On Monday 22 April, International Student Lounge 'KI-ZU-NA' (KIZUNA) held its first event of the 2024 school year, the "2024 Event: Japanese Calligraphy x International Exchange", which was planned and organized mainly by KIZUNA tutors.
The workshop began with a brief explanation of the origin of kanji characters and the culture of calligraphy, followed by a lecture on how to hold a brush and use other tools. Participants then each chose favorite characters or words and tried writing them with the help of tutors and other students.
Many of the international students had no prior experience with brush-writing and seemed to struggle at first. Everyone, however, diligently practiced the skill while having fun in the process, until eventually all were able to create wonderful and unique works of art. This session was followed by a break, where the students enjoyed sharing their creations and talking and interacting with each other. Finally, participants each picked one of the characters or words that they had earlier worked on and wrote it on a shikishi signature board to take home as a souvenir.
The event proved a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn about and experience Japanese culture while engaging in international exchange.
