The Nippon Gallery at The Nippon Club is pleased to host the calligraphy exhibition entitled “Shoko Kanazawa: World of Calligraphy -A Letter for You” by Ms. Shoko Kanazawa, one of the most famous Japanese Calligraphers.

As someone with Down syndrome, Shoko is going to deliver a speech at the “World Down Syndrome Day Conference”, which will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This exhibition is going to be held in honor of her speech. It is a showcase of her glorious work that stems from her simple nature and 25 years of intensive calligraphy training. 10 years have passed since her first solo-exhibition and she is turning 30 years old this year. As an artist and a calligrapher, the exhibition will be the compilation of her work from the past decade.

3 large folding screens that show the bold and powerful nature of her calligraphy and 13 mid to small-sized ideograph pieces including one entitled “smile” will be featured. Also included are 14 new items and 2 masterpieces. When she creates her calligraphy, her only wish is to make people happy. Her unconventional works emanate from her kindness and love. It has the power to resonate deeply in the heart the same way a personal heartfelt letter can.

”May my calligraphy cheer people up.” is what she hopes.

We proudly present the exhibition, “Shoko Kanazawa, The World of Calligraphy”, for you infused with Shoko’s message of hope.

The first day of the exhibition, March 21st, is “World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD)”. It is a day of global awareness which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. The day before, on March 20th, the WDSD Conference is going to be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The conference will feature experts and self advocates gathered from all around the world. At this internationally renowned event, Ms. Kanazawa will represent the Japan Down Syndrome Society, a member of Down Syndrome International. She is going to give her speech along with representatives from other countries for the purpose of establishing cultural exchange and calling out to people to have a deeper understanding of Down Syndrome.

BIOGRAPHY

Calligraphy artist. Born in Tokyo in 1985. She started learning calligraphy from her mother Yasuko in 1990 when she was five years old. She held her first personal exhibition, Shoko Kanazawa: The World of Calligraphy, at Ginza Shoro Gallery in 2005, when she was twenty years old. Shoko also held personal exhibitions at several temples including Kenchoji temple in Kamakura, Kenninji temple in Kyoto and Todaiji temple in Nara. Shoko's works include the title calligraphy of a historical TV drama series, “Taira no Kiyomori”, broadcasted on NHK in 2012. Shoko is one of the most noted young calligraphers today.