I was very honoured to receive a commission to create this artwork. “Mako” is the name of the client’s beloved cat, named after the Japanese actor Makoto Iwamatsu. (Image by client). If you’re interested in owning your own custom-made calligraphy artwork, please feel free to email me. Or check out the “purchase a work” pageContinueContinue reading “まこ “Mako””
Category Archives: Hiragana
前進 (zen-shin) “Keep moving forwards!”
A motivational message for the client to hang in their room, with the option of turning it into a tattoo design. This was my first calligraphy commission 😊
How many writing systems does the Japanese language use?
kanji (left side), hiragana (top right) and katakana (bottom right) When you begin learning Japanese, chances are you’ll find yourself coming up against not only one writing system, but multiple. Each of these writing systems has its own purpose and place within the written Japanese language. In this article I give a very brief overviewContinueContinue reading “How many writing systems does the Japanese language use?”
まこ “Mako”
I was very honoured to receive a commission to create this artwork. “Mako” is the name of the client’s beloved cat, named after the Japanese actor Makoto Iwamatsu.
あおいうみ、さかなつり (aoi umi, sakana tsuri) “blue sea, catching fish”
Usually I write Japanese calligraphy in kanji, a logographic script in which each complex character has a meaning. The above characters are hiragana, another Japanese script. Hiragana is a syllabary – each character represents a sound, but has no meaning by itself. Kanji was invented in China, but hiragana is a purely Japanese invention. HiraganaContinueContinue reading “あおいうみ、さかなつり (aoi umi, sakana tsuri) “blue sea, catching fish””
Calligraphy by Vicky 