Akita International Haiku Network

On January 19, I received an exciting e-mail from Dr. Angelee Deodhar, a haiku friend of mine in India.  

 Dear Hidenori Hiruta san,

 Please do have a look at this site:

 https://sites.google.com/site/worldhaikureview2/jan-2014-issue/blyth-award

 With best wishes for 2014,

angelee

The site says as follows.

R H Blyth award

January 2014

The R. H. Blyth Award 2013 

BOOKS AND PAPERS OF OR ON HAIKU 

IN ENGLISH OR IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION 

COMPETITION

= The Results =

The Award Winner:
The World Haiku Club is pleased to announce

that The R. H. Blyth Award 2013 

goes to 

Dr. David McMurray

His entry to the contest was done in the form of the excellent publication of “Canada Project: Collected Essays & Poems, 2013 Volume 8”. The Award marks a celebration of the praise-worthy achievements made by a non-Japanese native who has chosen to live in Japan and with rare passion and dedication devoted himself to education through haiku and related subject matter.

The publication is a compendium, the eighth of the kind, compiling different academic activities around a research group called Canada Project of which David is the leader, and based at the Institute for Regional Studies of The International University of Kagoshima where he teaches.(Copies of this publication and all other seven volumes can be purchased individually or as a set. For further details, contact ke00@kinokuniya.co.jp or telephone +88 99 261-9951 or fax +88 99 261 0227)

His direct commitment is of course to the interests of education, Japan, Canada and his own occupation. However, his case also has shown that such specific purposes can serve, even indirectly, the purposes of the whole (in our case the haiku world) if they are exercised properly, professionally and selflessly. David receives the Award of 500 GBP (British pounds) minus money transfer fees. David, O-medeto-gozaimasu!, Many Congratulations!

There were so many entries to The R. H. Blyth Award 2013, among which those of freshness and high quality were abundant. This proves to be especially rewarding when one considers the extremely wide variety of genres entered, from haiku anthologies to academic papers.

On January 20, I received an e-mail from Professor David McMurray as follows.

Dear Hiruta sensei,
 

Thank you for your kindness. I am humbled by your praise for my Canada Project Collected Essays & Poems Vol. 8. 『カナダプロジェクト随筆集と俳句集』七転び八起き When life knocks you down 7 times, stand back up, and keep trying the 8th time. Perhaps I can read a chapter from the book for you when I go to Akita to meet your members this autumn?
 Sincerely,
 David
David McMurray マクマレイデビッド

Winner of The R.H. Blyth Award 2013. 2013年にR・H・ブライス賞を受賞した。

https://sites.google.com/site/worldhaikureview2/jan-2014-issue/blyth-award

Professor McMurray is invited to Akita as one of the panelists of International Haiku Symposium, whose theme is “International Haiku Today”, held at Akita International University（国際教養大学）on October 25 (Saturday) this autumn.

Professor McMurray is going to speak on the topic “Asahi Haikuist Network Today.”

abstract:  The editor of the Asahi Haikuist Network will share the latest developments in the history of world haiku. Noting that it seems like a decade has passed since his weekly newspaper column began, but actually it has been two, he will explain how he began collecting haiku via email and the Internet when he was member of the Shiki Project at Matsuyama University in 1994. 
He will also commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of R.H.Blyth (28 Oct, 1964) who wrote “the day is coming when haiku will be written in Russia, in the Celebes, in Sardinia.” Reading excerpts from his book which won the R.H.Blyth award, the presenter will explain that in 2014, there is a vibrant community of haikuists worldwide, composing and sharing haiku in 56 languages.

Here are three e-mails of congratulations on Professor David McMurray having won the R.H. Blyth Award 2013, which were sent to me by a few students at the International University of Kagoshima (鹿児島国際大学).

The first e-mail says as follows.

蛭田　秀法先生：

 こんにちは、鹿児島国際大学のシェー　ペンです。国際俳句の授業を受けました。留学生です。俳句が好きです。

マクマレイ先生が2013年度のR・H・ブライス賞を受賞しました。 R.H. Blyth Award 2013 はすごいです!

https://sites.google.com/site/worldhaikureview2/jan-2014-issue/blyth-award

マクマレイ先生の２０１３年1月における『カナダプロジェクト随筆集と俳句集 第8号』(単著、プケコグラフィックス：北九州出版）で受賞しました。

カナダ　プロジェクトを読みました。最後のページにマクマレイデビッド先生の口からほとばしった俳句は次のようでした。

英語で五－七―五

Looking for the moon

in the lonely autumn sky

koto and lamp light

日本語でも五－七－五

月探す

寂しい秋空

琴光る

とてもいい俳句だと思います。

世界中、どこにいても、月は見えます。外国で月の光を見たら、自分の故郷の月光を思い出します。

これから、もっと頑張ります。よろしくお願いします。

新納仙一 says in his e-mail as follows.

２０１３年　R・H.ブライス賞のご受賞おめでとうございます。

「カナダプロジェクト随筆集と俳句集」は、日本とカナダを繋ぐ様々な活動を英語俳句を通して紹介する本です。

Ms Kuga went to Canada to study English for 6 month.

She wrote a haiku 

Get together

Your song makes me

Sit by you

この俳句はカラオケを想像させるような俳句ですが、カナダ人もカラオケが好きなので日本文化にも通じるところがあります。

この本をもう少し読んでみたいですね

To AKITA from P74

The teacher’s

Thousand test papers

Think falling snow

The last e-mail says as follows.

蛭田秀法様：

 大寒の候ますますご清栄のこととお喜び申し上げます。

今回、デビッド・マクマレイ教授が編集した『カナダプロジェクト随筆集と俳句集 第8号』は2013年R・H・ブライス賞を受賞しました。

（https://sites.google.com/site/worldhaikureview2/jan-2014-issue/blyth-award）。

マクマレイ教授の学生として、すごく光栄な事と思います。

『カナダプロジェクト随筆集と俳句集』(単著、プケコグラフィックス：北九州出版）はマクマレイ教授がリーダーとして、カナダ研究プロジェクトの年間の活動をまとめたジャーナルです。今回、受賞した8巻目ではグローバル的な英語の勉強を始め、マクマレイ先生の英語俳句まで、8章のエッセイがあります。この中で、特に「100 haiku for Tohoku」を紹介したいと思います。東北大震災のために、鹿児島国際大学の学生たちは布で絵画と俳句を作る形で東北の子供たちや学生たちに心からのエールを送りました。このプロジェクトは総計105枚の俳句を収集しました。日本人の学生だけじゃなく、カナダ、イギリス、中国の留学生たちも俳句を作りました。世界の心は一つになり、そのエールは日本と東北へ届くと思います。また、今回の8巻目でマクマレイ教授が作った俳句のすばらしさも感じられると思います。

—

 Best Regards!

Chen Shanshan (Shirly Chen)

✿——————————————————–✿

International University of Kagoshima Graduate School

1st year student of International culture Doctor course.

－  Hidenori Hiruta