Trei poeti romani au primit Special Recognition/Lauréates
Leaving the gravel
from my boot on the summit-
Mount Fuji
at dawn
――Eduard TARA (Romania/ルーマニア)
summer’s dream-
even the flight of the sakeret
above Mount Fuji
――Ana-Olim pia (Italy/イタリア)
Midnight-
an old woman hugs
the Mont Fuji’s picture
――Maria Tirenescu (Romania/ルーマニア)Judge’s Review ／選評
This year, once again, we received many interesting Fujisan Haiku from all four corners of the earth. I appreciate, and indeed echo, the passion that contributors have for Fujisan. Irrespective of whether they have climbed Fujisan or not, I got a good sense of how the vision of this sacred mountain offers solace through small happiness, and provides encouragement to people around the world who are experiencing suffering.Nevertheless, rather than the traditional, nostalgic type of haiku that simply praises the graceful figure of Fujisan, I thought the more personal type of haiku, like those of the Grand Prize winner and the other 18 prize-winning poets, were better and more interesting because they embraced the strong emotional impact felt by each writer. A poster of Fujisan stuck up in jail… A picture of Fuji painted on the Berlin Wall… The magnitude of Fuji discovered at the top of a roller-coaster ride… Each writer has a sense of unpredictability, and has a good awareness of the spiritually liberating effect of Fujisan. Perhaps there is also an old woman somewhere in the Romanian countryside, pressing a picture of Fuji to her breast as she sleeps in the dead of night
The haiku truly reminded me that Fujisan is, sure enough, a sacred mountain worthy of being inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site.
Toru Haga
Director
Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art
Gion Shidare Sakura in Maruyama Park at night 
Hanami cherry blossom viewing party at night
Cherry blossoms, flori de cires