Genjuan is the name of the cottage near Lake Biwa where Basho lived for a time in 1690. It was probably the happiest period of his life, and it was there that he wrote his most famous short haibun. The purpose of the Contest will remain the same as before, and there will be little change to the guidelines. We wish to encourage the writing of fine haibun and maintain the connection between the traditional Japanese perception of haibun and what is evolving around the world. The judges are hoping that the Contest will continue to receive a warm response from all the haibun writers of the world. The award for the Grand Prix will remain the same – a good replica of a Hokusai ukiyo-e print – and smaller gifts will be sent to the An (Cottage) Prize-winners. The An Prizes replace the Za Prizes of last year. The writers of all the decorated works will receive a certificate of merit. We sincerely look forward to your participation.

Guidelines for 2012
1 Subject: Free.
2 Style: No restrictions, but special attention must be paid to honour the spirit of haikai.
3 Length: In total, not more than 30 lines with 80 spaces in each line on a single sheet of A4-size paper.
4 Haiku: At least one haiku should be included.
5 Format: Print on one sheet of A4-size paper and write at the bottom your name and your pen name, if you have one, together with your address, telephone number, and email address. Your privacy will be strictly protected, and the judges will not see your names until the result has been decided.
6 Deadline: All entries should reach the following address by 31 January 2012. Entries received after this date will not be accepted. Please send your entries to:
Ms. Motoko Yoshioka, Regalia 907, 7-32-44 Fujimi-cho, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo 190-0013, Japan. Please avoid sending by express, and using extra- large envelopes. Please write your home address on your envelope, too.
7 Entry Fee: None
8 Restrictions: Entrants can send up to three entries. They should be unpublished. As we cannot return your entries after screening, please retain your own copies.
9 Questions: All queries should be sent to the address above.
10 Special Request: The authors of the decorated works will later be requested to send us their works by email. In this, we expect your cooperation.
11 Results: The results and the judges’ comments will be sent by post to all the entrants in spring. The certificates of merit and prizes will be sent to the winners by early summer.