Tokyo Calligraphy Education Association - 東京書道教育会

Due to the Covid-19 situation, we have decided to cancel all April classes, both for our Japanese students as well as visitors from abroad. We hope that in May we may be able to reopen our programme, however that depends on the overall situation. We will keep you informed, and we hope everyone stays safe during this difficult time!

With the recent COVID-19 outbreak we are sorry to announce that the event will be moved to the last weekend in May. We take the safety of our students and visitors seriously and will continue to monitor the current situation closely.

Our Calligraphy Exhibition event will take place between the 27th and 30th of March. Other than having our students` and teachers` works on display visitors will be able to enjoy commented tours (in Japanese, however, there is a possibility of interpretation for small groups), visit from a renowned calligraphy utensils vendor and also the 演武 (public demonstration) of Takenouchi Ryu Bitchuden (竹内流備中伝) on Sunday 29th. Takenouchi Ryu is said to be the oldest jujutsu school in Japan, however as a kobujutsu, it is a complex system that outside of the unarmed combat techniques features a multitude of weapons. One this particular school is probably the most famous for is the "kogusoku" (小具足) short sword.

More details regarding the event will follow soon!

One of our school`s more original features is that since we value Japanese traditional culture as a whole we always strive to give our events a broad flavour. Our event at the Embassy of Brazil in 2018 hosted also the Japanese Table Tea Ceremony association.

This year we are planning on having an enbu (演武、public demonstration) of a certain famous school of martial arts. Which ryuha it is we will unveil later, so watch closely our FB page!

Near the end of March we are organising a Calligraphy Exhibit Event. More details coming soon!

We`ve had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful married couple from the US. Both eager and full of enthusiasm, the husband was an engineer, while his wife had had some experience with painting, which she promptly put to use in calligraphy. We hope they enjoyed Japan and are looking forward to seeing them again in the future!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1qRzryhNMC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

One of the more interesting #calligraphy works by one of our Sensei - made to look like a reflection on a water surface. #tokyo #japan #ginza #traditional #culture #brush #ink #art #exhibition #書道 #書道展 #伝統文化

Last Tuesday we had the pleasure of hosting this great family of five from the United States. Eager and full of energy, their good mood was contagious and left us in high spirits for the rest of the day! We hope they are having a great time in Japan and would love to see them again! Thank you for coming and for participating in our Tanabata event!

We bring you yet another interview with a member of our team. Enjoy!

- What`s your name?

Nakai Ayaka

- How long have you been working here?

For about 4 and a half year.

- And what division do you work for?

Correspondence education division (通信教育 - it`s a system designed for students who cannot come to the school directly, for example, if they`re living overseas. They practice on their own at home and then send their works to the school. A professor then corrects them and they are sent back. It`s usually less preferable to direct contact with the teacher, but much better than having to self-study - interviewer`s note).

When I first started working here another person was doing my job. They had, however, already been scheduled to leave. I had to learn everything in 2 months and start working solo. Had it been today`s me I would have quit. I think it was my youth that carried me back then.

- So you`re doing everything alone?

Well, there was one more person here for about a year. She was the same age as me. She would often take an unexpected break on Mondays, which tend to be the busiest day in the week. That person was also living alone and one day she said she couldn`t afford her rent and would go back to live with her parents. Then one more person came - fresh graduate. She quit after three months. Now Sato-san is helping out a bit sometimes.

Wait...are you writing down everything I`m saying right now?

- Yes.

Oh damn. But you will edit it later, right?

- ...

..

- Okay, tell us about your favourite colour!

Colour? Colour....(pause). Colour, right...(another pause). Yellow.

- What about hobbies?

Hobbies? Hobbies...(pause). Don`t have any. But if I was to mention one thing, I`ve lately developed a bit of mania regarding anything related to Snoopy. It was all of a sudden - I used to have exactly zero interest in that character.

- By the way, where are you originally from?

Chiba prefecture.

- Who do you think would win in a fight - zombies or vampires?

