[About brushes] 羊毛 (you-mou)

Written as sheep wool, it’s read羊毛 (you-mou).

Although it’s the most common brush, a difference in the ratio of the tip length to the bundle diameter makes the brush difficult and hard to write with.

A brush with a small diameter and a long tip is called長峰 (chou-hou) and a brush with an extremely long tip is called超長峰 (chou-chou-hou), meaning that it’s beyond the length of chou-hou.
“超” means “beyond” and “長” means “length”. (It’s easy to understand in kanji.)
It’s hard to explain because both “長” and “超” is pronounced “chou”.

This chou-hou, which is the most difficult one, is my favorite.
It is 1cm in diameter and 12cm long in the tip – it doesn’t listen to me like an untamed horse.

KOTO-DAMA

It’s been said that a spirit lies in a word, and there is a word “言霊　kotodama” in Japan.
Since kanji has meaning on its own, it’s easy to understand.
“言” exactly refers to a “word”. “霊” is a spirit. It means that a word spoken or written by a person has his/her thought or feeling.
I handle words carefully more than anybody else. I’m proud of it. So it’s often nerve-wracking to be too sensitive to words and deeds of other people.


On a TV show on the other day, a famous professor of Japanese literature said that he would put good words on somewhere noticeable.
he also said that an inspiring word written on his T-shirt for a lecture would lead to success.

In my case…when I go to a shrine, I buy “おみくじ　omikuji”, seeing this month’s luck or today’s luck, good one encourages me and bad one makes me careful.
Then I buy a charm for a souvenir. I believe in not all of these things, but I find myself attracted by something spiritual.
For my works, I will write words that make people cheerful and happy when they see them.

On June 7th, I’m going to Tokyo for the celebration of Mr. Nishibayash (as mentioned before, my teacher from university)’s kiju (77th birthday) and publication.
I will meet both old and new faces at Teikoku Hotel. I’m looking forward to it.

The nex't day

The award ceremony was held at Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka, Tokyo, where I stood on the stage after a long interval and keenly felt that it’s good to won the prize.
I expressed my sincere appreciation for the prize to the guests at the celebration, and then the joy slowly emerged at last.


The next day, I went to the National Art Center to see my work exhibited with my daughter.
“As the light and shadow of the water lily changes, it is drawn into pale purple”
My work, which expressed the world of tanka (poetry consisting of 31 syllables) by Ms. Noriko Hiratsuka in my own way, was exhibited in the main venue.
I got self-satisfaction that the light and shadow of the water lily was successfully expressed. (laugh)

On the day when I was going back to Fukuoka, Ms. Noriko Hiratsuka, the author of the poem in my prize-winning work and a pen-pal of my daughter, came to see me at Haneda Airport with her husband.
She was more beautiful than I had expected, with clarity like a water lily. She was greatly delighted by my prize winning, and gave me a wonderful bouquet like her style.
While there are authors who claim the copyright too much, she just said “you can continue to use my poems”.
In contrast to her clear and delicate appearance, I felt that she has the strong and smart way to live her life.
I sincerely express my appreciation to Mr. and Ms. Hiratsuka.

As I could see Ms. Hiratsuka unexpectedly, the three days in Tokyo were fulfilling.

Feeling relived

I won the “quasi-grand prize” at the calligraphy exhibition called “Sogen Exhibition”.

Because of misunderstanding and mismatched sense of values, I hadn’t been given satisfactory remarks from my master.
Through the hard times, I almost lost heart many times, wondering if I was wrong.
Still I could hold on to my will because of many people who helped me behind the scenes and my daughters who supported me.
I won the prize as a result of gathered votes from the judges, and I believe it meant “the way you have lived your life is fine”.

The joy to get out of the long tunnel relieved me…this is how I honestly feel.

Please watch the way I will live my life.
I declare that my activities won’t betray you.

What will be left for me if unnecessary things are scraped off?

This has always been my underlying thought.

I wonder what I would be like if I only had a bare heart without a social position, desires, pride etc.

I wonder what is the most important thing.

Work for Mainichi Women’s Calligraphy Exhibition

I wrote “The thundercloud, the thundercloud in the sky at sunset just like me”
The sky at sunset is at the end of day. It is compared to the later part of life. The thundercloud in that sky is a cloud with thunderstorm.

The thundercloud is what I am now. I’m feeling frustrated as the time left to me and the number of things I want to do are not proportional.
This is a challenging message from me that I’m burning red with rain and thunder inside at any time.

I don’t know what I’m aiming for and what achievement will satisfy me. Maybe I’m multiplying dreams every day as I’m greed.
When I write the blog, it’s like a place to re-organize my thought. It is incoherent, but please accept it as the process of evolution, and take care of and observe me.

