Shodo - The Way of Writing
About Kiyoko's Calligraphy
Kiyoko Suzuki Hay studied Japanese Calligraphy or Shodo (literally "the Way" of Writing) formally with the well known Sensei Fukami Kou and reached 1st Dan grade in Sensei Fukami's school. Sensei Fukami was born in 1939 and is still very active in teaching calligraphy in Japan.
Photo: Sensei Fukami at an exhibition of her work. The huge abstract looking work on the left is actually four distinct Japanese kanji (characters). They read as "sen zai ichi gu". Their literal translation is "1,000 opportunities, 1 meeting". The meaning is that we will meet many people and try many things but we will only feel a real connection very rarely. When we feel it we should act on it. In Kiyoko's case, when we lived in Japan we found we were living just around the corner from Sensei Fukami. Kiyoko went to investigate and so began the connection with Sensei Fukami and her teachings.
Kiyoko's calligraphy can be seen throughout our site too. Kiyoko writes in a variety of styles depending on the subject matter and the feeling to be expressed
The Japanese characters (kanji) here were created by Kiyoko and read "Tohzai". The meaning is East West and reflects the positive coming together of people and products from Japan (the East) and the UK (West).
Learn with Kiyoko or Commission Your Own Artwork
Kiyoko is pleased to offer the following Japanese calligraphy services & products:
Learn to write Japanese calligraphy in one-to-one lessons (all materials provided)
Learn to write Japanese calligraphy in small group lessons (all materials provided)
Commission bespoke art work suitable for framing or hanging in your home
Commission calligraphy for Karate Schools etc. (banners, certificates, adverts)
Shodo Classes
The next session of new beginners classes begin in June 2009 and will be held in Ramsbottom. These will be small classes of up to 6 people. Contact Kiyoko for more details about these classes or about studying on a 1 to 1 basis.
T: 01706-281008
M: 0791-2626-050
Learning to Write Japanese Calligraphy
Shodo is referred to as "the Way of Writing". The practice of Shodo is not like sitting down to write a shopping list (unless you concentrate very deeply on both the content of your list and style of writing!). The "do" suffix in "Shodo" indicates that this practice is a way to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.
The Benefits of Learning Shodo
Doing Shodo is great fun but there are many other benefits too:
The meditative aspect arising from writing almost abstract shapes can help us to become calmer and release tension;
It develops our mind's powers of concentration as we focus on writing;
We develop our will power and patience as we try firstly to write specific characters and then to improve them!
We develop better hand-eye coordination as we see the writing we have made wasn't quite how we intended it to be!
Many famous Japanese martial artists also excelled at Shodo. Similarly by practicing Shodo they enhanced the harmony of mind and body.
From the above we can see that Shodo is a practice that can give us many benefits …as well as some great artwork to hang on the wall!
These days we are used to hearing about holistic practices and the need to have a healthy mind-body-spirit connection. The art of the brush has been helping Japanese to achieve this for many years. Shodo like other mind-body practices such as Tai Chi helps us to develop skills and a way of being that we can take into all aspects of our daily life.
Bespoke Art Work
Kiyoko is happy to work with you to create your own bespoke Japanese Calligraphy art work. This is not as expensive as you might think with smaller commissions available from £50.
You may have a specific piece of poetry, inspirational phrase, emotion, or name in mind. Or you may just know that you would like a stylish calligraphy piece to add serenity to your room. Kiyoko is happy to suggest something for you.
Either way we can create a work of art that will last you a lifetime. And don't worry about accurate translation of English phrases into Japanese as Kiyoko is bilingual (English/Japanese) and has vast experience of translation and interpretation.
This is basically a three stage process as detailed below. You will have a lot of input into the creation of your work. It shouldn't be too time consuming though as we can use e-mail and phone calls. Commissions can be completed in as little as one week.
Stage 1. We discuss your requirements (by phone/e-mail or in person) including phrase translation, type of calligraphy font/writing to be used, how the calligraphy will be positioned & the actual materials to be used.
Stage 2. Place your order. Kiyoko will make hand drawn preliminary samples for your input and approval. These can be viewed in person or by scanned copy sent by e-mail.
Stage 3. After your approval Kiyoko will make your artwork. More accurately she will make several pieces for you to choose from.
Kiyoko has created art work on stone as well as paper. Wood can also be used as a drawing surface.
Contact Kiyoko about creating your own art work:
T: 01706-281008
M: 0791-2626-050