2019.09.11
Anna Yano, a first-year student at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, won the University Representative Division of the 26th All Japan University Karuta Championship held at Omi Jingu Kangakukan in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, on August 11, 2019, becoming the university champion of Japan.
The All Japan University Karuta Championship is held over two days and consists of individual and team competitions. The individual competition is divided into five divisions: one for each of the first through fourth-year students, and the University Representative Division. The University Representative Division is a tournament where one representative from each university competes for the title. This was her third victory, and the first in a year.
In the team competition held the day before, Keio University also won its first championship, winning both the team and individual university championships.
A Comment from Anna Yano
I am truly happy to have won the title of "University Champion of Japan" in both the individual university representative competition and the team competition. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the six members of my team with whom I shared both hardships and joys, as well as to the senior and junior members and alumni of the Keio Karuta Club who supported us, and to everyone else involved. "When you see someone captivated by something, you can't help but be captivated yourself." These are the words of shogi player Yoshiharu Habu, whose philosophy I follow. I have had the opportunity to meet masters from various fields, and I find that people who have mastered something are truly beautiful. They have a very positive influence on me, and they naturally inspire me to do my best. This experience has made me feel strongly once again that I want to continue to be that kind of person for someone else. This year, new first-year students have joined the club, so I think this was a good opportunity for me, as a senior member, to lead by example without saying a word. My next goal is to win the title of Queen, the individual championship of Japan. Just like a fish you can see right in front of you when you're fishing, what is right in front of your eyes is often hard to obtain. From now on, I want to continue to do my best, "always being human, and hungry for victory."