Naoko Mikami believes that while calligraphy can be appreciated as art, its true value lies in the meaning of the characters, historically used to inspire reflection and motivation by samurais, nobility, and monks. She aims to achieve this same effect with her work.
The message should empower the calligraphy's owner
Nick: So you have a very, looks like a very freeing cursive style of calligraphy. So perhaps we could talk about that. How long did it take for you to find your style?
Naoko: Actually, it took some time to come here. So, when I started to do calligraphy, again, I focused a lot on design. I even mixed painting for a while, drawing, painting. I also focused on some technical aspects of using the brush.
But then at some point, I realized that maybe that was not how it was supposed to be done. When you think about calligraphy in the past, like, Edo period, or before. It is very different from what we see nowadays, I think.
Now, many calligraphers tend to go more and more abstract, focusing on lines and flow. And, to me, it seems that we are losing the meaning of calligraphy. In the past, calligraphy was simpler. The message was the most important thing, not the picture effect, not the aesthetics. We can even debate, if calligraphy was even considered as art or not.
I decided to go back to that spirit. Sure, you can appreciate calligraphy as an art form, especially if you don't read Kanji, that's the only way you can appreciate it. I think that's a beautiful thing. But if you can read Kanji, the meaning should be the most important thing. A long time ago, Samurai warlords, nobility, and monks, they all had calligraphy, where they lived, where they they worked.
Why? Because the message on the calligraphy was important. The message was supposed to make them reflect on what they did on your life, and the message could make their motivation higher. The message is all about the message. I'm trying to achieve the same thing with what I do now. The message should empower the person who owns the calligraphy. So yes, it took me some time to get here.