry night
Stanford M. Forrester, U.S.A
The old orchard
The snail shell occupied by
a cherry petal
Zeljko Funda, Croatia
ripples in the pond
my mother's face
in mine
Johnette Downing, U.S.A
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resume returned
@an over ripe melon
@on the kitchen table
Naomi Y. Brown, U.S.A
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Selected by Kiuchi
sunset
the deep red
of an upturned radish
Ed Markowski, U.S.A
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spring sunshine
a spider web
between railroad cars
Earl R. Keener, U.S.A
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lazy afternoon:
resting in sun
lizard and I
Slobodan Joksimovic, Montenegro
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wind farm
one generator not in sync
sunset
Naomi Y. Brown, U.S.A
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