Like many countries, Japan has 4 seasons. It also has 72 micro-seasons! Traditionally the Japanese year was divided into 72 seasons of roughly 5 days each. Each of these micro-seasons was named after the changes in the natural world that could be observed at the time, or the current agricultural activities. Next week (from MayContinue reading "紅花栄 (Benibana sakau) “Safflowers bloom”"
偶然 (gū-zen) “coincidence”
A calligraphy commission for a friend who very much believes in fate. If you would like to commission a unique Japanese calligraphy work, feel free to check out my Purchase a Work page to take a look at the options and prices.
Kanji: the building blocks of written Japanese
a recent commissioned work of 5 kanji characters The Japanese language uses multiple writing systems combined. The most well-known of these is kanji. These are logographic characters; each one is like a little picture which represents an object an or an idea. This article is a very basic introduction to kanji. Kanji originated in ancientContinue reading "Kanji: the building blocks of written Japanese"
翔 “to soar” 🦅
A commission for a friend who enjoys gliding 🛬 If you know someone who would like a unique gift, feel free to contact me about commissioning a calligraphy artwork. You can find more details here: https://calligraphybyvicky.co.uk/commission-a-work/#custom
皐月 (sa-tsu-ki) “May” (archaic)
Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is 一月 (ichi-gatsu, literally "Month one"), February is 二月 (ni-gatsu, "Month two"), etc. However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. These months’ names referenced the weather and the seasons (similar to the FrenchContinue reading "皐月 (sa-tsu-ki) “May” (archaic)"
楽 (raku) “fun”
A somewhat stylised work I did ages ago. I decided to post it now because in Japan it's currently Golden Week - a period of consecutive holidays and, hopefully, fun 😊
痛みは避けられない… (pain is inevitable, but suffering depends on you!)
痛みは 避けられない でも苦しみは 自分次第だ！ Pain is inevitable but suffering depends on you! This Buddhist-inspired quote is by the famous Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, from his book on how he uses Buddhist teachings to live a good life. It's one of my housemate's favourite phrases. This work was my birthday present to him a few yearsContinue reading "痛みは避けられない… (pain is inevitable, but suffering depends on you!)"
ウサギちゃん (usagi-chan) “bunny” 🐰(actually “bnuy”…. or maybe “bnuny”…???)
This was a commission for the client to give as a gift to a friend who likes the word "bunny"... but often intentionally misspells it "bnuy" or "bnuny". I had to think how to interpret an English misspelling in Japanese. Eventually I came up with the following solution: "rabbit" = 「ウサギ」 ("usagi") 2. Putting 「ちゃん」Continue reading "ウサギちゃん (usagi-chan) “bunny” 🐰(actually “bnuy”…. or maybe “bnuny”…???)"
想 “idea”, “thought”, “conception”
Sorting out some of my old artworks today when I came across the original designs for my logo. The kanji is 想, meaning "thought", "idea" or "conception". This is because the original name for my calligraphy business was "Calligraphy to Inspire". I've since changed the name, but kept the kanji.
和気藹々 (wa-ki-ai-ai) “happy friendly atmosphere”
My housemate wanted some calligraphy for our house. He asked for a phrase which relates to people coming together and having a good time. I asked my Japanese teacher for such a phrase and she recommended this 4-character idiom. Loosely translated, it means “full of a happy friendly atmosphere when people gather together”. 和 =Continue reading "和気藹々 (wa-ki-ai-ai) “happy friendly atmosphere”"
Calligraphy by Vicky 