Third Hoshi-to-Mori International Tanka Contest Comments on the Selection, Japanese Field 　The tanka contributed to this contest are improving in their qualities with each contest. Among them, three tanka have been selected as the prize-winning pieces. 　We have considered "the wind", the theme for this time, difficult though it appears to be easy at first sight. The following is our consideration. As we cannot see the wind directly, we should see the move of the wind through things in order to compose it in tanka, and further we should listen to it by ears, should feel it by skins, or should catch the smell being earried by it, sometimes should play with it which make us remember things in the past, and so on. In short, we cannot compose the wind in tanka with a deep insight into its spirit unless we catch it through the realities beyond the visual world. It had been guessed that there would be so many tanka composed of visible winds. In the wish, our expectations of the winds which would be composed in tanka through the skins and noses of composers were getting expanded. However, to our regret, we could not meet the winds among the tanka contributed this time which rank such a level to shake our souls. CHINI-HIBIKU KAZE-ASOBU-RASHI KONO-YUUBE KAYA-TSURUKUSA-NO HONO-SOYOGI-WORI In the evening, a wind is blowing close to the land. The ears of umbrella sedges are swaying. 　This tanka, selected as the 3rd, composed by Mr. Hiroshi Kanatani, can be said a visually sensed one composed of the wind through the swaying of the ears of umbrella sedges. The tanka is well-ordered and has also beautiful sounds, but it does not go over reason. The line, "the wind seems to play", which grasps the scene objectively, is especially the expression to stay away from the deep concern between the wind and oneself, which makes us feel the limit of reason. However, its beauty is excellent when it is played being accompanied with melodies. MINI-CHIKAKU YANIHA-NI-SEMI-NO KINAKI-KERI AKIKAZE-ZO-FUKU KONO-YUUKAGE-NI Close by me standing in the shade on the evening, a cicada came flying with an autumn wind, and started singing. 　This tanka, selected as the 2nd, composed by Mr. Saburo Uchiike, gives us the aspect of putting a little more emphasis on the cicada than on the wind. However, it tempts us to imagine the composer's thoughts toward the autumn wind. He has succeeded to excite the sympathy of the readers in which they would like to agree with him in feeling the autumn wind and sad at the autumn itself. KOSUMOSU-NO HANA-AKARI-SURU MINAMI-MADO KAZE-SIMIJIMI-TO KONO-KONYAKU-SU The south window is shining brightly by the cosmos flowers outside and a south wind is breezing in through it touchingly, when I come to know my daughter's engagement. 　The tanka which has been selected as the Grand Prix, composed by Mr. Kaoru Kanbe, falls below the other 2 prize winning ones in technique. However, it is a wonderful, attractive and good tanka. It possesses the power of the vocal word that goes beyond reason. As we analyze the syllables in each line of this tanka, there are 3 Os in the 1st line, 4 As in the 2nd, 3Ms in the 3rd, 4 Is in the 4th, 3 Os and 3 Ks in the last line. We can observe, from the view point of its composition, that the vocal rhythms become the words. Further, the words in each line of the first half, 'the cosmos', 'shining brightly by the flowers' and 'a south wind', all reach the wind, and they are collected into the theme. We can deeply and tastefully feel the lovely, bright and warm wind. The heart of the father is sung heart-warmingly on his daughter's engagement. The above are the brief comments on selecting the prize winning tanka. Selection Committee, Japanese Field Hoshi-to-Mori International Tanka Contest Translated by : Translated on : Misao Okimoto June 6, 2001 Go to the award of the 3rd contest Go to the top Copyright(C)2001 Hoshi-to-Mori, All Rights Reserved.