Let haiku be on the UNESCO list! (45)

Let haiku be on the UNESCO list!

On November 3, 2015, Hidenori Hiruta took part in the panel discussion of the Only One Kagoshima Tree Haiku Contest festival held as one of the 30th National Culture Festival Haiku events at the International University of Kagoshima.

Then, Hiruta had a chance to talk about the signatures of 106 haikuists from 15 different countries, who signed to support the initiative to have haiku recognized as important cultural world heritage at the Second International Haiku Conference in Poland, 17 May 2015, at the 19th Haiku Meeting in Croatia, 13 June 2015, and at Gathering of haiku poets in the Castle of Zrinski in Croatia, 12 September 2015.

Here are copies of PowerPoint used in Hiruta’s presentation.

On June 13, 2015, the 19th Haiku Meeting was held in Ludbreg, Croatia.

Ms. Djurdja Vukelic Rozic, Croatia, says in her letter as follows.

Today, on June 13, 2015, Croatian haiku poets gathered in the town of Ludbreg, “The Centre of the World” for the 19th time. The poets meet annually, arriving from many Croatian towns as well as their guests from Republic of Slovenia.

By now, haiku resides in Croatia for over half a century. With enormous and dedicated work of mathematician, haijin, Japanologist and Academician Vladimir Devidé, culture and arts of Japan have entered the Croatian culture. Also, taking part in haiku gatherings and haiku competitions throughout the world, exchanging books and translating poetry haiku, Croatian haiku poets have become a part of the Planet Haiku. Values of traditional Japanese culture and those of today’s Japan have become part of their lives, as well.

For all mentioned above, and all that could be written about living and belonging to the haiku way of living, respecting and preserving Nature, and expanding relationships and friendships among people of many different languages and cultures, it is our wish haiku would soon be on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. 　

Here are copies of the references used in Hiruta’s presentation.

Here are six pictures Hidenori Hiruta took during his stay in Kagoshima （鹿児島）. He visited Sengan-en （仙巌園) on November 2, 2015.

Sengan-en is a Japanese garden attached to a former Shimazu clan residence in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Designated a Place of Scenic Beauty, together with the adjacent Shōko Shūseikan（尚古集成館） it forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining.

The Sengan-en was built in 1658 by the 2nd lord of the Satsuma feudal clan (19th generation of the Shimazu family).

The garden uses a traditional garden design technique called ‘borrowed scenery’, incorporating both Sakurajima and Kinko bay. The garden is said to have been loved and frequented by Shimazu Nariakira and Atsuhime. The Sengan-en also includes a villa that was used as a rural retreat of the Shimazu family, whom to this day, owns the Sengan-en.