The 3rd Otsu Mitsurukun Cup Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Group World Karuta Championship was held on November 9, 2025 at Omi Jingu Ohmi Kangakukan in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, the "sacred place of karuta" for the first time in six years.Left also took second place in the individual competition at the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu International Karuta Exchange Tournament in Omi Jingu on the following day, the 10th.We spoke to Mr. Left.
-Congratulations!How do you feel now?
I'm glad that I was able to show my Karuta ability so far.I am especially happy that the Chinese team achieved its best result to date in the team competition.
―競技かるたを始めたきっかけを教えてください
I started playing competitive karuta when I was a university student in Wuhan, inspired by a Japanese manga I read that depicted the world of competitive karuta.In China, the only places where competitive karuta is played are Beijing and Shanghai, and I started by memorizing all 100 poems.At first I did not understand what it meant, but I managed to learn it while thinking about it, and I am still learning.
-What is the appeal of competitive karuta?
The best part is that the game becomes dynamic at once from the silence when the cards are read out to when the cards are taken.The higher-ranked person has a great ability to distinguish sounds, and only goes for the consonant "s" instead of "sa".My favorite song is "Chihayafuru~," which was also the reason for me to start.
―今後の抱負を教えてください
There are five levels of competitive karuta, from A to E. I am currently at C level.I would like to be the first Chinese to obtain the A level, as there are no A level students yet.I would like to make Chinese people more aware of karuta so that we can have a tournament in China.
Left, please continue to do your best in your studies and competitions.
