Karuta

Masanori Okuzuka

Mayor of Nakatsu City, 2016 Special Keio University alumni

Nakatsu City, where I live, is the hometown where Fukuzawa Yukichi Sensei spent his life until the age of 19. Every year, we hold the "Yukichi Karuta Tournament." Using the "Yukichi Karuta" passed down from the Ryoin Mita-kai, we foster a spirit in future generations to learn about Sensei's great achievements and take pride in their hometown of Nakatsu. The eyes of elementary school students as they enjoy and desperately chase after the cards inscribed with Sensei's life are so lively; I wonder what Sensei would say if he saw them.

"My, my, it is a bit embarrassing that the people of Nakatsu hold me in such high regard. It seems Nakatsu City has even created something as grand as the 'Nakatsu Promotion Ordinance for the Village of Learning,' with my name at the very beginning. Young people of Nakatsu, I hope you carve out your own lives with independence and self-respect." Perhaps something like that.

The "Nakatsu Ryubetsu no Sho" (Letter of Farewell to Nakatsu) left by Sensei when he departed Nakatsu is, I believe, a love letter filled with hometown pride that emphasizes the importance of learning. Last year, I had the opportunity to give a lecture to the young Keio Gijuku Shachu at Keio University, and at that time, I said that the citizens of Nakatsu must write a reply to Sensei. The "Yukichi Karuta Tournament" might be one of those replies to Sensei's love for Nakatsu. Today, as well, 48 picture cards are neatly lined up in front of the Mayor's office to welcome guests.

Mayuko Sakakibara

Nippon Television Network Corporation Drama Producer, 2018 Faculty of Policy Management

Last summer, I produced the drama "Chihayafuru: Meguri." It is a sequel to the movie "Chihayafuru," based on the hit manga "Chihayafuru" (Yuki Suetsugu / Kodansha).

When the second half of a poem from the Hyakunin Isshu is read, the match venue is enveloped in a moment of deep silence where one even hesitates to breathe. Then, the next sound. The instant the first half of the poem resonates, the players' hands all fly toward the cards at once. "Chihayafuru" is a story of high school students who stake their youth on such competitive karuta.

Due to the success of the "Chihayafuru" series, the number of competitive karuta players has grown explosively, and it is said to have spread the existence of competitive karuta and the Hyakunin Isshu overseas.

The themes of this drama are "inheritance" and "serendipity." The fact that poems written about 1,000 years ago are once again sublimated into new entertainment, passed down to a new generation, and expanded to new horizons. And the fact that I, who watched the movie with such intensity as a university student, was able to produce the sequel drama as a producer. I will continue to believe in the strong and deep power of entertainment to easily create an unimaginable future.

Ayaka Sakakura

Pharmacist, Keio University Hospital Department of Pharmacy, 2018 Faculty of Pharmacy

The Keio University Staff Karuta Club, to which I belong, is an organization that has been registered with the National Occupational Karuta Federation since 1987. Currently, 11 faculty and staff members ranging from their 20s to 60s are active. In addition to practicing two or three times a month in a Japanese-style room on the Mita Campus, our main activities include holding an internal Staff Meijin match—modeled after the Meijin-i matches that used to be broadcast on TV during New Year's—and participating in occupational and student tournaments.

While its recognition has increased now due to the influence of the manga "Chihayafuru," which features competitive karuta as its subject, it was not yet famous when I first encountered competitive karuta in high school. My perception was limited to: "Is it a game using the Hyakunin Isshu played during New Year's?" During my university days, I have fond memories of traveling to tournaments held somewhere in Japan every week in between my studies, enjoying the sightseeing and food of the host locations. Although classes are divided by skill level, I think it is rare to find a sport where a wide range of ages, from elementary school students to veterans in their 60s, can compete as equals under the same rules. I would be delighted if you could take even a slight interest in the world of competitive karuta using the Hyakunin Isshu, which has been passed down over many years.

Ken Kokubo

Teacher, Keio Yochisha Elementary School

From the time the leaves in the schoolyard turn orange, Heian-period waka poems begin to echo from the back of the library. The Yochisha New Year Karuta Party began in 1969 and marks its 58th year this fiscal year. I also competed and vied for victory during my time as a student here, and now I serve as the reader as a teacher.

Every year at the tournament, Yochisha students go home after being handed a mandarin orange, starting with those who were eliminated. Even faces downcast from losing return home with satisfied expressions upon receiving the bright, fragrant fruit of appreciation. Among the dozens of pairs that compete, some even participate just to receive this participation prize mandarin. And I am one of those who carefully carried a mandarin home after being eliminated. Times and children have changed, but I feel that the special role of this mandarin at the Karuta Party remains the same.

There is a poem that goes: "As for people, I know not their hearts; but in my old home, the flowers still give off the same fragrance as of old." Scent is a mysterious thing; it evokes memories across time. Every year, when I peel the orange skin of a mandarin and that scent wafts through the air, I remember the Karuta Party.