Let's write tanka about your love for your 'oshi'! Poets Machi Tawara and Maho Okamoto will be the judges. #OshiTanka

We are holding a submission project called #OshiTanka to collect tanka poems about the people, things, or 'oshi' (favorites) you love. Poets Machi Tawara and Maho Okamoto will serve as judges, and they will provide feedback on the wonderful works.

▼ We are looking for works like these

• Anything goes as long as it's a tanka about your 'oshi' (favorite person, thing, or activity), such as your favorite idol, anime, music, or hobby time!

• Whether you are expressing the charm of your 'oshi' or writing about your own feelings while engaging in 'oshi-katsu' (fan activities), there are no restrictions on how you express yourself.

• Lines with extra or fewer syllables are fine, and free-form tanka is also welcome.

• There is no need to worry, wondering, 'Is this level of affection enough to call them an oshi?' Please try to put your sudden realizations of affection and your own unique joys into words!

To apply, simply post on note with the hashtag #OshiTanka. If you add commentary, essays, or illustrations in addition to your tanka, the charm of your 'oshi' and your feelings might reach even more people.

Please take this opportunity to share your love for your 'oshi' on note!

[Updated 10/2] Reference works

Our judges, Machi Tawara and Maho Okamoto, have created some reference works. Please take a look and use them as a guide for how to create your own 'oshi' tanka.

■ Machi Tawara

■ Maho Okamoto

[Updated 9/26] Tanka image templates are now available!

We have prepared templates that allow you to turn your original tanka into images on the graphic design platform Canva. There are a total of 3 versions, including one with a simple white background and others where you can insert your favorite images.

You can use them as header images for your note posts, or share the images on X (Twitter) or Instagram. The layout is designed so that the tanka will display beautifully even if you crop it to a square.

Try using the templates

▼ How to use the templates
① Click the URL above and click the 'Use template' button ② Log in to Canva or create an account ③ Edit the template text ④ Once finished, click the 'Share' button in the top right and download

Background of the event

note will be holding its annual creative festival, 'Creator Fes,' from October 1st to October 31st. This year's theme is 'Enjoying what you love even more.' We will be hosting talk sessions where we ask creators about the behind-the-scenes of their work, as well as various participatory and submission projects in different categories.

It is said that we are currently experiencing an unprecedented tanka boom, and various tanka are being posted on note every day. In response to this excitement, we have decided to solicit tanka about your "Oshi" (favorite person, thing, or interest) in line with the theme of our "Creator Fes." We hope this will be a fun opportunity for those who have written tanka before, as well as those who have never tried it, to take on the challenge.

Project Details

■ Submission Schedule

Submission Period: Tuesday, September 12, 2023 – Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Results Announcement: Tuesday, October 31

■ Submissions

• Please post a tanka about your Oshi (favorite person, thing, or interest) on note.

• You are welcome to include commentary, essays, illustrations, etc.

• You may include multiple works in one article or post them one by one.

■ How to Apply

1. Log in to note

2. Click the "Post" button to create an article (please select "Text" or "Tweet").
   ※ If using the app, please select "Write a note" or "Tweet" from the "Create" button.

3. Set the hashtag "#OshiTanka" on the publication settings screen and post your article.

Awards

• Each judge will select several wonderful works and announce them on the official note account with their commentary.

• Winners will receive original note merchandise.

Judges

The judges will be poets Machi Tawara and Maho Okamoto, who frequently publish tanka about their favorite things in the media and on social media. Reference works for this project are scheduled to be released on Monday, October 2. Stay tuned!

Machi Tawara (Poet)

Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1962. While attending Waseda University, she began writing tanka under the influence of poet Yukitsuna Sasaki. In 1986, she won the Kadokawa Tanka Award for "August Morning." In 1987, she published her first tanka collection, "Salad Anniversary," and the following year, she received the Modern Japanese Poets Association Award for the same collection. In 2004, she received the 14th Murasaki Shikibu Literary Award for "Loving The Tale of Genji." In 2006, she received the Wakayama Bokusui Award for her tanka collection "Pooh's Nose." In 2021, she received the Choku Award and the Poetry Literature Museum Award for her tanka collection "Size of the Future." In the same year, she received the Asahi Prize for her creative activities that conveyed the charm of modern tanka and expanded its reach.
note / X (Twitter)

Maho Okamoto (Poet)

Born in 1989. Poet. Raised in Kochi Prefecture, by the banks of the Shimanto River. A member of the Mirai Tanka Kai group "Riku kara Umi e." In March 2022, she published her first tanka collection, "Suijo Bus Asakusa-yuki" (Nanarokusha). Co-author of "Kashu Fukudokuhon: 'Rojin Home de Shinuhodo Motetai' to 'Suijo Bus Asakusa-yuki' wo Yomu" (Nanarokusha) and "Utawanai Onna wa Inai" (Chuo Koron Shinsha). She writes tanka while working as a full-remote corporate employee. Currently living between Kochi and Tokyo.
note / X (Twitter)