Japanese Calligraphy-Meister SEIJI SUGIURA
– Whisper of the Character –
Exhibition/Gallery Talk/Japanese Calligraphy Lecture

Since 1905, The Nippon Club has contributed to cultural exchange between The United States and Japan through various activities. For this exhibition, we present to you SEIJI SUGIURA, who has been featured in Japanese media, and is well-known as a Japanese calligrapher. His unique calligraphy art is consisted of a clever word puzzle, combining hiragana (the Japanese cursive syllabary) shaped into a kanji character, with a message hidden in the character. His calligraphic art includes his message, of encouraging and self-motivating idioms and expressions.
 
In 2008, he published a book titled “YUME ARIGATO” which is his representative work. The title is the kanji character meaning “Dream” written using the Hiragana letters for the Japanese word for “thank you / gratitude.” This book has sold over 30,000 copies.
 
He has made various television appearances as a calligraphy art performer in Japan, and in 2013/08 was commissioned by the Japanese government to travel to Cambodia for the 60th Anniversary of the Japan-Cambodia Cultural Exchange Festival, where he performed his calligraphy art. He has been invited to perform by various Japanese companies, where his calligraphy art and message served to motivate and show appreciation to employees and clients. He also volunteers to visit schools to perform his art to educate and encourage students with his message.