February

The curtain of 2009 is open, and now it’s already February.
Even in Fukuoka, which is located in the south of Japan – a long island extending north and south - we have had a series of cold days with snow this winter.
How are you?

So, have you started to step toward a dream of your New Year’s resolution?
I have started walking toward it. At least I’m different from what I was last February.
I would like to release my mind more freely to express myself this year. To create satisfying work will lead to a result. I can’t stop my mind from getting excited.

For one more topic, I have encountered a phrase that burns my heart in the cold winter.
“Yes we can” – a phrase that has become too famous, but it gives me power when I say it out loud. I believe there were immeasurable difficulties until the birth of the first African-American president of the United States. (Mr. Obama didn’t give it up. Therefore this phrase is significant) His inaugural address was filled with dreams and hopes, which even burned the heart of this nameless Japanese old lady.
Japanese politicians and political analysts indicated concreteness, all saying that he has a rocky road ahead, but I believe he will make it.
If I am asked which I can trust in, Japanese politicians or Mr. Obama – I will take Mr. Obama without any hesitation.

The bigger a dream is, the better it is. It’s better to be as big as unrealistic. It must not be reached easily.
A dream is a dream because it has difficulty in being achieved. But we still walk toward dreams…because we are alive!

So holily the snow falls

The kanji 聖 has the meaning of pureness.

The softness of light ink effectively shows how purely, genuinely and quietly it snows.

A woman on fire

I swear!!
After this year’s final calligraphy exhibition.
Following the intracompany exhibition in March and Mother-Daughter Exhibition in August, “the 5th Miki Otake’s Intracompany Exhibition” in November ended with a phenomenal number of visitors. Fellow calligraphers are surprised that I hold the calligraphy exhibition three times a year, saying “you have great energy”. They care about me, automatically thinking that I’m completely exhausted and I can’t concentrate on anything for a while. But I don’t feel tired. I’m rather feeling excited about the future, first, the next year.

Here I swear to you all!!
In 2009, I will do everything I can as much as possible, I will never give it up even if I fail or get laughed at.
Just like I changed myself this year compared to what I was last year, I want myself to be advanced next year.
It is the best gain of this year that I learned that nothing will change unless I make a move. It’s the fact that it’s based on the success of the calligraphy exhibition held three times a year, which could be reckless.
Thanks to backup of people who come to see the exhibition.
I realized again that I am not living alone.
I would like to be a “woman on fire” and return the favor to people who support me.


In 2008, I started to write the blog, which was a new challenge. I also encountered people who visited this blog. Thank you!
I wish everyone good luck for 2009!!

Can’t believe the bone is broken!!??

A misfortune slipped into a space in my mind that took a rest after the 5th Miki Otake’s Intracompany Exhibition (November 19th – 24th).

On December 2nd, the door chime…rang, rang, and rang.
I rushed down to the door just like falling from upstairs (with a weird “snap”!!...??)
The snap came from my left toe. It rapidly got swollen so I put a compress on it. However, pain developed and I went to the hospital.

“It’s broken.”

What!?
I sent e-mails to my friends, “I had my bone broken!” Almost all of them replied to me, “think about your age!”

Oh my God! Did I do something wrong?
My enjoyment in winter, swaggering in heeled boots…is warned with the red light this winter.

The only consolation is a pair of sheepskin boots that my daughter sent to me. I can wear them even with my left foot, which has been fixed and grown large. I’m glad these boots are trendy this year! They are dyed in vivid purple, which is also this year’s trendy color (laugh). Looking at my foot, I spend days with deep sighs....

Imagine!!

Not for Sale.

This is a poem from Yoko Ono that is said to inspire John Lennon to write "Imagine". The poem that uses only imperative forms is sensational.
In it, I saw her strong will and the way of life.

My partners "SANBA"

Today I would like to talk about my partners, brushes…
One of my favorite brushes is a sanba (山馬) brush.
Sanba means “mountain (山) horse (馬)” but it’s not of horsehair. It’s made of hair of a wild deer that lives in the interior Vietnam, and because that wild deer is called “sanma” in that area, it was named “sanba” using kanji山 (san) and馬 (uma) (which is pronounced as sanba as one word). The left in the picture is the sanba, and the right is a common brush.

It has the hardest hair of the brushes. Now the number of wild deer has decreased in Vietnam, which has made the sanba brushes difficult to obtain and expensive.
The picture shows the four brothers of sanba (laugh). The sanba brush with long hair is expensive, and it doesn’t last long while it is expensive…
It is a hassle to wash the brush, and as each hair is coarse, it gets broken if it is washed hard.
When writing with it…it feels hard!

