GREETINGS

The Contemporary Calligraphy Writers Association holds an annual exhibition at the National Art Museum. It is a dual exhibition featuring the Classical Brushwork Division and the Contemporary Calligraphy Division. In 2023, The 55^th exhibition will be held. 

In 1968, Takeshi Sōfū, along with other calligraphers such as Hyōryū Un and Chiyokura Ōfune, founded the Contemporary Calligraphy Writers Association. In May 1968, they held the first “Contemporary Calligraphy Exhibition” at the Tokyo Central Art Museum (Ginza). 

During this time, Takeshi Sōfū held the belief of “confronting the mysteries of the classics and creating contemporary calligraphy.” He expressed the following: 

“Our works must capture the moment and essence of that particular time.” 

“What is modernity? What is contemporary expression? We seek them within the flow of history. Furthermore, we are in search of new paths.” 

“We must create works that capture what we have grasped along this journey and assert our voices.” 

Based on the thoughts of Takeshi Sōfū, the Contemporary Calligraphy Writers Association has been active for over 50 years. How close we have come to embodying these ideas will be evaluated in the future. 

The present moment, ‘now,’ continues both in the past and in the future. As long as the Contemporary Calligraphy Writers Association exists, we will continue to pursue Takeshi Sōfū’s ideals. 

We hope that more and more people will join us in the pursuit of Takeshi Sōfū’s ideas, engaging in the practice of classical brushwork, studying the classics, and creating contemporary calligraphy. 

Kashū Saitō 

Chairman, Contemporary Calligraphy Writers Association 

HISTORY

In January 1968, six avant-garde calligraphers, including Takeshi Sōfū, established the Contemporary Calligraphy Writers Association. 

The primary goal of founding the Contemporary Calligraphy Writers Association was to create “contemporary calligraphy.” We aim to express our inner selves through the beauty of various types of writing, focusing not only on the form of characters but also on the movement of dots and lines, the excellence of shapes, and the harmony with space. Since its establishment, the association has continued its activities based on Takeshi Sōfū’s concept of “each individual being a writer.” 

To showcase our works, we held the first Contemporary Calligraphy Exhibition in May 1968. Since then, we have been accepting submissions annually and organizing exhibitions. 

On the other hand, studying classical calligraphy is fundamental to all forms of calligraphy, including contemporary calligraphy. Therefore, we place great importance on the study of classical Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. In 1968, we also held the first Contemporary Classical Calligraphy Exhibition to present classical calligraphy works. Currently, we accept submissions of 76 different types of works, including oracle bone script, seal script, clerical script, regular script, cursive script, semi-cursive script, and kana, and hold an annual exhibition. 

Numerous artworks from all over Japan are submitted for the exhibitions, and recently, we have seen an increase in the participation of elementary and middle school students. This gives us a sense of a bright future for calligraphy.