Express Your Heart in the Lines of Kanji with Calligraphy Master Kasetsu

Learn and Revel in Soulfully Expressive Calligraphy with Master Artist Kasetsu

As a child, Kasetsu came across a kanji dictionary by Shizuka Shirakawa, a scholar of Chinese literature, which sparked her interest in the etymological origins and deeper shades of meanings behind kanji characters. Since then, she has undertaken extensive research in this field, which she draws upon to create works of art capturing the intersection between this deep history and our modern lives through calligraphy. She is active both domestically and internationally, including hand lettering major Japanese publishing house Shueisha’s 85th special anniversary publication “War x Literature.” She also does book titling and holds public writing exhibitions and workshops abroad.

Kasetsu’s gentle manner puts learners at ease

Kasetsu is your guide through calligraphy that brings you closer to – and helps you express – your innermost self. At the heart of her approach is an interrogation of the nature of beauty itself, and the way social conditions and historical currents coalesce to define fixed standards for what is beautiful. “I want everyone to reconsider: just what is beauty?” Under Kasetsu’s guidance, exploring this question through the form and formlessness of calligraphy becomes a journey of introspection and accomplishment, with the calligrapher’s table doubling as a philosopher’s stoa.

Idaten Ceramics, which sits off a quiet street in Yanaka

Nestled in the serene and charming temple town ambience of Tokyo’s Yanaka neighborhood, the venue for this experience is Idaten, a pottery shop in a traditional old building. It features a display of Kasetsu’s works alongside a curated collection of pottery by the owner Fukuda. You’ll take up your brush ensconced in the cozy tranquility of a private basement gallery that feels like nothing so much as a cozy hideout.

An underground gallery sanctuary with the perfect atmosphere for calligraphy

Deeper Powers of Interpretation through Knowledge of Kanji’s Roots

In this experience, you’ll learn calligraphy centered on three keystone characters which capture the essential attributes and charm of kanji. 木 “Wood,” 人 “Person,” and 手 “Hand”: From these three characters, decide on one for your group to work with.

The three keystone characters, from left to right: 木 “Wood,” 人 “Person,” and 手 “Hand”

Although their historical origins in China lie in mimetic pictographs, the kanji in use today have been simplified and abbreviated to their bare essences. This is how we get the first two key characters: 人 “person”, and 手 “hand” – the latter of which then came to be the basis for other conceptual characters like 上 (“up”) and 下 (“down”). The third key character, 木 (“tree/wood”), has a special place in Chinese historical philosophy. From these three characters, choose the one that resonates with you, then write it on delicate, handmade, pure-mulberry Nishinouchi paper under Kasetsu’s instruction.

Kasetsu will curate and prepare English language study resources for guests to illuminate the roots of the characters, drawing from her own kanji dictionaries and other sources

Although kanji characters have clearly defined meanings, people are often still surprised to discover unknown characteristics in the roots behind them. Kasetsu’s valuable insights illuminate deeper knowledge as well as offer inspiration for future works.

Kasetsu shines a light into the depths of meaning and interpretations behind kanji characters

The Poignant Brushstroke

With your deepened understanding of kanji, move next to the art of handling brush and ink. You will learn proper brush grip and ink application, but Kasetsu explains that these are not so much part of the writing technique itself as they are a ritual space for the calligrapher to ascertain the possibilities and limitations of their tools. Top quality ink, inkstones, and brushes are prepared for you, so you can learn the characteristics of each and choose the tools to enjoy this special calligraphy experience to the fullest.

Get hands-on with a master-level toolset, such as brushes of wool, weasel fur, guinea fowl feathers, and bamboo – as well as the three legendary varieties of Chinese inkstone

Your author chose a weasel-fur brush for the experience. Weasels, which drag their tails when they walk, end up with a natural sharp point at the tip – a prized trait for brushes. A smoked pine resin was the ink of choice, one valued for its striking cool translucent blue-black hue resulting from the coarseness of its oil particles. It was fascinating to discover how the same line could vary so much in its expression just from the use of different tools.

The intricately and delicately pressure-sensitive calligrapher’s brush yields a savory and delicate tension

Kasetsu has a gift for communicating through analogy, guiding with comparisons between brushwork and playing the piano, or drawing with a stick in beach sand

The Articulate Brushstroke

Next, it’s time to get writing. When each movement of the brush carries a harmony of raw emotional openness and respect for the meanings behind the strokes, something truly wondrous can be created.

Find the rhythm of your breathing trailing the rhythm of your brush, as writing becomes a kind of exhalation unto itself

True art requires baring oneself openly, which requires courage. Kasetsu’s support here is as much moral as it is instructional. “You can create your own story,” she says. And you may find yourself soon so absorbed in doing so that it becomes difficult to stop writing.

You can think of this as a journey without a map: committing to the path unearths unexpected inspiration and fulfillment

Multifaceted Splendor Born from Trial and Error

At the end, enjoy a cup of Kasetsu’s choice tea, reviewing and appraising your work as you discuss the feelings that inspired it. Listening to the other participants describe their ideas and process, each in turn receiving workshop-style feedback from the master Kasetsu, is easily the highlight of the experience. Seeing your own art anew through the eyes of others is invigorating.

Even the very same character can take on as many faces as there are hands to write it – or more

Personal values are precious precisely because they are individually distinct, not universally uniform. Cherishing this diversity of feeling and thought has immense benefit to us not only as creatives, but as human beings. Kasetsu hopes to guide you in respecting and expressing the beauty of your own unique perspective through the essentials of Japanese calligraphy.