CALLIGRAPHY COMPETITION 2020
Shodo Canada is proud to commemorate the 13th edition of its Annual Japanese Calligraphy Competition in Canada with its first ever virtual exhibition. The first competition in 2008 marked the formation of Shodo Canada. Each year since, the competition has attracted entries from across the country, and furthered our mission to promote the beauty and variety of Japanese calligraphy in Canada. Each entry is judged by a jury of five distinguished Master Calligraphers in Japan. Following judging, entries are mounted on silk scrolls to be exhibited on return to Canada. The exhibition of this collection of artifacts, traditionally held in Toronto, comprises some of the year’s highest achievements in Canadian scribed Japanese Calligraphy. In a year marked by enormous difficulties, Shodo Canada is proud to carry this tradition forward into the future beyond 2020.
KENZABURO DATE MEMORIAL AWARD
This Grand Prize award is dedicated to the memory of late Mr. Kenzaburo Date who loved Japanese calligraphy and received Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards and honorable mention citations in this competition. This year’s winning piece Rankei features profound compositional sophistication which illuminates the depth of traditional script.
MAKOTO KAWAMURA
The Scent of the Orchid is Compared with an Intimate Fellowship Between Friends
North York, ON
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DR. RICK NISHIKAWA MEMORIAL AWARD
This award is dedicated to the memory of the late Dr. Rick Nishikawa who shared his irresistible enjoyment of Japanese calligraphy with many people. This year’s winning piece Gofuu Jyuu arranges ancient pictographs within a joyful contemporary expression.
YUKAKO ICHIKI
Variety is the Spice of Life
Toronto, ON
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GOLD AWARD
The gold award celebrates pieces which demonstrate the beauty of Japanese calligraphy and exhibit sophisticated quality. This year, five excellent pieces were chosen to receive the Gold award.
WOLFGANG MOEDER
Silence
Toronto, ON
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DENISE NOEL
Have Seat, Drink Tea
Montreal, QC
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NORIKO SAITO
On Short Summer Nights, Where Does the Moon Dwell up in the Clouds?
Toronto, ON
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GAYLE TAGUCHI
Infinite Flow
Toronto, ON
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KATHRYN TAMAKI
Now
Toronto, ON
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SILVER AWARD
The silver award celebrates pieces which showcase the wide variety of expressions achievable through Japanese calligraphy. This year, eight wonderfully diverse pieces were chosen to receive the Silver award.
RACHEL JEE
The Virtuous Find Pleasure in Mountains
Waterloo, ON
KISAKO DUONG
One Green Pine Stands Alone in the White Snow
Waterloo, ON
LOUISE MURRAY
Fly
Kitchener, ON
YUKIKO YABUTA
Happiness and Longevity
Markham, ON
SUE CHEN
Flowers Drop, Snow Falls
Toronto, ON
SUSAN KEENE
No Hindrance
Toronto, ON
RAIDEN SAKAGUCHI
Thunder
Whitby, ON
CHIEKO YUKI
Two Poems of Tachibana no Akemi
Scarborough, ON
BRONZE AWARD
The bronze award celebrates high achievement in the literary dimension of Japanese calligraphy. The eight pieces chosen to receive this year’s bronze award each demonstrate Japanese calligraphy’s strong connection to the art of literature.
MATT BORLAND
Hushed
Waterloo, ON
KAM YING CHAN
Faith Hope Love
Waterloo, ON
KIMIYO YANO
Autumn Leaves
Weston, ON
MONA PRENIQI
Fleeting Moment
Victoria, BC
BARBARA CAMPBELL
Quietly Accepting What Life Brings
Kitchener, ON
NATALIA TEPLOVA
Drinking Tea Alone, a Butterfly Comes to Visit Everyday
Montreal, QC
MONAMI YABUTA
Deer
Toronto, ON
YASUKO SHIMURA
When You are Content with the Way Things are, Your Mind is at Peace
Scarborough, ON
HONORABLE MENTION
Japanese calligraphy is an art in which the process of its creation becomes discernible in the final work. The honorable mention category celebrates pieces that convey a spirit of enthusiastic practice. The pieces chosen for this award convey the enjoyment of the calligraphic process of creation.
NATSUKI ABE
Once in a Lifetime Encounter
Vancouver, BC
EMMANUELLE CHEVALLIER
When I Came to the Village Among the Hills, at Dusk in the Springtime
Verdun, QC
JOANNE DILLION-SMITH
Nostalgia
Toronto, ON
TERESA ISAACS
Flower
Whitby, ON
YOKO KOBAYASHI
Ride Like the Wind
Caledon, ON
STEVEN MURRAY
Journey Along the Path Step by Step
Toronto, ON
SEIKO OKUBO
Spirit
Stouffville, ON
RACHEL SHIM
Spring
Maple, ON
SAKURA FUJII
Jasmine
Waterloo, ON
KENTARO NAKAMURA
To Take Life Slowly
Richmond Hill, ON
KAEDE YABUTA
Turtle
Thornhill, ON
ANNA AU
Fortune
North York, ON
NELSON CORONEL
A Little Cuckoo in the Direction of His Cry
Montreal, QC
ASUKA YAMADA
Cosmos
Waterloo, ON
CLAUDE ITO
Nothingness
Toronto, ON
MIHO KOGA
Sky is Clear, Air is Pure
Toronto, ON
YUKIKO NAKATA
Sever, Detachment
Toronto, ON
STUART POLLOCK
Leo and Karen
Toronto, ON
PETER WAKAYAMA
Sky
Toronto, ON
TAIGA KATO
To Have Twice as Much Luck
Waterloo, ON
KIYOMI SAKAGUCHI
Heart
Whitby, ON
REN YABUTA
Blue
Thornhill, ON
KATE CHERNEY
Forest
Toronto, ON
YASUKO HIDAKA
Early Spring and it’s an Auspicious Month, the Air is Fresh
Montreal, QC
MARIE IKEDA
Poem by Sengai
North York, ON
MAYAKO KOBAYASHI
Poem by Issa
Waterloo, ON
HOMER MOELCHERT
Compassion
Paris, ON
SHIRLEY OKAWA
Autumn Leaf
Toronto, ON
SANDY POSLUNS
Every Day is a New Day
Toronto, ON
LEONEL AKIO BRIONES
Fly!
Verdun, QC
TIJAH MARSHALL
Poem by Tawara Machi
Victoria, BC
YUJIN TAKEI
The Ultimate
Toronto, ON
LEA HILL
Snow Melts and Disappears, Children Appear Throughout the Village
Thornhill, ON
GRAND CATEGORY
This special grand category has been established to recognize a select few calligrapher’s enduring devotion to the art of calligraphy. Recipients of this honor have been awarded the Gold award or other special award in this competition at least three times. These calligraphers are leaders of Japanese calligraphy in Canada. Their pieces represent the standard of excellence to be pursued by following generations of calligraphers in Canada.
