Japanesque Lab., LTD.
Our Story
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OUR STORY
Calligrapher Tsujii Keiun
辻井京雲
Let us introduce Keiun Tsujii, the father of our representative, Tatsuki Tsujii. Keiun was a renowned contemporary calligrapher in Japan who had a strong desire to share this art form with the world. Here is a brief overview of Tsujii Keiun:
Japanese calligraphy artist
Academic researcher of Japanese Letters
Keiun Tsujii
辻井京雲
Born in 1944 in Hokkaido, Japan, Tsujii Keiun received specialized calligraphy education at Hokkaido University of Education (currently Hokkaido University). During his student years, he consistently participated in renowned calligraphy exhibitions in Japan. He received top awards in multiple exhibitions during his twenties, gaining recognition in the calligraphy community. In 1975, he became a calligraphy instructor at Hokkaido University of Education, where he dedicated himself to specialized calligraphy education until his retirement. He also served as a judge and officer in various calligraphy exhibitions, contributing to the development of the calligraphy community and the nurturing of calligraphy artists. Tsujii Keiun received the Sapporo Arts Award in 2003 and the Hokkaido Culture Award in 2017.
Overseas Activities
Keiun tsujii conducted activities related to calligraphy in Europe, North America, China, South America, and other countries. Besides participating in exhibitions in various countries, he taught "Japanese calligraphy" at the University of London and the University of Oxford in 1989-1990. From 1982 to 2015, he either exhibited or organized exhibitions in cities such as London, Paris, Munich, Vienna, Berlin, Edmonton, Stockholm, Hanoi, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Beijing, Luoyang, and others worldwide.
His works have been displayed or collected:
The Guimet Museum of Asian Arts (France), the University of London (UK), the University of Calgary (Canada), the Japan Festival Office (UK), and the Port Museum of Ruan City (China).
A class of Japanese calligraphy in Oxford University
Gallery "Bokkyo"
In his hometown of Amuracho, Hokkaido, the Tsujii Keiun Gallery, managed by the town, is in operation.
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OUR STORY
Business Concept and Founding Aspirations
The concept originated from contemporary calligrapher Keiun Tsujii (1944-2019).
Keiun Tsujii, one of Japan's leading contemporary calligraphy artists, envisioned utilizing information technology to disseminate his own and his peers' artistically excellent works to the world. He believed that the art form, including calligraphy, should gain recognition as a form of art by leveraging digital technology. However, before he could realize this vision, Tsujii Keiun passed away in 2019.
Artist: Keiun Tsujii
Folding screen
“Sun Moon Rain Cloud”
Within the realm of calligraphy, there is a field called "artistic calligraphy" that pursues the artistic aspects of works. There are an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 individuals who wholeheartedly devote themselves to this field, continuously learning and researching from classical works both domestically and internationally. They participate in large-scale domestic competitions every year, accumulating a history of award-winning achievements spanning many years or decades. The works produced by the top calligraphers (approximately 100 to 200 individuals) in this field represent "contemporary art" on a global scale.
Additionally, there are numerous young artists (in their 30s to 50s) who will carry on the tradition. However, due to the difficulty of "discerning artistic quality," this field is rarely recognized by anyone beyond the players in the calligraphy community, limited art-related individuals, or collectors.
Artist: Keiun Tsujii
Must I write? Dig deep into yourself for a true answer. And if it should ring its assent, if you can confidently meet this serious question with a simple, "I must," then build your life upon it.
Quote from: Rainer Maria Rilke's word
H24cm x W32cm
This situation reminds us of ukiyo-e prints, which were considered mere packing materials or items without value when they were exported overseas in the 19th century. Similar to how ukiyo-e gained value as it crossed the sea, we aspire to achieve the renaissance of Japan's unknown culture in the 21st century by disseminating it across the world. That is our vision.
Although Keiun has passed away, his vision of using information technology to spread art to the world and to question the true value of Japanese culture, including calligraphy, lives on. Our immediate mission is to explore and materialize this vision.
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OUR STORY
Company Establishment
Our company was established on May 19, 2023, with the hope of inheriting and realizing Keiun Tsujii's vision. We aim to promote the charm of "calligraphy" primarily to an international audience and enhance global recognition of "calligraphy" and "SHO." Additionally, we will also disseminate the appeal of the Japanese language and kanji, which are inherently intertwined with calligraphy.
Artist: Keiun Tsujii and Tatsuki Tsujii (2017.1)
Tatsuki Tsujii, our representative, was born as the eldest son of Keiun. However, until he reached his 40s, Tatsuki enjoyed a career in the business world without pursuing calligraphy. He became known as "the one who did not succeed the family tradition" in the world of calligraphy, which often follows a hereditary system. It was not until he turned 39 that Tsujii Ju finally became a disciple of his father, Tsujii Keiun, and began his training in calligraphy. As the representative, Tsujii Ju himself is earnestly engaged in calligraphy, striving to create a space where the late Tsujii Keiun, the current calligraphy masters, and the young calligraphy artists who are diligently pursuing their training can shine to the fullest. We strongly believe in building a business to accomplish this goal.