20th "My Poetry and Haiku on Tea" Contest Winners Announcement
The 20th Wakouen "My Tea Poems and Haiku" received 231 haiku and 250 senryu entries, and the winners have been decided as follows:
Thank you to all tea fans nationwide, and to everyone who enjoys haiku and senryu.
A selection of tea will be sent to the award winners, so please look forward to it.
Please note that there will be no culture school this year. We appreciate your understanding.
❮ Grand Prize ❯
◆ Haiku
Green tea brewed at dawn, drunken hibiscus
Kazuya OJU (Kagoshima City)
◆ Senryu
Tea leaves look like musical notes, Cha-i-kovsky
Ryoko Matsumoto (Izumi City)
❮ Award of Excellence ❯
◆ Haiku
Harvest moon, I am I, preparing tea
Naomi Baba (Kagoshima City)
The jade color of prepared tea, new coolness
Toshiko Nose (Kagoshima City)
Bancha moistens the storyteller, Hiroshima Memorial Day
Chiaki Sonoda (Kagoshima City)
◆ Senryu
Let's have tea, one word brings reconciliation
Noriko Shimizu (Kagoshima City)
The scent of Satsuma tea carried to the shelter
Rieko Haruta (Satsumasendai City)
Kiju tea ceremony, heart and wrinkles interweave
Kozo Matsuzono (Kagoshima City)
❮ Honorable Mention ❯
◆ Haiku
Sound of crackle from the kiln, tea blooms
Ryuhei Sekaku (Tarumizu City)
Billions of stars clash, a new tea field
Akinori Shirasaka (Kirishima City)
Fragrant hojicha in old age, Fumiko's memorial day
Yoshiko Itasaka (Kagoshima City)
December eighth, one bubble remains in the tea bowl
Mamiko Haruta (Satsumasendai City)
Tea flowers, a bus stop with two services a day
Keiko Noma (Tarumizu City)
◆ Senryu
Ohtani's records enliven the tea ceremony
Ren Yoshimatsu (Satsumasendai City)
"It's just plain tea," says thick makeup with thin tea
Yoshitake Kuroto (Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture)
Let's have tea, a punctuation mark in busy days
Fumiko Aoyagi (Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture)
Price hikes clouded by slim bottles
Masukazu Shinya (Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture)
"My Tea Poems and Haiku" Selection Review
Judge: Tetsuya Okada (Poet)
＜Haiku＞
Haiku generally aims to include kigo (season words) and kidai (seasonal themes).
The Grand Prize winner was "Green tea brewed at dawn, drunken hibiscus." The drunken hibiscus gets its name because its white flowers turn red in the evening. The sequence of "dawn," "green tea," and "drunken hibiscus" beautifully captures the changing colors and the refreshing taste of morning tea.
In the Award of Excellence "The jade color of prepared tea, new coolness," the phonetics of "jade" (hisui) and "coolness" (ryo) create a uniquely charming atmosphere.
"Harvest moon, I am I, preparing tea." The key to this one is definitely the second line, "I am I." It has a private novel-like, yet humorous and playful quality.
"Bancha moistens the storyteller, Hiroshima Memorial Day." Hiroshima Memorial Day is a kigo. The combination of the storyteller's passionate speech and bancha (coarse tea) has a profound taste.
Please enjoy the honorable mentions as you like. Just like tea, the flavor deepens with repeated readings.
＜Senryu＞
Senryu does not require kigo. Puns, satire, and wordplay are common.
"Tea leaves look like musical notes, Cha-i-kovsky"
This is a pun, and it was outstanding, making one think that the Tchaikovsky family exists for the sake of tea.
"Kiju tea ceremony, heart and wrinkles interweave" – Truly a tea ceremony that soothes both mind and body.
"The scent of Satsuma tea carried to the shelter" – One hopes it offers at least a moment of peace.
"'Let's have tea,' one word brings reconciliation" – "Let's have tea" is a truly wonderful and convenient phrase.
Also, this year, works related to Shohei Ohtani left a strong impression.
