Shodo and Related Arts
Calligraphy and its connections across disciplines and art forms
Tenkoku is the art of stone seal carving. Used for "signing" the work of calligraphy, the characters chosen can be derived from one's name, a meaningful phrase or an original symbolic design. Whether a name, idea or a concept that relates to the artist or the calligraphy, the size and positioning of the stamp is carefully balanced when applied to complement the composition of the final work.
Shodo Canada Summer Tenkoku Workshops led by Maeda Sensei allow students to select, design and carve stamps of various sizes. Typically starting with small, single characters, these increase in complexity and ambition over successive years as a student's skills develop. Tenkoku requires patience and extreme control that is closely related but entirely different from creating a work of Shodo.
