The judging panel for the ITO EN Oi Ocha Shinhaiku Contest will consist of judges from various fields of art, including haiku, photography, literature, music and theater.
The judges will seek works that demonstrate free and fresh aesthetics as well as beautiful expressions.
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Arthur BinardPoet
Studied English literature at Colgate University, USA. With his graduation in 1990, at once he moved to Japan and started to write poems in Japanese. His poem collection “Tsuriagetewa” won the Chuya Nakahara Prize, and “Nihongo Pokori Pokori” won the Kodansha Essay Award. In 2017 he received an honorable mention as part of the Waseda University Tsubouchi Shoyo Award.
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Tsunehiko HoshinoHaiku Poet
Representative of the society “Ten”, Honorary Professor of Waseda University, and advisor to the Association of Haiku Poets. He has published a series of haiku collections, including the titles “Rendako”, “Bakushu”, “Kantan”, and “Kanbare”, and commentaries on English haiku under such titles as “Haiku to Haiku no Sekai” (Haiku and the World of Haiku) and “Haiku – Sekai wo Nomikomu Shikei” (Haiku – The Poetic Style Captivating the World). He is a recipient of the “Association of Haiku Poets Review Award”.
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Shimpei AsaiPhotographer
After winning the Japan Advertising Photographers' Association Award in 1965, he made his debut with a major publisher with the "Beatles Tokyo" photo collection in 1966. Not limited to photography, he has been involved in a wide range of activities, including movie production, art and literature, crafts, and music production.
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Atsushi AnzaiHaiku Poet
Joined "Kaitei" in 1962. Worn the Kaitei Award in 1991, and the Gendai Haiku Association Award in 2014. Representative of the society”Kaigen”, Gendai Haiku Association consultant and vice-president of the Haiku International Association. His haiku collections include "Tamaranzaka" and "Aki no Tao", and his books "Conditions of Haiku" and "Tota Kaneko."
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Seiko ItoWriter, Creator
His debut novel "No Life King" was a candidate for the Mishima Yukio Prize in 1988. A creator active across a wide spectrum, including as an actors, author, celebrity, lyricist, rapper and gardener.
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Hideho KindaichiJapanese linguist
A Kyorin University Facility of Foreign Studies professor, and former researcher at Harvard University. He also often appears on TV, including "The Lessons you Most Want to Take in the World," introducing content relating to language in an easy to understand way. His grandfather was the linguist Kyosuke Kindaichi, and his father was the Japanese language scholar Haruhiko Kindaichi.
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Saki KonoHaiku Poet
She started writing haiku when she entered the National High School Haiku Contest during her high school years. She received the 1st Fukio Shiba Haiku Newcomer Award Toshinori Tsubouchi Encouragement Award and the 11th Nobuko Katsura Award. She is the executive director of the Modern Haiku Association of Japan, selects haiku for the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and Shinano Mainichi Shimbun newspapers and for the NHK National Haiku Contest, and is now head judge for the National High School Haiku Contest. Her haiku collections include "Map of the Stars" ("Hoshi no Chizu"), "Bee Fades into Light" ("Hikari Mamire no Hachi") and "Stirring Violets" ("Sumire Soyogu"); her books include "I Started a Haiku Club" ("Haikubu, Hajimemashita") and "Don't Cry, Your Electric Blanket Won't Betray You" ("Mou Nakanai, Denkimofu ha Uragiranai.")
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Itsuki NatsuiHaiku Poet
Lives in Matsuyama City. Head of the haiku group “Itsuki Gumi” and a member of the Aoi Haiku Kai. Recipient of the 8th Haidan Prize. Also involved in the establishment of the Haiku Koshien competition. Selects content for such sites as the Matsuyama City official haiku site “Haiku Post 365.” First Haiku Capital Matsuyama Ambassador since 2015. Has published numerous works, including the haiku collections “Itsuki Shu Ryu,” “Ouchi de Haiku,” and “Natsui Itsuki no Haiku Kotohajime.”
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Kika HottaHaiku Poet and Literary Artist
He is the president of the Rakuen haiku association. For his haiku, he has received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Art Newcomer Encouragement Award, the Modern Haiku Association Prize, the Takashi National Poetry Award, and the Shiba Fukio Haiku Newcomer Award Saito Shinji Encouragement Award. He is currently executive director of the Modern Haiku Association, director of the International Haiku Association, selects haiku for NHK Haiku and the Nannichi Haidan, and is head judge for the National High School Haiku Contest. He is the author of four books of poetry, the poetry guidebook "Haiku Meets Tanka," and the co-author of many other works. He creates in many languages and many forms.
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Miyuki MiyabeWriter
Made her debut as an author in 1987 with "Our Neighbors' Crimes." Received the Naoki Award in 1999 for "Reason." She is a popular author not only for her thriller novel but also her period ones. One of the novelists that best represents modern Japan. Many of her works have been turned into TV shows or movies.