The Koto City Basho Museum conducts an annual contest known as the Basho-an International English Haiku Competition.

The famous Japanese haiku poet, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), moved to what was then the outskirts of Tokyo in 1680, where he lived in a rustic hut built by his disciples. From that time forward, Basho took his name from the Japanese banana tree, or ‘basho’, planted in the yard. It was here that Basho wrote many of his most famous works including his ‘old pond’ haiku.

The Koto City Basho Museum is located on the banks of the Sumida River in the area where Matsuo Basho’s cottage was thought to be located.

The 6th Basho-an International English Haiku Competition attracted 1,768 entries from 44 countries, demonstrating once again just how popular the haiku genre has become across the English-speaking world.

The three judges for the competition were Mr Kai Hasegawa, Ms Naoko Fujita and Mr Dhugal J Lindsay. As usual, each judge chose ten Winners plus an overall winner of the Basho-an Award. The results of the 6th Competition were announced earlier in 2024 and, as it happens, each judge included an Australian haiku poet among their winners. These three poems are presented below.

Mr Hasegawa selected this haiku as his Basho-an Award winner:

all of us
eight billion heartbeats
every moment

Simon Hanson

Mr Hasegawa commented that ‘This haiku poet, while mourning the alarming state of the Earth, has depicted a powerful image that summons hope and salvation’. In response, Simon Hanson noted his haiku is a reflection of the way he celebrates the Human Family as one whole precious thing.

Ms Fujita selected the following haiku as one of her ten winners. This excellent poem addresses the broad theme of human struggle by portraying a complete scene in three short lines.

blood moon
a stray dog drinks
from a soldier’s helmet

Mark Miller

I was pleased to find that Mr Lindsay selected the following haiku of mine as one of his winners.

patches of lichen
on a granite face
moon gazing!

Gregory Piko

Staring at the moon on a clear night almost always evokes a sense of wonder. Perhaps the full moon appearing as a stone face in a dark sky reminds us we’re not alone. Or perhaps there’s a touch of humour with the moon seeming to gaze back at Earth.

You can read all the winning poems from the 6th Basho-an International English Haiku Competition here.