Sanba hair does not contain a lot of ink because of its nature.
Scratchy, strong, and sharp lines are its characteristics, but because this brush is difficult to write with, it’s not common.
Also, there is an interesting brush called nanayou sansaba (七羊三山馬).
This is a unique brush with soft wool and sanba in the ratio of 7 to 3.

I use these brushes depending on the atmosphere of words and poems to be written, and what I like about the sanba brush is its uncalculated lines most of all. Because the brush doesn’t go as I imagine, it can bring unexpectedly interesting lines.

Calligraphy,"SAKANA" The Fish

This kanji 魚 is for fish, from word KINBUN 金文 (ancient letters that were engraved on copper wares in the Bronze Age in China).

In summer, fishes cheerfully jump out of the water. (Summer from the four seasons tapestries)

September

As scheduled in September I got out of shape because of accumulated busyness in the summer. Also I had no free time as usual.

On September 28, the collaboration between Ms. Y, a calligrapher whom I respect, and a famous artist, was held in “Akiyoshidai International Art Village” which is famous for the calcareous cave. Creating impromptu works for two hours each in the morning and afternoon was collision of talents, which showed us the great process of creation and works.

However it was a phrase from Mr. Y’s free talk that was strongly impressive to me - the faith to “write a work that remains for thousand years”.
I have heard these words once before. He advised me to “write a work that remains for thousand years” when I was dithering. He told his clear decision to me. I felt grateful again.

Ms. Y is now lives out of a wheelchair. Being handicapped, she is rather enjoying all of her life saying “I don’t think I am unhappy now. I can write characters that I can write only now.”
When writing on a big piece of paper while she is in the wheelchair, a brush (her arm) cannot reach it. She uses a brush with an extended shaft.
I am moved to tears by her positive and strong way to live and inconvenience that cannot be avoid after all…

The beautiful sound of “thousand years” surges. In contrast to the beautiful sound, I have to make a heavy decision…
I think I have to be prepared to face the endless flow of time.

結 MUSUBU – Mother–Daughter Exhibition.

Here's the greeting message in the collection of works from 結 MUSUBU – Mother–Daughter Exhibition.

On April 6, 2001, my mother passed away peacefully as if she finished fulfilling the mission to live.
Even in the hard battle with the disease, she never whined and continued to care people around her till the end all her life.Her hobbies were flower arrangement and yokyoku, but what is left in a physical form is her ink painting that she started in her later years.
On “Obon”, when my mother is coming back again this year, it is great pleasure that I can hold Mother-Daughter Exhibition of my dream, adding my works of calligraphy to her ink paintings.
While I was organizing the works, I realized – many things connect me and my mother somewhere deep and invisible.

Mother-Daughter Exhibition has been named “結 MUSUBU”.
Most of the works are amateurish, but it is honorable if you kindly look at the proof that my mother certainly lived her life and myself struggling on the way.

August 12, 2008 Miki Otake


Despite the busy season of Obon, many people visited the exhibition. People who are deeply linked to my mother also gathered despite their advanced age.
I am profoundly grateful. To tell the truth, my memory during the period of the exhibition is vague. Although I can recall scenes in fragments, I can’t recall the flow of those six days smoothly (this is also a reason that the blog was delayed). It is clearly different from the past fatigue from the intracompany exhibition.
Again I think it was such a big project for me to exhibit my mother’s works. And I am surprised to notice many things. Everyone said, “you are filial to your mother”, and “your mother is happy". Simply I wish so – I wish my mother were happy.

Indeed what my mother left was ink paintings, but what Mother-Daughter Exhibition left was not only that. I can’t express it with words because I haven't comprehended it myself, but it appears to be homework that I will slowly solve in my life. There is much of it, just like a puzzle that will never be completed, which appears that it is my task of “musubu” (tying or knotting) to pass it on to my daughters. Mother-Daughter Exhibition has ended, but there are more things that have started from here. I feel grateful.
To everyone who has opened this blog, I'm sorry that this must be difficult to understand. It is impossible to tell something vague even for myself. I’m very sorry. But I’m glad if you sense something from my feelings.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to all the people for giving flowers to, extending courtesies to, and visiting Mother-Daughter Exhibition. Thank you very much.

One more thing at the very end – explanation of the invitation.
Phalaenopsis orchid blooming from the same stem is my mother (somehow there were always Phalaenopsis orchids beside her), and Casa Blanca lily is me (my favorite flower). The Casa Blanca lily has two buds. I am looking forward to seeing how these two buds bloom.

The unicorn, fairy and wizard – I could believe in all of them even though I couldn’t see them

Since when did you lost belief in the world of fantasy?

Why do you strongly say that there is no such thing like that?

I do believe that there are worlds that we can find with pure hearts. I hope the forest-like picture frame will help you gain belief in the world of fairy tales once again.

