Calligrapher Shishu continues to spread the message of Japanese culture, spirituality, and the charm of calligraphy to the world. One of the activities he has been continuing for 18 years is a workshop called "Love Letter Project" that he has been doing in his busy schedule.
Normally, it is not possible to learn calligraphy from Shishu, but on this one day only, the general public can receive special instruction. Premium Japan was also able to participate in this once-a-year opportunity.

Communicate the importance of praising yourself and building self-esteem

The Love Letter Project was held again this year on Saturday, October 2024, 10 at The Garden Room in Yebisu Garden Place.

This project is based on the theme of "Let's deliver the love we've received from so many people to the next person!" and involves writing love letters to loved ones in calligraphy. For a long time, it was only held as a "general class", but from 2021, a new morning session, "Master Class", was added, and it is now open to a wider range of people.

This time, I took part in a "Master Class" with a capacity of 20 participants.
Although this class is advertised as the highest level, it is by no means a class for advanced calligraphers, but rather a class for mastering spirituality through calligraphy. This class is recommended for those who need concentration, those who do detailed work using their hands and fingers, those who want to increase their motivation, those who want to improve their physical abilities without muscle training, and those who want to learn new ways to improve.

The small class "Master Class" is a luxurious class where you can get up close and personal with Shishu, and hear about what he does and thinks on a daily basis, things that you wouldn't normally get to hear.

The first thing Shishu said was, "Are you praising yourself?"
If you think about it, we may be disappointed in ourselves or scold ourselves, but we rarely praise or encourage ourselves.

Japanese people are said to have low self-esteem even when viewed globally, and Shishu says that one of the reasons for this may be that they have few opportunities to put their love into words and express it to others.

For those of us who don't normally praise ourselves, one way to do so is to encourage participants to "gently and slowly stroke yourself with the palm of your hand as if you are talking to yourself."
Everyone seems a little embarrassed, but as they touch their bodies, they express their gratitude to themselves. Then, mysteriously, their minds become calmer and they feel their tension ease. Just this one thing changes their state of mind.

Sishu then urges us to take deep breaths, taking in oxygen into our lungs, and then exhaling slowly, repeating this process several times.
This is because by relaxing the sympathetic nervous system and allowing the parasympathetic nervous system to dominate, you can calm your emotions and be relieved of tension.

All of this is to prepare your mind and face yourself.

Managing negative emotions improves self-esteem

Shishu-san also told us about his routine before starting calligraphy. The following are the five key points:

1. Improve your physical abilities by shifting your head's center of gravity

2. Breathing technique to distinguish the strength and weakness of the calligraphy

3. How to get into a state of high concentration/how to turn on your motivation switch

4. How to control your emotions and mind

5. Mental adjustment using eye contact/field of vision

Techniques for concentrating and stopping negative thoughts can be used not only in calligraphy, but in all aspects of everyday life.

According to Shishu, writing has the effect of dominating the activity of the frontal lobe of the brain, and can temporarily suppress the activity of the amygdala, which controls anxiety and fear. He tells us that by suppressing the activity of the amygdala, people can feel a sense of security and warmth.

Controlling yourself seems simple but is actually quite difficult.
Shishu says that he experiments every day to see how his consciousness and emotions change by changing his daily routine and habits. He says that he is exploring for himself how he can always be comfortable.

The exhilarating feeling of concentrating on the tip of the brush and using your whole body to write letters.

Now we finally get to the book.
The posture for calligraphy that we learned in elementary school is to stand up straight, hold the brush in your right hand if you are right-handed, hold the edge of the paper with your left hand, regulate your breathing and move the brush; somehow, these movements have become ingrained in our bodies.

According to Shishu, this posture is effective when writing on a half-sized piece of paper, as it prevents the body from shaking and makes it easier to fix the brush. However, when writing on a large piece of washi paper like this one (120 x 65 cm), this posture is not effective, so it is necessary to loosen the joints of the body and use the whole body to draw.

In the "Master Class" love letter, participants imagine their future selves and put into words the message they would like to themselves if their wish came true, as well as feelings of gratitude to those around them.
While imagining the size and position of the characters in your head, calm your mind and place the brush on the Japanese paper.

In this tense moment, the state of nothingness feels so good. The everyday clutter disappears, and, if only for a moment, my mind becomes empty.

The afternoon "general classes" were lively, with children also present.
In the first half, you will learn free brush strokes and write about 20 different styles of calligraphy, including "warm characters," "strong lines," and "smiling characters." In the second half, you will put your feelings into words while thinking of a loved one, and write a "letter that conveys your feelings" on a large piece of washi paper over 1 meter in size.

I'm sure many of the participants felt how important it is to sort out their feelings and weave words together.

The things you will learn from the precious time you spend learning calligraphy from Shishu, who is active as a calligrapher and artist, will surely teach you a lot. I hope that more people will enjoy this experience.
It is scheduled to be held at the same time next year.