InsideJapan News Network
Thursday,
6th
January
2011
In Events In Japan,
In Events In Japan,
Calligraphers gather in Tokyo
Around 3,000 people took part in a special annual calligraphy competition to celebrate the New Year.
Reuters reports that the contest requires entrants to write different characters according to their school grade and is part of a bigger competition being organised by the prime minister.
A mix of people entered the event ranging from small school children to those in their 80s. Using tradition ink and brushes, they were required to draw a number of characters including New Year.
"I first came since my nephew had been coming a few times and now I've come 13 times in a row," said 60-year-old Yasuko Ikeda.
Japan has three main ways of writing - hiragana and katakana methods use characters for each syllable, with the later used for foreign words and Chinese characters are used to symbolise full words.
Last month, Japan Today reported that an Islamic calligraphy work done by Japanese artist Koichi Honda sold for a record $50,000.
Written by Susan Ballion.
Related news stories:
Earthquake hits north-west Japan (11th September 2008)
First woman player to debut in Japanese baseball team (20th November 2008)
See in the spring at Setsubun (8th January 2009)
'Tokyo Transport' exhibition coming to Japanese museum (11th August 2011)
Reuters reports that the contest requires entrants to write different characters according to their school grade and is part of a bigger competition being organised by the prime minister.
A mix of people entered the event ranging from small school children to those in their 80s. Using tradition ink and brushes, they were required to draw a number of characters including New Year.
"I first came since my nephew had been coming a few times and now I've come 13 times in a row," said 60-year-old Yasuko Ikeda.
Japan has three main ways of writing - hiragana and katakana methods use characters for each syllable, with the later used for foreign words and Chinese characters are used to symbolise full words.
Last month, Japan Today reported that an Islamic calligraphy work done by Japanese artist Koichi Honda sold for a record $50,000.
Written by Susan Ballion.
Related news stories:
Earthquake hits north-west Japan (11th September 2008)
First woman player to debut in Japanese baseball team (20th November 2008)
See in the spring at Setsubun (8th January 2009)
'Tokyo Transport' exhibition coming to Japanese museum (11th August 2011)
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