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

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 🗻

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Continue reading "富士 Fuji 🗻"

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

初心 (sho-shin) “beginner’s mind”

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

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

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

夏至 (ge-shi) “summer solstice”

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, andContinue reading "夏至 (ge-shi) “summer solstice”"

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, theContinue reading "梅雨 (tsu-yu) “the rainy season” (literally “plum rain”)"

Three Japanese place names

This was a commission for client who spent a wonderful year living in Japan and wanted to remember the place where she lived. She lived in the small town of 波方 Namikata, which is in the municipality of 今治 Imabari, which is in the prefecture of 愛媛 Ehime. Japanese addresses are written with the largestContinue reading "Three Japanese place names"