Engaging in senryu helps you see with multifaceted vision, not just single-mindedness. For your physical and mental well-being, I highly recommend senryu.
Thank you to all tea fans nationwide, and to everyone who enjoys haiku and senryu.
A selection of tea will be sent to the award winners, so please look forward to it.
Please note that there will be no culture school this year. We appreciate your understanding.
❮ Grand Prize ❯
◆ Haiku
Green tea brewed at dawn, drunken hibiscus
Kazuya OJU (Kagoshima City)
◆ Senryu
Tea leaves look like musical notes, Cha-i-kovsky
Ryoko Matsumoto (Izumi City)
❮ Award of Excellence ❯
◆ Haiku
Harvest moon, I am I, preparing tea
Naomi Baba (Kagoshima City)
The jade color of prepared tea, new coolness
Toshiko Nose (Kagoshima City)
Bancha moistens the storyteller, Hiroshima Memorial Day
Chiaki Sonoda (Kagoshima City)
◆ Senryu
Let's have tea, one word brings reconciliation
Noriko Shimizu (Kagoshima City)
The scent of Satsuma tea carried to the shelter
Rieko Haruta (Satsumasendai City)
Kiju tea ceremony, heart and wrinkles interweave
Kozo Matsuzono (Kagoshima City)
❮ Honorable Mention ❯
◆ Haiku
Sound of crackle from the kiln, tea blooms
Ryuhei Sekaku (Tarumizu City)
Billions of stars clash, a new tea field
Akinori Shirasaka (Kirishima City)
Fragrant hojicha in old age, Fumiko's memorial day
Yoshiko Itasaka (Kagoshima City)
December eighth, one bubble remains in the tea bowl
Mamiko Haruta (Satsumasendai City)
Tea flowers, a bus stop with two services a day
Keiko Noma (Tarumizu City)
◆ Senryu
Ohtani's records enliven the tea ceremony
Ren Yoshimatsu (Satsumasendai City)
"It's just plain tea," says thick makeup with thin tea
Yoshitake Kuroto (Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture)
Let's have tea, a punctuation mark in busy days
Fumiko Aoyagi (Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture)
Price hikes clouded by slim bottles
Masukazu Shinya (Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture)
"My Tea Poems and Haiku" Selection Review
Judge: Tetsuya Okada (Poet)
＜Haiku＞
Haiku generally aims to include kigo (season words) and kidai (seasonal themes).
The Grand Prize winner was "Green tea brewed at dawn, drunken hibiscus." The drunken hibiscus gets its name because its white flowers turn red in the evening. The sequence of "dawn," "green tea," and "drunken hibiscus" beautifully captures the changing colors and the refreshing taste of morning tea.
In the Award of Excellence "The jade color of prepared tea, new coolness," the phonetics of "jade" (hisui) and "coolness" (ryo) create a uniquely charming atmosphere.
"Harvest moon, I am I, preparing tea." The key to this one is definitely the second line, "I am I." It has a private novel-like, yet humorous and playful quality.
"Bancha moistens the storyteller, Hiroshima Memorial Day." Hiroshima Memorial Day is a kigo. The combination of the storyteller's passionate speech and bancha (coarse tea) has a profound taste.
Please enjoy the honorable mentions as you like. Just like tea, the flavor deepens with repeated readings.
＜Senryu＞
Senryu does not require kigo. Puns, satire, and wordplay are common.
"Tea leaves look like musical notes, Cha-i-kovsky"
This is a pun, and it was outstanding, making one think that the Tchaikovsky family exists for the sake of tea.
"Kiju tea ceremony, heart and wrinkles interweave" – Truly a tea ceremony that soothes both mind and body.
"The scent of Satsuma tea carried to the shelter" – One hopes it offers at least a moment of peace.
"'Let's have tea,' one word brings reconciliation" – "Let's have tea" is a truly wonderful and convenient phrase.
Also, this year, works related to Shohei Ohtani left a strong impression.
Engaging in senryu helps you see with multifaceted vision, not just single-mindedness. For your physical and mental well-being, I highly recommend senryu.