Hamamatsu City Holds 19th "Jukou Prize" Haiku Competition, Seeking Submissions Nationwide.

Hamamatsu City annually hosts the "Jukou Prize" Haiku Competition, inviting submissions from across the country to promote haiku culture. The competition is named after the haiku poet Matsushima Jukou, who was born in Toyonishi-cho, Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City, and is also known for the verse "Hamamatsu wa shutseijo nari hatsugatsuo" (Hamamatsu is a castle of success, first bonito). This year marks the 100th anniversary of Jukou's passing and the 19th iteration of the competition.

Submissions are accepted from Wednesday, July 1, 2026, to Wednesday, September 30, 2026, and must arrive by the deadline. Please fill out the required information and submit your entries via postal mail using the dedicated submission form, postcard, or letter paper, by hand delivery, FAX, or email to the Regional Promotion Section of the Higashi Administrative Center. You can also apply through the submission form on the city's official website (the form will only be available during the submission period). For more details, please visit the city's official website.

Submission Form URL: https://logoform.jp/form/Savd/1552577

City Official Website URL: https://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/e-shinko/ward/higashiku/haiku/haiku.html

Flyers and submission forms can be downloaded from the link below.

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Outline of the 19th "Jukou Prize" Haiku Competition

Theme: There is no specific theme. Please compose your haiku freely.

How to Apply: Write the required information on a postcard, letter paper, dedicated submission form, etc., and submit by postal mail, FAX, email, or hand delivery.

You can also apply through the submission form on the city's website.

Submission Destination: Hamamatsu City Chuo Ward Higashi Administrative Center, Regional Promotion

Required Information: Postal code, address, name, school name, grade, division, haiku submission, age group (optional), how you learned about the haiku competition (optional)

Number of Submissions: Up to two haiku per person. *Only original, unpublished works will be accepted.

Submissions of three or more haiku will be invalidated.

Application Categories: General Division, High School Division, Junior High School Division, Elementary School and Under Division

Entry Fee: Free

Application Deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2026 (must arrive by this date)

Award Ceremony: Thursday, February 11, 2027 (Holiday) at Hall No. 1, 4th Floor, North Building, Hamamatsu City Industrial Exhibition Hall.

Results Announcement: Around late January 2027, to be announced on the city's website, etc.

*Selected participants will be notified from mid-December 2026 onwards.

Judges: Katsuhiro Taka Yanagi (Editor-in-Chief of Haiku Magazine "Taka")

Masao Nakagawa (Master of Haiku Magazine "Mizumi")

Nihon Muramatsu (Master of Haiku Magazine "Shii")

Sanae Yuriyama (Master of Haiku Magazine "Misaka") (in Japanese phonetic order)

Awards

*The Jukou Grand Prize will be decided from among the four Jukou Prize winners.

Division

Jukou Prize

Other Prizes

Special Selection

Honorable Mention

Encouragement Award

General Division

1 poem

Ward Chief's Prize 1 poem

2 poems

6 poems

20 poems

High School Division

1 poem

Prefectural Superintendent of Education's Prize 1 poem

2 poems

6 poems

20 poems

Junior High School Division

1 poem

City Superintendent of Education's Prize 1 poem

2 poems

6 poems

20 poems

Elementary School and Under Division

1 poem

City Superintendent of Education's Prize 1 poem

2 poems

6 poems

20 poems

About the "Haiku Village" Creation Project in the Higashi Area, Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City

The Higashi Area of Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City, is a region with deep ties to haiku, having produced poets such as Matsushima Jukou and Harada Hamahito, and many monument stones (kuhai) still exist. Therefore, the area has been designated as a "Haiku Village," and the "Haiku Village" Creation Project in the Higashi Area of Chuo Ward is being implemented to promote town development rich in history and culture through haiku.

The "Jukou Prize" Haiku Competition is one of these initiatives.

About Matsushima Jukou

Portrait of Matsushima Jukou, painted by Mizunobu Mizuno / Owned by Gencho-in Temple (Kasai Town)

Matsushima Jukou was born in 1849 in Nakazenchiji Village, Toyoda District, Owari Province (present-day Toyonishi-cho, Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City). From a young age, he studied Kokugaku (Japanese classical studies) and Hotei (a philosophy of self-reliance and gratitude), and also pursued the path of haikai (comic linked verse).

In haiku, he is said to have created approximately 7,000 poems throughout his life and had thousands of disciples nationwide. Jukou aimed to inherit the "Shofu" (wind of Basho) from Matsuo Basho, composing traditional haiku that depicted nature in all four seasons, such as flowers, birds, wind, and moon, or life within that nature.

Submissions and Inquiries

Postal Code: 435-8686, 20-3 Ryutsu Moto-cho, Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City

19th "Jukou Prize" Haiku Competition Secretariat, Regional Promotion Section, Higashi Administrative Center, Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City

TEL: 053-424-0115 FAX: 050-3737-5872

Email: e-shinko@city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp