Announcement of the 6 Selected Haiku by Koki Kameyama, one of the Universe Cup Selectors (Kameyama Prize)

With 458 haiku submitted and 179 participants, our 'Everyone's Haiku Tournament' continues to be of an impressive scale. It's already so amazing that I'm starting to fantasize that if it keeps up this pace, it could become a major movement in the haiku world.

When I first started writing haiku, I believed that haiku was a literary art for a limited group of people, so I gave up on activities outside of that circle. But I was wrong. Thanks to all of you, I am rediscovering the tremendous power of haiku. Haiku is poetry, it is daily life, and it is a one-of-a-kind literary art that can be enjoyed alongside even the most limited geniuses. Thank you all so much for making me believe in haiku.

In the midst of this, I would like to introduce a total of 12 haiku, consisting of the top 6 plus 6 preliminary selections from the haiku submitted that caught my attention. I would love to comment on every single one, but please forgive me as that would result in an extraordinary volume.

Now, without further ado,

・Spring Kameyama Prize (Grand Prize)

Spring showing through the fresh spring roll, two shrimp

Author: Pukkukun

I pride myself on having read a fair amount of haiku, but as far as I can recall, not a single similar phrase or idea comes to mind. I think it is a unique haiku overflowing with originality.

Moreover, it is completed as a haiku, and it is at a level where it would not be strange at all to see it included as a good example of the seasonal word 'spring' in a haiku almanac.

In a haiku of only 17 sounds, it is not easy to convey one's surging emotions. If you say 'it's fun,' the 'fun' will likely be conveyed to the other person. But nothing more than that will be conveyed. The details of the heart, or what you might call your own individuality—what exactly you found fun—which is truly important for the other person to understand, will not be conveyed.

To solve this problem, the haiku poet Kyoshi Takahama regarded 'objective sketching' as the foundation of haiku technique. Put what you see, as it is, into words while excluding subjectivity. If you carry out sketching to the point of being cold-blooded, the feelings of the person who captured that scene will naturally overflow from the 17 sounds. That is what he thought.

This haiku is exactly that. Spring. I ate Vietnamese food. It was two shrimp showing through a fresh spring roll—that is all it conveys.
However, it does come across. The joy of spring. The slight surprise and joy that there were two shrimp instead of one. The translucent spring roll and the sparkling joy of spring match perfectly. Also, the rhyme of 'haru' (spring) is pleasant and creates a rhythm in the haiku.

Happy. Fun. You don't have to say it if you can capture the words accurately. If you arrange them in the proper order. Even with just 17 sounds, everything can be conveyed.

As a haiku using the seasonal word 'spring,' it is a haiku that will surely be remembered by me alongside Masaoka Shiki's 'Spring, the castle town of 150,000 koku of old.' If I ever compile a Koki Kameyama selection of haiku almanacs, I would definitely like to include it.

Thank you for the wonderful haiku.

・Kameyama Prize Runner-up (2nd Place)

Hearing the clock tick, spring is already ending

Author: Amy Aomi

'I replied, "That's right." But what is ending is surely not "spring," but our relationship. The sound of the clock in the living room could be heard quietly, yet unpleasantly clearly, and I thought, it really is over now—'

A haiku with such reality that I find myself imagining the continuation of the poem, which is out of character for me.

The amazing thing about this haiku is that there is no clock present in the scene. If someone told me 'spring is ending' while looking at a clock, I would just think 'oh, I see' (is it just me?).

The clock is only something you hear. The person saying 'spring is ending' is not looking at a clock. They are looking at something else. And people don't usually say 'spring is ending' like that. I don't know if they wanted to evade the conversation or change the subject, but the sense of tension definitely comes across.

This haiku might work with a seasonal word other than spring, but I chose it precisely because the stage is set in spring. In an atmosphere that is somewhat bewitching, like a hazy night, to be told that by a lover or someone you care for. It is because it is supported by such a setting that the beauty of a relationship heading toward its end feels even more pronounced.

Thank you for such an unadorned, authentic haiku.

・3rd Place

Led by my brother's hand to school, tulips

Author: Kirakira Hikaru

There is a haiku by the legendary haiku poet Fukio Shiba that goes, 'Coming with my brother who is graduating, the embankment.' When I saw Kirakira Hikaru's haiku, I immediately remembered this one.

He must have been a wonderful older brother. Taking my hand when I had just started elementary school, he taught me many things. This leaf is sweet if you suck on it. If you take this path, it's a shortcut. Be careful, there's a big dog in this house.

At home, he might have been mean and we fought a lot, but at that moment, he must have looked so reliable. 'If you have any trouble, tell your big brother. Big brother will help you.' The brother as my support, filled with the joy and anxiety of having just started school, and the tulips are a perfect match.

I now think of Fukio Shiba's haiku as the story of a few years after this one (laughs).

Thank you for such a warm haiku.

・4th Place

Grandmother does not speak of how they met, peach blossoms

Author: Mero

Does the fact that she doesn't speak of how they met mean she was a quiet grandmother? Perhaps she has already passed away and is no longer in a state where she can tell the story.

However, the peach blossoms. Even though the story of how they met is not told, I believe she must have lived a happy married life. At the very least, I think the author, looking at their grandmother, can fully feel that she lived a happy life.

It is a work that deserves to win the Space Cup Everyone's Haiku Grand Prize. Congratulations!

・5th Place

Spring thunder, Godzilla's feet tread upon the city

Author: Foliage Poet

The impact of the middle and final phrases is tremendous. While various interpretations are possible here, I imagined an old Godzilla special effects set. I pictured Godzilla in a suit destroying a miniature city. A spring thunderclap echoes through the tense set. I felt the tension and resolve of people living creatively, and it made me think that I must do my best.

As someone who has watched 'Shin Godzilla' dozens of times, I enjoyed reading this haiku while imagining Satomi Ishihara's unique pronunciation of 'Godzilla'.

6th Place

Spring parasol left behind on the cafe seat

Author: Mushi Ebi

The scene comes to life vividly. Does 'left behind' mean it was forgotten? Spring sunlight is not as strong as summer's, but women are still careful about it. Perhaps the woman was having such a serious conversation that she forgot it.

Lonely. Sad. Empty. Looking at the parasol left on the cafe seat, I get the feeling that the author was chewing on a sense of sadness.

Introduction of the other 6 final candidates

Is that really where you want to die? Soap bubbles
Author: Tamagomaru

Holding a soft bomb, spring love
Author: Cham Kanisawa

Even the conflict is treated as if it never happened, April Fool's Day
Author: Megumi Haruno

Closing the shutters on the photo studio as spring departs
Author: Lemon Balm

Spring sunset mixed into the rice at a Vietnamese restaurant
Author: Pukkukun
*The Grand Prize winner. So amazing I'm even jealous (lol)

Regrets of late spring and the dampness of a wet dream
Author: Hirokatsu Kikuchi

About the next Everyone's Haiku Tournament, the 'Crane-Turtle Cup'

The Everyone's Haiku Tournament will be held in the summer as well. It's already been a year. That's amazing.
And, if I may be so bold, I will be serving as a host alongside Tsuru-san.

I am a person who can only express things through haiku. I am sure there will be many shortcomings, but I will do my very best.

To all the organizers and all the participants, I look forward to working with you.

- Links to the judge's awards from other teachers

- List of all submissions