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News!!

Seishinsha Contemporary Calligraphy Exhibition
The Ueno Royal Museum April 15 - 19, 2026
10:00 - 17:00 (Closed at 14:00 on the final day)

Organiser : Seishinsha / Rei Watanabe
Supported by The Sankei Shimbun, Sankei International Calligraphy Association, The Ueno Royal Museum, and Japan Shodo Culture Association

Seishinsha Calligraphy Association was founded in 1946 by Seikai Kunii.

Demonstration by Rei Watanabe. Rei Watanabe, recipient of the Prince Takamodo Award 2019

Calligraphy classes

Calligraphy classes are taught directly by Rei Watanabe. Students submit monthly assignments, and are also encouraged to participate to exhibitions every year. Teacher qualifications available.

■Entrance fee 5,000¥ (one time)

■Classes at the studio

Kanji and kana course
Every third Saturday of the month :
15:00-16:00

Monthly tuition fee : 4,000¥
Yearly teaching material : 8,500¥ (12 issues of our monthly manual "Seishin")

Creative course (70x70cm / big format piece)
Every third Sunday of the month (Online lesson):
14:00-16:00

Monthly tuition fee : 4,000¥
Yearly teaching material : 8,500¥ (12 issues of our monthly manual "Seishin")


■Correspondence course

◇ For students living in Japan :
We do two corrections per month. We send back the first one with the stamped enveloppe provided by the student, and we do the final marking on the last version sent by the student.

◇ For students living abroad :
We do two corrections per month. The student sends us a picture of the assignment by email, we send back a correction and we do the final marking on the last version sent by the student.

Kanji and kana course
Monthly tuition fee : 3,000¥
Yearly teaching material : 8,500¥ (12 issues of our monthly manual "Seishin")

Creative course (ie big format piece)
Monthly tuition fee : 3,000¥
Yearly teaching material : 8,500¥ (12 issues of our monthly manual "Seishin")

SEISHINSHA

Founded by Japanese contemporary calligraphy pioneer Seikai Kunii in 1946, Seishinsha's mission is to research, develop and spread the principles of contemporary calligraphy.Today, spanning three generations and more than 70 years, Seishinsha is led by Rei Watanabe, Kunii's daughter, alongside her own daughter, Maiko Watanabe. Contemporary calligraphy blends classical teaching with modern sensibility in an attempt to express what it means and how it feels to live in modern days.

Seikai Kunii(1917-2009)
Famously known as the pioneer of Japanese contemporary calligraphy, he held annual exhibitions in the 1970s and brought his works to galleries in New York, Los Angeles, or Paris to help democratize and promote contemporary calligraphy while relentlessly attempting to encapsulate the spirit of his time in his work. A number of his pieces are now in various collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA), the Ministry of Education in Japan, or the Ise Grand Shrine.

Rei Watanabe (1948-)
Literary graduate, Rei Watanabe learns calligraphy with her father from age 6, succeeds Kunii in 2008 as president of Seishinsha, and is chairman of the board at the Sankei International Calligraphy Association. She continually pushes the boundaries of calligraphy with new materials and daring pieces. She has more than 60 years of calligraphy experience.

Maiko Watanabe(1975-)
Industrial arts and industrial design graduate, Maiko Watanabe starts learning calligraphy at age 5 with her grand-father and her mother. After 10 years spent in Milan as product designer of lighting equipment (she created her own agency M+K DESIGN) while continuously taking part in calligraphy exhibitions, she comes back to Tokyo in 2010 to manage public relations at Seishinsha and becomes director in 2016, as a third generation calligrapher.

The Seikai Kunii Award

Accredited by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, a charitable public trust was created to honour and support young contemporary calligraphers whose talent helps bring their field to the next era, in order to promote the diffusion of contemporary calligraphy and to contribute to the development of the Japanese culture. As of 2019, the award had 64 recipients whose excellence was publicly recognized.

Seikai Kunii Contemporary Calligraphy Memorial Museum

2-7-41 Kiyozumimachi Yamagata-shi, Yamagata 990-0834
Tel : + 81-23-644-1738
Adult 300 yen / High school and University student 200 yen / