Custom Japanese Calligraphy
Celebrating Takase Studios 16th Anniversary
The Art of Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase
Custom Japanese Art   Custom Japanese Scrolls   Custom Japanese Tattoos

The characters for the poem are given in a Block (kaisho) script and must be converted to the target script. Takase Sensei prefers the cursive script and so for her art will covert the characters to Cursive (sousho) script. 

The positioning of the following elements are critical to the artistic balance of the piece:

Nijimi (blotted area)
Kasure (patchy area)
Large and small characters
Thick and thin lines

The placement of each of these elements along with the beauty of the script defines the artistic value of the work

Traditional Japanese calligraphy is well defined with rules requiring that there is at least one blotted area (nijimi) and one patchy area (kasure) in the piece. Other rules exist, for example, two blotted characters may not be next to each other.

It is the balance of these elements, perfection alongside seeming imperfections, that make a true work of art.
 

A Poem by Ranjin 

A western observer might see the blotting as a defect thinking that perhaps the calligrapher applied too much ink to the brush causing the ink to bleed into the paper. However, in traditional Japanese calligraphy the work would be unacceptable without the nijimi (or blotted area). As it would be unacceptable without the kasure (or patchy area) where it appears that the brush was running out of ink. This corresponds to the concept developed for the tea ceremony where the imperfection is as much a part of the artistic value as is the technical excellence.

The piece on the right measures 20 3/4"W x 89 3/4"H. It is a combination of two poems by Ranjin of seven syllable couplets. The original text for the poem in Chinese with the Japanese translation is exactly what the calligrapher receives prior to starting the design.

This next piece is a poem by Sonpun and is also of the seven syllable couplet style. It consists of 112 characters and like the above work measures 20 3/4"W x 89 3/4"H.

These poems are Chinese classics. This poem, for example, is a narrative of a man visiting the city of Kishu. He talks of the river swelling after the snow of the harsh winter has thawed and of what he sees in the village. The details of the artwork to the right is shown below (in Japanese and Chinese):

This particular piece was chosen for an open exhibition at the Apollo Museum of Arts in Osaka, Japan.

Traditional Japanese calligraphy is both formalized and exact. While artistic expression and genius are necessary, they are also confined within the technical excellence required by this very standardized art form.

Judging involves a group of judges from the society. Typically there will be hundreds of entries and the judges will be presented with five separate works shown together on a very large board that is rolled in before the judges. The judges do not know who did each of the works so for the most part it is a completely blind judging. It is not perfectly so as artists that are better known will have a recognizable style. The panel of judges will choose one of the five works and that work will advance to the next round. This process continues until the final pieces are selected.

The two works shown here by Takase Sensei have won best of category awards in national competitions using this type of judging.
 

There are many calligraphic societies in Japan as Japanese Calligraphy is an extremely popular hobby today. Master Takase belonged to societies whose members were limited to calligraphy teachers and professional and who represented the very best in Japan.

The work on the right is an excerpt from the register of Bokuteki-kai and shows an early work of Takase Sensei. This is a best in class awards for a national competition with Takase Sensei's work is on the very right.

With rank, the Japanese calligrapher is given a Chinese nom de plume and as shown here, Takase Sensei's nom de plume is Takase Sairei.

Very few calligraphers ever receive the honor of best in class and Takase Sensei has received this honor more that four times in two different and prestigious societies: the Bokuteki-kai and Bunka-shodo.

Bokuteki-kai is a calligraphic society devoted to training professional calligraphers. As there are many calligraphy societies in Japan, ones ranking in a particular society has no bearing on the ranking in another society. And the requirements of a rank are different from society to society.

Takase Sensei is ranked as a master in both Bokuteki-kai and Bunka Shodo.

While the work on the right is remarkably different from the others shown above, note the absence of color and of anything other than the Chinese characters on Japanese paper. Japanese calligraphy is a traditional art and the artist must work strictly within the rules. As an example, to add any color or sumi-e drawing to the work would mean instant disqualification.
 

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