Contests

Haiku - 俳句

Published on 28/03/2012 - Edition 2012

Discover Japanese poetry thanks to the Haiku contest. Express spring in a few words to take part in it and get free tickets to the festival!

Haiku, which used to be called Hokku, is a form of Japanese poetry which conveys deep meanings through the purity and simplicity of its style. Created in its present form by Matsuo BASHÔ in the 17^th century, the Haiku has become more modern and was made popular worldwide thanks to the poet Shiki MASAOKA in the late 19^th century.

How to write Haiku

Haiku is a spiritual training above all and a rather simple form of poetry which conceals wordplay that may be quite complex in Japanese (Kanji and Kana).

A Haiku is made of 17 moras (or syllables), written vertically. It may also be written in the art of calligraphy with sober ornamentations.
In the occidental fashion, Haiku has been given the shape, judged as too strict by some, of three lines of 5, 7 and 5 moras, which makes a total of 17.

This is the most famous example, by poet Matsuo BASHÔ:

Furu ike ya
fu / ru / i / ke / ya
(5)

Kawazu tobikomu
ka / wa / zu / to / bi / ko / mu
(7)

Mizu no oto
mi / zu / no / o / to
(5)

(Old pond, a frog leaps in, water’s sound.)

Let’s see what it looks like the occidental way:

Whitecaps on the bay:
A broken signboard banging
In the April wind.
(Richard Wright, collected in Haiku: This Other World)

How to participate?

It’s easy: send us a Haiku, respecting the following rules!

Theme: spring

Format
A5 (half of an A4 sheet)

Form
3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables, vertically or horizontally

Constraints
Your Haiku has to be written in calligraphy, and decorated if you wish. Yet the decoration is not the most important thing when judging your Haiku: don’t forget... be poetic!
Only one Haiku per person and per session will be accepted.

NB: You don’t have to use the word spring in your Haiku.

Mail participation
Send your Haiku to the following address:

JAPAN EXPO
Concours de Haiku
14 place Georges POMPIDOU
93160 Noisy-le-Grand - FRANCE

Don’t forget to write your name, first name, age and e-mail and mail address at the back of your Haiku!
If you take part in the contest from abroad, you are allowed to send your contribution to the 3 sessions in only one envelope. Don't forget to mention the matching session on the back of your Haiku.

Frequency
3 sessions are organized until May 16, 2012:

March 28 to April 13
April 14 to 30
May 1^st to 16

All the Haiku sent after May 16, 2012, considering the postmark, will not enter the contest.

Prizes ans prizegiving
At the end of each session of the contest, 3 winners will be chosen according to the quality of their Haiku (the poetic value) and also, to a lesser extent, to the presentation. The winners will get a free entrance ticket each for one day of their choice (except Saturday) at Japan Expo 13^th Impact, sent after the end of the contest and at least a week before the festival, as well as a surprise gift to be withdrawn at the Contest Desk during the festival (the surprise gift will not be sent by mail).

All the Haiku will be displayed at Japan Expo!