Amin Abbas

ABU DHABI: Nishiguchi Kisui is a representative of Shodo Calligraphy Study Institute IKUSUIKAI & NISHIGUCHI Kisui Shodo Calligraphy School. She was the winner of the NITTEN (the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) of 2004, which is the most prestigious art exhibition in Japan.

Also, she won the Grand Prize of the Yomiuri Sohokai (the Yomiuri Shohokai calligraphy society: Japan’s largest calligraphy association) in 2005 & 2006 respectively.

“Shodo Calligraphy” is a traditional Japanese cultural art that expresses the beautiful spirit of the Japanese people, such as rich emotions, humility, respect for politeness and respect for harmony with others. And now Shodo Calligraphy is learned not only by Japanese but also by foreigners.

Exclusively to Arab News Japan, Kisui shared her inspiration for Shodo Calligraphy saying it is deeply impressive especially when she finds the common spirit of the Japanese people in the lines of the characters, which “transcend time and space, and the hearts and emotions that we can sympathize with as human being.”

“In fact, I was more attracted to the magnificence of the tools used in calligraphy, such as the ink, ink stone and paper, and the painstaking work that went into making them, rather than specific people,” she added.

Kisui started working on calligraphy 20 years ago, adding that her concept was all about “expression of mind through letter art, understanding and coexistence with others.”

The calligrapher told Arab News Japan that the first Middle Eastern country she ever visited was Palestine in 2009.

She explained that after seeing how people lived there and the human rights violations, she witnessed changed her life as a calligrapher.

“I wanted to write for peace in the Middle East and decided to make it my calligraphy life. There can be no peace in the world without peace in the Middle East. Despite the hardships, the Palestinians lived proudly and strongly. I thought they were noble,” Kisui explained.

The artist also visited the UAE and Turkey and learned more about the Quran as well as Arabic calligraphy.

Regarding her upcoming projects, Kisui said: “I’m planning a charity exhibition in Tokyo next year to support Gaza city in Palestine.”