Kashiwa Branch Hosted Its 10th Calligraphy Workshop

On Monday, September 22, 2025, the Kashiwa Branch of the Center for Global Education held a calligraphy workshop with the cooperation of the Mitsui Volunteer Network and the Kashiwa City Calligraphy Association.

Eleven participants attended from seven countries, including Australia, Vietnam, Spain, Russia, Indonesia, Chile, and China. For most, it was their first time using ink and brushes to write characters on washi (Japanese paper).

Following opening remarks by the president of the Kashiwa Calligraphy Association, participants learned about calligraphy styles, such as regular script (kaisho) and semicursive script (gyosho), and about brush techniques. They practiced vertical and horizontal strokes as well as fundamental exercises like flicking and stopping the brush. Instructors from the Kashiwa Calligraphy Association and Mitsui Volunteer Network provided careful, individual guidance to each participant.

Next, the participants practiced for their final works. They chose as subjects characters such as 空 (sora, “sky”), 花 (hana, “flower”), 青空 (aozora, “blue sky”), 武士 (bushi, “samurai”) , 剣 (ken, “sword”), and 祭 (matsuri, “festival”).

The submitted final pieces will be displayed in the Environmental Studies Building during Open Campus at Kashiwa on October 24 and 25. They will also be exhibited at the Kashiwa Calligraphy Association’s Spring Calligraphy Exhibition. The participants found the experience to be a meaningful way to engage with Japanese culture. Their comments included “It was quite challenging but fun” and “It was interesting to write kanji while thinking about the meaning.”