CALLIGRAPHY COMPETITION 2022
This year, Shodo Canada celebrates the 15th annual Japanese Calligraphy Competition in Canada with 145 excellent entries from all across Canada.
Shodo Canada appreciates the tremendous support of its many donors both in Canada and in Japan, allowing this wonderful competition and exhibition to flourish. This is a competition for works of Japanese Calligraphy, but it is also a celebration of the study of calligraphy. It is through the pursuit of calligraphy that so many in Canada have learned about the larger body of Japanese culture, and forged connections with Japan in multiple ways. It has been an incredible journey over the last 15 years to see this competition grow into an annual event. The diverse community that has gathered around this competition expresses itself with so much character and vibrancy in each and every individual.
By exhibiting these wonderful calligraphic pieces online, we are able to share the amazing variety of works with an enthusiastic audience from all across Canada, and also with many more from all over the world who share a budding interest in the discipline of Japanese Calligraphy. This is a wonderful platform to showcase and explore the depth and breadth of Japanese Calligraphy with so many people.
From Shodo Canada, we hope we can share this wonderful event together by appreciating the works of each and every one of the entries from this year’s competition. Thank you to those who participated, and thank you to those who are viewing this exhibition. Let us continue this wonderful community we have built into the future.
KENZABURO DATE MEMORIAL AWARD
This 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 two winning pieces are meditations on the theme of black and white. Their treatments of the theme explore philosophical notions of contrast and harmony, white fully leveraging the ink and paper materiality that is so essential to the medium of Japanese calligraphy.
▲ANNA AU
White and Black; Give Balances of the Harmony | North York, ON
▲GAYLE TAGUCHI
One Must Know the White to Protect the Black | Toronto, ON
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, five young calligraphers have received this award for their beautifully affirmative works. Shodo Canada is pleased to acknowledge the dynamic energy of a new generation of calligraphers.
▲KENTARO NAKAMURA
Observing the Sound of Rain | Richmond Hill, ON
▲MAKO SAKAKIBARA
Mica | Verdun, QC
▲NATHAN YOSHIZAKI
Balloon | Toronto, ON
▲YUJIRO FUJII
Break Through Your Limit | Waterloo, ON
▲KAEDE YABUTA
Tiger | Thornhill, ON
JUDGES’ PRIZE
To celebrate the fifteenth competition, the competition judges have selected four calligraphers from the Grand category to be awarded the Judges’ Prize. All four of this year’s recipients chose words from the playwright Zeami. And yet, each winner prepared a piece with a different expression. Each piece shows incredible quality while bringing a distinct air of personal expression to their own interpretation of Zeami’s poetry. The works suggest to us the many wonderful ways in which we can all enjoy Japanese Calligraphy.
▲KYOKO IMAMURA
Emptiness Changes Everything | Waterloo, ON
▲YUKI KATO
When an Actor is at a Standstill, That is a Wealthy Performance | Waterloo, ON
▲NAOE TSUSHIMA
Zeami’s Words | Toronto, ON
▲YUKAKO ICHIKI
It Is Interesting if You Let People Feel No Movement Has Lots of Meanings | Toronto, ON
The Gold award celebrates pieces which demonstrate the beauty of Japanese Calligraphy and exhibit sophisticated quality. The five winning entries of the gold award demonstrate a strong understanding of the discipline of Japanese Calligraphy. The enthusiasm of each calligrapher to present a unique take on the art of Japanese Calligraphy is visible in each of the works.
▲YUMI NAKAMURA
Bamboo | Toronto, ON
▲STEPHANE LAURIN
Esprit | L'Épiphanie, QC
▲JENNIFER CHAN
Friendship Between Gentlemen is Long Lasting and Sincere | Maple, ON
▲YOKO KOBAYASHI
Iroha Poem | Caledon, ON
▲NATSUKI ABE
Create | Vancouver, BC
SILVER AWARD
The Silver award celebrates pieces which showcase the wide variety of expressions achievable through Japanese Calligraphy. Each of the five winning entries articulate a very distinct dimension of Japanese Calligraphy through their refined expressions and techniques.
▲YUKI CHIEKO
Poem by Kino Tsurayuki | Scarborough, ON
▲KAM YING CHAN
Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound | Waterloo, ON
▲SUE CHEN
Sadness and Joy | Toronto, ON
▲VIVIAN WIKKERINK
Sunlight Coming Through the Cloud Flooding Yet Dissipating His Path | Kitchener, ON
▲RACHEL JEE
The Months and Days are the Travellers of Eternity | Waterloo, ON
BRONZE AWARD
The Bronze award celebrates high achievement in the literary dimension of Japanese Calligraphy. Through these five works, we can see the enjoyment of calligraphy and a wonderful insight into how different ideas of creation can be captured through calligraphic works.
