Mitchi Matsuyama told the Variety that due to modern technology, there is a big possibility that the younger generation will forget or will not learn Japanese calligraphy.
He said this would be a sad thing to happen because calligraphy is a major part of Japanese art and culture.
According to Matsuyama, he planned to start teaching calligraphy to students several months ago but the frequent power outages hindered him.
“These days it is much easier to turn on computers and work from there. It takes much patience and dedication to learn calligraphy,” Matsuyama said.
But despite the changing times, shodo remains unchanged, he added.
Matsuyama said calligraphy originated from the original Koenji characters.
“Calligraphy has three different types of letters — Koenji, Katakana and Hiragana. Katakana and Hiragana were derived from the original Koenji to simplify the characters,” he said.
This art, Matsuyama said, requires the use of one’s right hand.
“What makes calligraphy unique is that this is a challenge for left-handed people because all the strokes are designed for using your right hand. There is also no room for mistakes in calligraphy, unlike other art forms where you can dab paints or use concealing prints to hide the mistakes. In calligraphy, once you make a wrong stroke, there’s no choice but to start all over again,” he said.
Shodo has been established not only as an art but also as a way to cultivate one’s mind, Matsuyama said.
“This art requires total concentration and stability of the mind but the good news about calligraphy is that it is not limited to Japanese citizens. Neither is it targeted at a particular age range. Anybody can learn regardless of age, race or nationality,” he said.
Since Matsuyama opened the school last month, Japanese and non-Japanese students have showed interest in learning shodo.
He said he was inspired to share his knowledge of shodo with the people of the CNMI as because of its close ties with Japan.
“Japanese culture has been deeply entrenched in the CNMI and Japan and these islands are connected by events of the past,” he said.
His calligraphy studio is located on the second floor of the ABC Store at the Paseo de Marianas in Garapan.
For more information, call 285-0347 or e-mail Matsuyama @izumoworks.com.
