About the Winners of the 64th National Haiku Yamadera Competition

About the Winners of the 64th National Haiku Yamadera Competition

　The 64th National Haiku Yamadera Competition was originally planned to be held at the Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum, welcoming Ms. Akiko Doi, a member of "Esora."
However, due to the spread of coronavirus infection, it became a paper-based competition judged only on pre-submitted haiku.
We received 1,034 submissions from the general public, 263 from elementary school students, and 333 from junior high school students. Thank you very much.
The awards and special selections from each judge are as follows (titles omitted):

Yamagata City Mayor's Award: Kenichiro Date (Ibaraki Prefecture)
Burning the field, everyone just standing stiffly.

Yamagata Prefectural Haiku Poets Association President's Award: Ryokusen Kojima (Yamagata Prefecture)
The sound of the waterfall, a hidden hot spring ever nearer.

Yamadera Cultural Preservation Association President's Award: Reiko Shoji (Yamagata Prefecture)
In the red shiso pot, grandmother's characters, quietly.

Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum Director's Award: Katsu Akutsu (Tochigi Prefecture)
The wind shines, the sacred flame departs the disaster area.

◎General Public Division

Selected by Akiko Doi
Special Selection: Kenichiro Date (Ibaraki Prefecture)
Burning the field, everyone just standing stiffly.

Selected by Satoko Urakawa
Special Selection: Mansei Kobayashi (Akita Prefecture)
Spring shoji screen, running out from mother's shadow.

Selected by Hiroki Horimoto
Special Selection: Shuumei Muto (Fukushima Prefecture)
Climbing a thousand steps at once, a sudden evening shower.



Selected by Gassanshi Abe
Special Selection: Kaoru Tsuchida (Yamagata Prefecture)
A graduation song expressing gratitude in sign language.

Selected by Masako Suzuki
Special Selection: Ryokusen Kojima (Yamagata Prefecture)
The sound of the waterfall, a hidden hot spring ever nearer.

Selected by Shigemasa Kurosaka
Special Selection: Katsu Akutsu (Tochigi Prefecture)
The wind shines, the sacred flame departs the disaster area.

Selected by Hiroshi Ito
Special Selection: Reiko Shoji (Yamagata Prefecture)
In the red shiso pot, grandmother's characters, quietly.

◎Elementary School Division

Selected by Akiko Doi
Special Selection: Yuri Shimizu (Yamagata Prefecture)
Using math calculations at the summer festival.

Selected by Satoko Urakawa
Special Selection: Kosuke Takiguchi (Yamagata Prefecture)
Closing my eyes, if I listen closely, the song of insects.

Selected by Hiroki Horimoto
Special Selection: Sei Kawauchi (Yamagata Prefecture)
Number ten on my back, spring begins to stir.

Selected by Gassanshi Abe
Special Selection: Shogetsu Yanase (Yamagata Prefecture)
Yamadera is rich with the chirping of birds.

Selected by Masako Suzuki
Special Selection: Sei Kawauchi (Yamagata Prefecture)
Number ten on my back, spring begins to stir.

Selected by Shigemasa Kurosaka
Special Selection: Sei Kawauchi (Yamagata Prefecture)
Number ten on my back, spring begins to stir.

Selected by Hiroshi Ito
Special Selection: Chihiro Koyama (Yamagata Prefecture)
First graders, follow my back!

◎Junior High School Division

Selected by Akiko Doi
Special Selection: Saya Kitamura (Gifu Prefecture)
After weeding, the smell of grass transferred to my clothes.

Selected by Satoko Urakawa
Junior High School Division Special Selection: ? Kanon Aida (Gifu Prefecture)
Spring break day, played until the stars appeared.

Selected by Hiroki Horimoto
Junior High School Division Special Selection: Reika Matsuda (Yamagata Prefecture)
Exchanging whistles with a nightingale, my heart leaps.

Selected by Gassanshi Abe
Junior High School Division Special Selection: Yuichiro Oyake (Gifu Prefecture)
Fish seeking shade beneath the lotus.

Selected by Masako Suzuki
Junior High School Division Special Selection: Taishi Hiroshima (Gifu Prefecture)
Returning from cram school, looking up at Orion, embracing dreams.

Selected by Shigemasa Kurosaka
Junior High School Division Special Selection: Rento Goto (Yamagata Prefecture)
Windmills feel the wind and begin to move.

Selected by Hiroshi Ito
Junior High School Division Special Selection: Aoi Taga (Gifu Prefecture)
Summer festival held by family during the pandemic.