▲NATALIA TEPLOVA
Before Waking Up | Montreal, QC
▲YUKIKO NAKATA
A Misfortune Might Turn Into a Lifetime Opportunity | Scarborough, ON
▲PENNY ULSTER
Iroha Poem | Toronto, ON
▲NANCY PENG
Fluttering Fluttering, the Wind is Blowing | Waterloo, ON
▲MARGARET ISHII
Foundation | Toronto, 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 is a special category for this exhibition. These twenty nine pieces all have their own unique stories, styles, and senses of enjoyment. The diversity of these works is the ultimate showcase of Japanese Calligraphy in Canada.
▲NORIMI BABA
Snow Flurry | Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC
▲MONICA CHOW
Purple | Thornhill, ON
▲FLORIAN CRÉAC-’HCADEC
Sing While Drinking, Enjoy Life While You Still Can | Longueuil, QC
▲CAROL HOWE
Go into the Mountain, How Hard I Try, the Destination is Far Away | Mississauga, ON
▲YUMIE KONO
Kokin Wakashu Den Kino Tsurayuki So | Victoria, BC
▲KATHRYN OKAWARA
Wonder | Willowdale, ON
▲NORIKO SAITO
Regimen | Toronto, ON
▲YUKARI SNYDER
Pray | Ottawa, ON
▲YASUKO SHIMURA
New Year’s Poem from Kokin Wakashu | Scarborough, ON
▲FRED THOMPSON
Flower | Elora, ON
▲KIREN BUDHIA
Wabi Sabi | Montreal, QC
▲DONNA CLAUDIO
Love | Victoria, BC
▲ELIZABETH FORREST
The Fragrance of the Chrysanthemums Recalls Nara’s Ancient Statues of Buddha | Waterloo, ON
▲NELI IORDANOVA
Sunlight Shining Through the Leaves of Trees | Toronto, ON
▲MASOUD JELOKHANI-NIARAKI
Colour of the Wind | Elora, ON
▲STUART POLLOCK
Abundance | Toronto, ON
▲MARGARET SHERK
Subtle Beauty | Elora, ON
▲SALVATORE SPATAFORA
Abstract | Toronto, ON
▲YUKIKO YABUTA
Poem About Bright Autumn Moon from Kokin Wakashu | Markham, ON
▲DAWN WOODY
Rain | Waterloo, ON
▲WILLY CHENG
Mysterious | Toronto, ON
▲RAIJA GASKELL
Never Not Nothing | Kitchener, ON
▲JUNKO FUCHIOKA
Living Like a Drunk and Dying Like a Dreamer | Vancouver, BC
▲SUSAN KEENE
Think with Your Hands, Think with Your Feet by Kawai Kanjiro | Toronto, ON
▲PAUL JEWETT
My Thoughts on a Windy Day | Toronto, ON
▲LILY ROTH
I Learn from People | Waterloo, ON
▲BEVERLY SING
Kokin Wakashu Poem 46 | Montreal, QC
▲AYUMI TAKAI
Selfless Devotion and Surrender | Toronto, ON
▲MAYAKO KOBAYASHI
Good Fortune and Happiness Will Come to the Home of Those Who Smile | Waterloo, ON
HONORABLE MENTION - YOUTH
These nine pieces received honorable mention for young calligraphers, where each piece shows so much energy and excitement. It is as though their happy voices can be heard through the vibrant brushstrokes in their pieces.
▲MEI BYLSMA
Cherry Blossom | Richmond, BC
▲RIKU OGIYA
Fish | Waterloo, ON
▲EVELYN WIKKERINK
Rainbow | Kitchener, ON
▲MIREI KAWASAKI
Dog | Burnaby, BC
▲KIYOMI SAKAGUCHI
Beauty | Whitby, ON
▲MONAMI YABUTA
Mama Papa | Toronto, ON
▲MIA KIKUCHI
My Name Mia’s Mi | Vancouver, BC
▲AKITO SAKAKIBARA
Cordial | Verdun, QC
▲REN YABUTA
Treasure | Thornhill, ON
GRAND CATEGORY
This special grand category has been established to recognize a very special selection of calligraphers and their 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 represent the leaders of Japanese Calligraphy in Canada. Their pieces represent the standard of excellence to be pursued by following generations of calligraphers in Canada.
