VOL.208 OCTOBER 2025
KAWAII CULTURE FROM JAPAN [Discovering Japan Through the Eyes of Japanese Influencers] Shodo Performance — A World of Vibrant Brushstrokes

The winners of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award at the 18th (2025) Shodo Performance Koshien 
Photo: Shikokuchuo City

AOYAGI Bisen is a calligrapher and performing artist. In this month’s issue, she speaks of the appeal of shodo performance.

Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) performance is a comprehensive art form where the performer writes characters on the large sheets of paper, in sync with music. Unlike traditional shodo, which is completed in quiet concentration, the major appeal of this art form is its “live” nature — the emotional experience shared with the audience.

The culture of kigo¹ has existed since ancient times. According to the legend in China, the 7th-century calligrapher Zhang Xu would write characters with his hair while drunk. Meanwhile, in Japan, historical records show that Kukai² also performed calligraphy in public. However, this cultural form has only recently gained widespread recognition as shodo performance. In 2008, the shodo club of Ehime Prefectural Mishima High School gained nationwide attention through a performance at a local event they joined with the aim of revitalizing their “Paper Town.” (Shikokuchuo City, where Mishima High School is located, is home to one of Japan’s largest paper mills).

Later, the Shodo Performance Koshien was founded in Shikokuchuo City, Ehime Prefecture, establishing itself as Japan’s largest official shodo performance competition. Under the rules, contestants must complete a work on a large 4m-tall, 6m-wide sheet of paper in six minutes or less. Each year, over 100 high schools nationwide enter, and the winning school receives the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award. The audience attendance exceeded 5,000 people, and one of its features is that anyone can watch for free.

High school students performing on stage choose a theme word together with their peers, and they repeatedly refine the emotions and composition they put into their work. These great and powerful creations, combining calligraphy and performance to radiate the very brilliance of youth, deeply move for the audience. The true appeal lies in how even those who have never studied shodo are deeply moved by the sheer power and dynamic energy of the performances.

In recent years, shodo performance workshops and demonstrations have been carried out all over Japan, and they are now popular cultural experiences for visitors from overseas. Taking a brush in hand and drawing lines with the scent of ink in the air, is a precious experience that allows one to feel the power of calligraphy, a power that transcends words. Through these opportunities, interests in Japanese culture as a whole continues to grow. I myself have been fortunate to gain more opportunities to share the appeal of shodo performance, mostly through activities in over 10 countries, including cultural exchange at embassies and the Japan Foundation, and in educational settings.

Shodo performance is a unique art created on a single, one-time only stage. Its power and emotion transcend words to leave an imprint on your heart. On your visit to Japan, I encourage you to experience such a moment for yourself.

AOYAGI Bisen
Calligrapher and artist. Began calligraphy study at the age of four. AOYAGI has presented shodo performances in more than 10 countries worldwide. She was the opening act at the Final of the Emperor’s Cup JFA 99th Japan Football Championship at Japan National Stadium in 2020, performing in front of 58,000 spectators. In addition to kigo¹ at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mount Koya, she has created numerous calligraphy works and calligraphy titles for artistic works, including CAPCOM’s Monster Hunter Rise; Dororo, a TV anime series based on TEZUKA Osamu’s manga; World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025; as well as works for the VIP room at Japan National Stadium. AOYAGI has also appeared on media programs such as TBS’s Jounetsu-Tairiku (“A Continent of Passion”) and NHK E-TV’s Nihongo de Asobo (“Play with Japanese.”)

• 1. Writing characters or drawing pictures using a brush. Writing in front of many people is also called sekijo kigo (“writing on-the-spot”).
• 2. Kukai (774-835) was a Japanese monk who trained in Tang dynasty China (present-day China) and then founded the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism in the early 9th century. He was also renowned for his calligraphy and poetry and is often referred to as Kobo Daishi (‘Great Teacher of Buddhist Law’).

By AOYAGI Bisen
Photo: Atelier BISEN; Shikokuchuo City