Vicky

夢 (yumé) “dream”

A Japanese calligraphy work of the character for "dream", black ink on white card, with a black frame.

Do you remember your dreams? According to Japanese tradition, the things you dream about in your first dream of the new year can foretell what’s going to happen in the coming year. It is believed that the 3 most auspicious things to dream of are: Mount Fuji 🗻 A hawk 🦅 An eggplant / aubergineContinueContinue reading “夢 (yumé) “dream””

積読 (tsun-doku) “The habit of acquiring books but letting them pile up unread” 📚

A 2-kanji Japanese calligraphy work, black ink on white card, with a black frame.

積読 (tsun-doku) is a recent Japanese phrase meaning something like “buying loads of books and letting them pile up without reading them”. The kanji: 積 (tsun) Comes from 積んでおく(tsundéoku), meaning “to let something pile up”. 読 (doku) Comes from 読書 (dokusho), meaning “reading”. The above artwork was a commission for a book-lover 📚

富士 Fuji 🗻

A 2-kanji Japanese calligraphy work, black ink on white paper, with a grey border.

This week it was Mountain Day in Japan – a national holiday dedicated to some of Japan’s most impressive natural features. Of course the most impressive of these has to be the famous 富士山Mount Fuji. The kanji for the tallest and most famous mountain in Japan are suitably distinguished: 富 = riches, wealth, fortune 士ContinueContinue reading “富士 Fuji 🗻”

御朱印 (Go-shu-in) Beautiful Japanese commemorative stamps

A folded-out book of white pages covered in black Japanese calligraphy and red ink stamps

Many temples and shrines in Japan offer a service called 御朱印 (go-shu-in). The staff stamp a piece of paper with a special commemorative stamp unique to that temple/shrine. They also usually write some beautiful calligraphy at the same time. The above is from the famous Sensōji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. You can see 浅草寺 (Sen-sō-ji)ContinueContinue reading “御朱印 (Go-shu-in) Beautiful Japanese commemorative stamps”

初心 (sho-shin) “beginner’s mind”

A 2-character Japanese calligraphy work, black ink on white card, framed on a table. A plant and candle are in the background.

初 = for the first time, in the beginning 心 = heart, mind Having a “Beginner’s Mind” means viewing a situation from a fresh perspective, staying humble, and understanding that there is always more to learn. This original calligraphy artwork is available for purchase on my Etsy site

禅 Zen

A 1-character Japanese calligraphy work, black ink on white card, in a black frame.

“There is no way to enlightenment; enlightenment is the way”. – Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master This original calligraphy artwork is available for purchase on my Etsy site.

心技体 (shin-gi-tai) “mind, body, spirit”

A Japanese calligraphy work of three kanji characters, black ink on white card, with a red enso, in a black frame.

This was a calligraphy commission for a martial arts practitioner to use as a wall decoration and also as a tattoo design. Students of Japanese will notice that it doesn’t exactly say “mind, body, spirit”. This is because although this phrase is common in English, it’s a little different in Japanese. Happily there is aContinueContinue reading “心技体 (shin-gi-tai) “mind, body, spirit””

夏至 (ge-shi) “summer solstice”

A 2-character Japanese calligraphy work, black ink on white card.

June 21st was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. 夏 = summer 至 = arrive Whilst not an official holiday in Japan, it is nevertheless important as it is one of the “24 solar terms”. These 24 solar terms are mini seasons dating from ancient times, which reference the weather, agriculture, andContinueContinue reading “夏至 (ge-shi) “summer solstice””

美 “beauty”

“There is no exquisite beauty… without some strangeness in the proportion.” – Edgar Allan Poe This artwork is available for purchase on my Etsy site.

梅雨 (tsu-yu) “the rainy season” (literally “plum rain”)

The Japanese rainy season usually lasts from early June to mid-July, just before it starts to become unbearably hot and humid in summer. It often rains non-stop all day. The kanji in this word are:梅 = plum雨 = rainAccording to Wikipedia, this name comes from China. When plums begin to fall during this period, theContinueContinue reading “梅雨 (tsu-yu) “the rainy season” (literally “plum rain”)”