New Year’s Calligraphy Workshop

To celebrate the start of the year, Japan Society is delighted to host a kakizome workshop with calligrapher Yoko Takenami.

Kakizome is the traditional custom of writing your first calligraphy of the New Year. People often write positive and auspicious words and phrases in kanji using a brush and ink on a big sheet of calligraphy paper. Community kakizome events take place all over Japan, the most famous being a competition at the Budokan in Tokyo.

Suitable even for complete beginners, in this workshop you will learn how Japanese characters were developed, discover different styles of writing, and be guided in the techniques for writing Japanese with a brush. You will come away with your own piece of calligraphy – a positive word encapsulating hopes for 2024. This is a wonderful opportunity to try this quintessential Japanese art led by a professional calligrapher.

Yoko Takenami started her calligraphy studies at the age of seven. Educated in Japan and in Ohio, US, she qualified as a master of calligraphy in 1990. Yoko now lives in London and teaches calligraphy at several places while also working as an interpreter. She regularly returns to Japan for inspiration for her calligraphy and tuition from her Teshinkai Master. Yoko is the author of The Simple Art of Japanese Calligraphy, which was reprinted this summer.