Results of the 10th Annual Akita International Haiku Contest

It is with great excitement that I announce the winners of the 10^th Annual Akita International Haiku Contest.

The poets listed below along with some articles about haiku and haiku poets, photo haiku & modern haiga, and book reviews from around the world will be featured in Serow, Volume 5, which is due to come out March 2022.

A sincere “Thank you” to the 516 poets who supported this year’s contest, and to our judges who dedicated their time to reading and thinking carefully over each of the submissions.

English (Open)

319 entries

(the poet’s name follows each haiku)

the silver coin I dropped
into this old wishing well
twinkled back at me

Lorraine Ward (New Zealand)

the poinsettia
curling up again, why, why
won’t you talk to me?

Tony Williams (Scotland)

summer afternoon
a crow and a shadow meet
at the water’s edge

Srinivas S. (India)

cemetery park
the scent of lavender
on the way out

Vladislav Hristov (Bulgaria)

border disputes
the snow on the Himalayas
still white as lilies

Nagasri Nudurupati (India)

A butterfly
flutters through double rainbows
in shower to the garden

Miyuki Iimura (Japan)

a crystal-clear lake
one leaf after another
falls into the sky

Helen Barysheva (Russia)

an august cypress
in the full bloom of its youth
my mere seventies

Marta Chocilowska (Poland)

abandoned mailbox
two sparrows build a fine home
with brown pine needles

John Zheng (USA)

autumn loneliness
the sudden remembrance of
mother’s goodnight kiss

Engin Gülez (Turkey)

chemotherapy—
a forget-me-not flower
hanging in her hair

Dan Iulian (Bucharest, Romania)

English (Student)

116 entries

(the poet’s name follows each haiku)

Grandmother’s face
wrinkles around the eyes
proof of many smiles

Ryūto Sakamoto (Japan)

bluebells hanging down
their heads by the river bend—
in the deepest blue

Sonika Jaiganesh (Scotland)

even though it’s autumn
there are fireflies flying
in my house at night

Haruka Shiba (Japan)

Blue sky disappeared.
Scent of a golden rhinoceros
Coming of autumn

Naho Chayamichi (Japan)

Deep in the lush woods
A cave runs down endlessly
The bottom unknown

Cayden Sleek (USA)

Earth Day
the children address best wishes
to the oldest oak

Maria Lucanu (Romania)

an old hollow ridge
gateway to the great beyond
Autumn leaves falling

Favour I. Adeoye (Nigeria)

Autumn breeze and
Under the persimmon tree
cool of the evening

Ikeda (Japan)

Darkness of the sea
The depths of forgotten fear
Hungry creatures stir

Ethan Gautheir (USA)

Falling endlessly
Everything and yet nothing
Suspended in time

Lauren Back (USA)

smell of burnt jasmines
leads to somewhere; no smoke but
a burning ragdoll

Mohit Kumar Tanwar (India)

Japanese (Open)

40 entries

(the poet’s name follows each haiku)

光芒の枯野や遠く日本海

Masanori Ito (Shirakawa, Japan)

北の国互いを呼び合う虎落笛

Kōji Kimura (Oita, Japan)

余白無き師の眼差しや寒復習

Satoshi Akimoto (Ehime, Japan)

幽玄の言意わからず星月夜

Kengo Ishida (Gifu, Japan)

はちす咲く沈めしものを吸ひ取りて

Asako Okazaki (Ibaraki, Japan)

幽玄の渓谷へ霧波打てる

Daisuke Sugimori (Kyoto, Japan)

幽玄をさがして歩く蛍の夜

Minami Ono (Saitama, Japan)

枯れ池に 寒月宿り 風止みぬ

Tetsuo Ofuji (Fukuoka, Japan)

 能楽堂あまたの音を消し真冬

Yumiko Koga (Saga, Japan)

篝火に舞ふ幽玄の薪能

Norio Nakashima (Wakayama, Japan)

渡り鳥富士晴れ箱根さはやかに

Teruhisa Kawakami (Osaka, Japan)

Japanese (Student)

41 entries

(the poet’s name follows each haiku)

 幽玄の彼方を覗く朧月

Sho Aiba (Akita, Japan)

冷たい風 一緒に香る 金木犀

Mei Okumura (Kagoshima, Japan)

おもいっきりミンミンゼミがないている

Raia Konma (Yamagata, Japan)

そらむいておはなししているこいのぼり

Ena Komatsu (Yamagata, Japan)

 ツクツクボウシもういいかいとぼくをよぶ

Sora Sato (Yamagata, Japan)

オンブバッタこどもをのせてたかくとぶ

Ouga Nagaoka (Yamagata, Japan)

かぜふいてさくらがそらにまいあがる

Ruka Umetsu (Yamagata, Japan)

十六夜の課題に励む蠟燭や

Hayata Suzuki (Gunma, Japan)

汗見えぬシテの歩みと蝉の声

Chiaki Akamatsu (Tottori, Japan)

こいのぼりのっていきたいうちゅうまで

Aoi Kobayashi (Yamagata, Japan)

きにとまりせみがミンミンうたってる

Aika Miura (Yamagata, Japan)