April 2, 2015
Nozomi Hamano, a second-year student in the Faculty of Policy Management, won the Class A championship at the 44th All-Japan Karuta Tournament held on March 21, 2015. (At the time of the tournament, she was a first-year student in the Faculty of Policy Management.)
Competitive karuta is a game that uses the Hyakunin Isshu anthology of poems and is sometimes called a "martial art on tatami mats" due to its intensity. There are classes and ranks (dan) in competitive karuta, and Class A is the highest class, open to registered players of the fourth dan or higher. Her victory was in this division.
Ms. Hamano usually practices once a week at SFC and two to three times a week with the Keio Karuta Club, which is based in Hiyoshi. She currently holds the fifth dan and was also selected to represent Kanagawa Prefecture at the 29th National Cultural Festival Akita 2014, held last November.
A Comment from Nozomi Hamano
I have been playing competitive karuta since junior high school, but before entering university, I could never quite achieve my goal of winning a Class A championship, always falling just short. However, after enrolling at SFC and joining the Keio Karuta Club, surrounded by many senior students and alumni, my karuta skills improved, and I was finally able to achieve my long-held dream of winning a Class A championship. I will not stop here; I want to win many more championships and aim to become a Meijin, the pinnacle of competitive karuta.