Witness the Moment the Grand Prize is Announced via YouTube Live! The 8th 'Yaezaki Itsuki Uchide Haiku Award' Ceremony on June 20 (Sat)

Award ceremony of the 7th Uchide Haiku Award (held in 2025). Mr. Itsuki Arai (left), Mr. Masato Ito (right), and winning entries by category (center)

Asahi Publishing Co., Ltd. will host the 8th 'Yaezaki Itsuki Uchide Haiku Award' award ceremony and commemorative event starting at 12:30 PM on Saturday, June 20, 2026.

The event will be live-streamed on the YouTube channel 'Yaezaki Itsuki Uchide Haiku'.

For this year's 'Uchide Haiku Award', over 10,000 haiku entries were submitted during the application period from December 20, 2025, to February 28, 2026. At the ceremony, Excellence and Best-in-Category awards will be announced. Furthermore, after reviewing the Best-in-Category entries, the Grand Prize for this year will be decided by a majority vote among attendees at the venue.

Please watch the live stream to witness the moment the Grand Prize is announced.

▼ Live streaming on the YouTube channel 'Yaezaki Itsuki Uchide Haiku'!

Scheduled from 12:30 PM to 3:45 PM on Saturday, June 20, 2026

Watch here

※ Archive streaming is also planned.
※ Reminder settings are available from the viewing page.

The Haiku Award conceived by Mr. Itsuki Arai to discover haiku inspiration within 'the home'

The 'Uchide Haiku Award' was born from Mr. Itsuki Arai's belief that

"There are countless seeds for haiku scattered throughout the home."

With the hope that even those unable to go outside due to illness, injury, or caregiving can enjoy haiku from home using their five senses and sixth sense, the award has invited haiku inspired by daily life, themed around familiar places such as 'Living Room,' 'Kitchen,' 'Bedroom,' 'Entrance,' 'Bathroom,' and 'Toilet.'

For the 8th edition, in addition to these six categories, a new 'Daily Life Bumps' category (sponsored by Haseko Senior Well Design Co., Ltd.) has been added to feature the unique daily lives of seniors and those involved with senior care, bringing the total to seven categories.

Group photo with winners of the 7th edition

Group photo with winners of the 7th edition

Group photo with winners of the 7th edition

Past Grand Prize-winning entries

Past Grand Prize-winning entries of the 'Uchide Haiku Award' feature everyday household items such as windows, hair, kotatsu (heated tables), and kitchens. The charm of this award lies in how personal moments and discoveries suddenly emerge from small scenes of daily life.

[1st Grand Prize]

The sandpiper's eye—
pebbles turning in its
sleeping lid

Sato Juugan

[2nd Grand Prize]

Leaving behind the wheelchair—
white shoes and a cane

Gudetama

[3rd Grand Prize]

Father says: at the pharmacy,
magnolia blooms

Nishida Getsutan

[4th Grand Prize]

Peeling an onion—
God's place revealed

Tsunazuko

[5th Grand Prize]

Beside an urn,
watching sumo on the kotatsu

Ogawa No Yukuto

[6th Grand Prize]

What a good day—
just because I washed my hair

Teisai

[7th Grand Prize]

After cleaning up
the window my mother broke—
drizzling rain

Yamori Rabisuke

This year, from over 10,000 entries, which single haiku will be chosen as the Grand Prize?
Please watch the live stream to see the announcement on the day of the ceremony.

Highlights of the live stream

1. Announcement of winning entries from over 10,000 submissions

From over 10,000 entries submitted nationwide, the Special Prize for the 'Daily Life Bumps' category and Excellence and Best-in-Category awards for each category will be announced.

2. Mr. Itsuki Arai and on-site participants unravel the charm of winning haiku

The charm and background behind the Best-in-Category entries will be explored.

This session will be enjoyable not only for experienced haiku writers but also for beginners, offering insights into word choice and creative thinking.

3. This year's 'Grand Prize' decided on the day of the ceremony

From the six Best-in-Category entries, the Grand Prize will be decided by a majority vote among winners and on-site participants.

Which entry will be selected as the Grand Prize—witness this moment together via live stream.

Scene from the 7th award ceremony

Scene from the 7th award ceremony

■ Details of the 8th Uchide Haiku Award Ceremony & Commemorative Event

[Date & Time]

June 20, 2026 (Sat) from 12:30 PM

[Judge]

Itsuki Arai

[Host]

Masato Ito

[Announcements]

- Special Prize: Daily Life Bumps Category

- Living Room Category: Excellence & Best-in-Category

- Kitchen Category: Excellence & Best-in-Category

- Bedroom Category: Excellence & Best-in-Category

- Entrance Category: Excellence & Best-in-Category

- Bathroom Category: Excellence & Best-in-Category

- Toilet Category: Excellence & Best-in-Category

- Grand Prize

[Awards]

- Grand Prize (1 winner): ¥200,000, commemorative plaque

- Theme Awards (6 winners): ¥50,000 each, commemorative plaque

- Special Prize 'Daily Life Bumps' (10 winners): ¥10,000 each, commemorative plaque

※ The Grand Prize will be selected from the Theme Award winners on the day of the ceremony and awarded ¥200,000, including the ¥50,000 Theme Award prize.

[Special Sponsor]
Haseko Senior Well Design Co., Ltd. ('Daily Life Bumps' category)

[Product & Prize Sponsors]

Asahi Beverage Co., Ltd., Ainan Town, Ehime Prefecture

Judge Profile

Itsuki Arai

Haiku poet. Born in 1957. Based in Matsuyama City. Leader of the haiku group 'Itsukigumi.' Recipient of the 8th Haidan Award, 44th Broadcasting Culture Foundation Award, 72nd NHK Broadcasting Culture Award, and 4th Taneda Santoka Award. Involved in founding the Haiku Koshien. Judge for Matsuyama City's 'Haiku Post 365' and other programs. Active across various media, including the haiku corner of MBS's 'Plebat!!'. Author of 'Ultra-Strict Teacher's Red-Pen Haiku Classroom,' 'Yaezaki Itsuki Uchide Haiku,' 'Yaezaki Itsuki's Haiku Revision Dictionary,' and haiku collections 'Izukishu: Ryu,' 'Izukishu: Fukurou,' 'Izukishu: Tsuru' (published by our company), among many others.