Institute of East Asian Studies, Lobby

On the day of the lecture, Japanese sushi was on the table

In the lecture room, many who attended were Asian professors in California

The one-hour lecture explained the development and history of calligraphy and how to observe it

Picture of a demonstration

After the lecture, Sogen Chiba demonstrated in order to provide a keener appreciation of calligraphy

Many visitors praised the demonstration

Staff responsible for the Exhibition, from the left, Prof. Midori Mckeon, Prof. Mack Horton, Mr. Keiji Onodera, Mr, Sogen Chiba

The second American tour was held at the University of California at Berkeley, known as a premiere university in the country.  It was held at Campbell Hall in the Fulton Building and displayed the 20 works that had been shown at San Francisco State, plus an additional ten works.

In the elegant hall and lecture room a talk was offered for specialists in the field. It was followed by a sophisticated discussion that continued for some time. The guests were especially interested in the ten new works chosen for this exhibit. The title of the lecture was “The Attraction of Japanese Calligraphy.”  It was translated into English by Ms. Janice Shizue Kanemitsu, who had studied Joruri, an ancient Japanese book. The question and answer period was translated by Prof. Mack Horton very fluently from Japanese to English to Japanese.  He had studied Manyoshu, a famous Japanese poem, and the poetry of its era. He is a recognized researcher on Japan.

After the one hour lecture there was a thirty minute discussion.  In the discussion questions arose--about the color of ink and the expressive meaning of color, as well about the life time of a brush, and about the focus in viewing a work of calligraphy.

In the demonstration, Mr. Onodera wrote engraving script, cursive script and regular script, using the word “peace,” and explained the placing of the stamp, the variations of color, and the construction of the whole.  The master calligrapher Sogen Chiba followed him and wrote abstract calligraphy.  He wrote the brush stroke very slowly and heavily. Next, he used a very quick stroke with a spatter effect, explaining that this is the work of two seconds, plus fifty years. Much applause followed, as people described it as “magical.”

Finally , we extend very deep gratitude to Prof. Mack Horton and to Prof. Midori Mckeon for their cooperation and work to make the visit a success.