Vampires. Why? Well, they drink blood and then get stronger, right. Wait, do zombies even have blood? Do you think they would drink the blood of a zombie?

- I don`t think so, the meat is spoiled and everything is rotting...well, anyway - do you practice Japanese calligraphy?

Yes, I do. Actually, that was the main reason I came to work here.

- What university have you graduated from?

Kokugakuin. My major was in Japanese (linguistics), but I also had calligraphy classes at the university.

- Have you ever travelled abroad?

No, never. If I had to pick a place I would like to visit in the future, then that would be Hokkaido.

- Is there anything you would like to tell people who are considering visiting Japan?

You should definitely come!

- What about your favourite animal?

I`m a cat person. Even though Snoopy is a dog (laughs).
Used to own a cat. Not store-bought though - I had picked it on the streets.

- Favourite food?

Well, I don`t have any food I hate per se...

- Alcohol?

Sure, absolutely. I like umeshu, however, the type that isn`t too sweet. If there is no umeshu, then I usually have either a highball or shochu (shochu is a type of alcohol made from either sweet potatoes, barley or rice. It`s much stronger than sake, Japanese "rice wine"- interviewer`s note).

- Your motto?

Now that I got asked I forgot...so let`s say that I don`t have any (laughs).

In May we informed you about our cooperation with the "Nakagawa Ryu Battojutsu" school of martial arts that teaches traditional Japanese swordsmanship in Tokyo. We are happy to share their website here and looking forward to furthering our friendly ties:

https://www.mushindojo.net

Home | 中川流抜刀術

On Friday we were pleased to host this wonderful family from France. Mum would only speak French, so we had our first three-way-translation (Japanese-English-French), which was in itself a wonderful experience. After the class, both of our guests participated in our "Tanabata Festival" event and wrote their wishes on tanzaku strips which we proudly hung on the wall.

We bring you another interview, this time with the most experienced member of the Gakuen (書芸学園) division and an accomplished calligrapher (in fact she is one of our instructors that you can meet should you decide to participate in our Calligraphy Experience class)!

- What`s your name?

Ogawa Mamiko

- How long have you been working here?

I`ve been here for about 3 years now.

- Wow, that`s not bad. What was the reason for applying here?

Well, I had been practising calligraphy and wanted to work in an environment that would help me further this pursuit.
I do keep on studying calligraphy.

- So, how do you like it here?

Well, the atmosphere is quite different compared to a standard company / corporate environment. It`s tied mainly to education, there are classes, events and you interact with people, it`s really rather fun.

- What`s your favourite colour?

Hmm?
..
Hard to say, I really like a lot of different colours.
Light blue? I guess?

- You`ve taken part in our Calligraphy Experience programmes for foreign visitors, what was your impression?

Well, I haven`t been part of the programme for that long, but I hope I was able to teach our guests properly. It can be challenging to teach a complete beginner, however there is also this sense of deep accomplishment at the end of the lesson.

- Do you have any pets?

No pets, just one little kid.

- By the way, if dogs were to wear trousers, would they wear them on their back legs, or on all four?

Wow, I really don`t know. I have never thought about it. From the dogs` point of view? Well, let`s go with on all four legs...(laughs). I`ll ask my kid, he`s going to love that question (more laugh).

- Do you have any hobbies?

Hobbies?
(pauses for a while)
Let`s say flute.

- Let`s say?

Well, I have many interests, but let`s go with what looks good on paper (laughs).

- Is there anything you would like to tell our potential guests and visitors?

Calligraphy can seem complicated at first glance, but don`t let that discourage you. It`s fun and brings with itself a great sense of accomplishment!

(...)
(looks at me jotting down the conversation)

I have no idea what you`re writing, but it sure brings back some childhood memories. It looks exactly like a doctor`s handwriting. Nowadays they take memos by typing them into computers, but in the older days Japanese doctors would listen to us and write memos in English / doctor`s Latin, while nodding. It looked exactly like what you`re doing right now. Feels quite nostalgic.

- Last question - do you have a motto?

Not really...but I guess I would say that everyone should try to be happy in their life.