“結 MUSUBU” Mother-Daughter Exhibition

I would like to let you know details of Mother-Daughter Exhibition. It’s a busy season, but please set a schedule to visit us.

Title of the exhibition: “結 MUSUBU” Mother-Daughter Exhibition by Hisako Shinozaki and Miki Otake

Period: August 12 (Tue) – 17 (Sun), 2008
10:00 – 18:00 (-17:00 on the final day)

Venue: Gallery 1, Elgala Hall, 7th floor
1-4-2, Tenjin, Fukuoka
phone: 092-711-5017

Content: About 40 works of Hisako’s ink painting and Miki’s calligraphy

Mother-Daughter Exhibition is held on “Obon”, when my mother who passed away 7 years ago will come back again this year. My mother has left ink painting, and I live in the world of calligraphy. While organizing works, now I realize – many deep and strong things that connected me and my mother. Mother-Daughter Exhibition has been named “結 MUSUBU”.

I am looking forward to seeing you at the venue☆

Busy, busy, busy

For Mother-Daughter Exhibition of my dream, I keep thinking and keep imagining, and only time passes by. In the meantime, I don't have a brush. Thinking about this and that…
My mind is very confused because of setting up the exhibition which appears to be the first and last for my mother.
Hmmmmm!!
I have just dropped light ink from heights of 2 meters, and now I am waiting for it to get dry. Whether the ink will spread well….I am patiently waiting…with pounding hearts.

Meanwhile, a picture from the awarding ceremony at “Mainichi Women’s Calligraphy Exhibition” has been finished (but…it’s out of focus). Not-Otake-like = I attended in a feminine pink suit in a pure and beautiful manner.
Although I don’t get nervous at all and I didn't get nervous, my mouth was dry when I read testimonials. (Could it be that I am timid?) Anyway, having carried out an important duty without any trouble, now I am relieved.

Japan is in the midst of the rainy season and every day is gloomy. This is the season that I don’t like most, but I shouldn’t feel that way this year. To create a collection of works in commemoration of Mother-Daughter Exhibition, I am in a hurry to writing up.
I am telling myself “fight!”

I want to be more novel than anybody

Today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will be better than today.

I always hope to become a brand-new me everyday, newer than anyone else.


Can you imagine me (and yourself) in ten years or twenty years from now?

Heavy schedule!

[July]
From July 1st to 6th, “Japanese Calligraphy Exhibition, Kyushu Exhibition” will be held at Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art. I will attend the celebration at Hotel Nikko on July 1st.

From July 8th to 13th, “Exhibition of Representative Works by Japanese and Chinese Female Calligraphers, Tokyo Exhibition” will be held at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Last year, Beijing Exhibition was held and I flew from Kyushu to Beijing by myself (I will write about this incredibly interesting and scary trip sometime later…)
Keeping the promise to “meet in Tokyo next year”, I will attend the celebration on July 8th.

From July 15th to 21st, “Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition, Kagoshima Exhibition” will be held. I will attend the eve party on July 14th.
On July 21st and 22nd, “Yoshin Summer Training Session” in my area, Fukuoka.
From July 27th to 30th, “Sogen-Shodokai Summer Training Session” in Atami.

This is very hard, isn’t it? I have many other meetings too. Moreover, I have to finish work for “** exhibition” held in August.
Please pray for my health.


[August]
In August, which is suggestive, there is big, big news!
Suddenly, it was determined that "Mother-Daughter Exhibition” of my dream will be held at Elgala Gallery in Tenjin, Fukuoka from August 12th to 17th!

I think I wrote in my blog, it has been 7 years since my mother passed away. My mother was doing ink painting before her death and has left many works. I have wanted to hold an exhibition together for 7 years. It may have been the guide of my father and mother that the unexpected chance came to me. It is because this period just falls on “Obon”. “Obon” is the day that has been said spirits of the dead come back to home once a year in Buddhism. Relatives gather to hold a memorial service for their ancestors.
My father, mother and ancestors will come to visit the exhibition of my mother’s and my works all the way from Jodo (Pure Land)…I believe so.

I am sensitive to summer.
I have been physically weak since my childhood - so-called physically fragile. It hasn’t changed that I easily get tired and suffer from headache even after I reached adulthood. And it hasn’t changed that my body feels itchy particularly in summer. I believe I am a fungus such as penicillium and fusarium. I am vulnerable to healthy rays of the sun in summer.
I have never experienced super busyness like this year in this harsh season. Changing sighs into willpower, I will overcome it calmly with a light hand! (I suppose so...)

I will let you know the detailed information of “Mother-Daughter Exhibition”. Please come to visit us if it is close to you (and even far from you if possible). I would like to see you at the venue!!