Nature – Page 2 – Calligraphy by Vicky

秋 (aki) autumn

the Japanese character for "autumn" in calligraphy.

Anyone who’s lived in Japan will know that they have many, many national holidays. The autumn and spring equinoxes are national holidays too. Japanese people seem to really like acknowledging the changing of the seasons. Restaurant menus (even cheap places) will have autumn-themed menus with pumpkin, chestnuts and mushrooms, and many people enjoy going toContinueContinue reading “秋 (aki) autumn”

月 (tsuki) “moon”

This Monday will be Moon Viewing Day in Japan. The autumn full moon is considered particularly clear and beautiful, much like the idea of a “harvest moon”. 🎑 🌕

森林浴 (shin-rin-yoku) “forest-bathing”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "forest-bathing".

森林 = forest (look at all the 木 trees in these 2 kanji!) 浴 = bathing Literally translating as “forest-bathing”, 森林浴 shin-rin-yoku refers to spending time in a forest for mental and physical relaxation.

葉月 (hazuki) “August” (archaic)

Japanese calligraphy. The writing says "Hazuki", which is an archaic word for August.

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally “Month one”, February is “Month two”, etc: 一月 = January 二月 = February 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 toContinueContinue reading “葉月 (hazuki) “August” (archaic)”

夏雲奇峰 (natsu-gumo-ki-hou) “Summer clouds shaped like strange mountains”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "summer clouds shaped like strange mountains".

Some seasonal calligraphy specially for summertime! The kanji are: 夏 = summer 雲 = cloud(s) 奇 = strange 峰 = peak It references the white fluffy clouds of summer which take many different shapes, including strange mountains! This phrase is a special kind of Japaneses idiom known as a 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご、yo-ji-juku-go), or 4-character idiom. AsContinueContinue reading “夏雲奇峰 (natsu-gumo-ki-hou) “Summer clouds shaped like strange mountains””

菖蒲華 (Ayame hana saku) “Irises bloom”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "Irises bloom".

In ancient times Japanese people divided the year into 72 “micro-seasons”. These seasons were based on natural events such as the weather and appearance of various flora and fauna. Later this month it will be 菖蒲華, marking period when irises begin to bloom. You can find out more about Japanese micro-seasons here.

春雨 (harusamé) “gentle spring rain”

April is a rainy month in my home country of the UK.

彗星 (suisei) comet

Those of you who like to learn Japanese through watching anime will recognise 彗星 from the movie “Your Name” (君の名は, Kimi no na wa). Whilst I love that movie, I wrote this word purely because I love the first kanji 彗. When I first saw it I was surprised I’d never encountered it before. It’sContinueContinue reading “彗星 (suisei) comet”

水仙 (suisen) “daffodil”

This calligraphy is 水仙, or daffodil. It’s a very common flower in the UK where I live. It’s associated with spring, and in particular Easter 🐣 It’s also the national flower of Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿. Yesterday was a special day in Wales – the day of Saint David, the Welsh national saint.

富士 Fuji

The kanji for the tallest and most famous mountain in Japan are suitably distinguished: 富 = riches, wealth, fortune 士 = gentleman, scholar However there is a theory that the above kanji are ateji (kanji which are used to phonetically represent other words) for 不 and 死. 不 = un, not 死 = death InContinueContinue reading “富士 Fuji”