On 8th January, 2020, One&Co hosted our very first Kakizome session, where we welcomed both members and the public to join us in writing their wishes for the new year. The turnout saw individuals from both Japan and Singapore, as well as friends from Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Turkey. It was the first time for many of our participants to have held a calligraphy brush, much less write in “kanji” (漢字), the Japanese characters.
Kakizome is a traditional Japanese New Year’s custom held in Japan on the 2nd of January each year. The words “kakizome (書初)”, literally “first writing”, is a Japanese term for the first calligraphy written at the beginning of a year. It usually contains new year resolutions or well wishes. It was also common in the past for writings to be in the form of Japanese poetry. Particularly, people wrote auspicious writings for the new year in haiku and tanka form.
The history of Kakizome dates back more than 500 years ago. In olden Japan, only members of the imperial households practiced Kakizome. This slowly changed with increasing literacy and education, particularly through private educational institutions found in Buddhist temples. Kakizome thus gained popularity as a tradition among the common people in the Edo period.
In Japanese society, the saying goes “sho ha hito nari” (書は人なり) — that the handwriting of an individual speaks volumes about his or her personality. The characters written reflects one’s emotions, sophistication, discipline, and inner spirit. There is thus a strong emphasis on beautiful handwriting, where calligraphy is a mandatory subject in primary schools. Japanese children learn not only how to write beautifully, but also the correct posture and form in which to sit, hold and maintain brushes, and write. Many thus believe that the process helps cultivate and express one’s character.
Writer: Leia TEO (One&Co)
Recommended: Japan Film Festival 2020 at One&Co
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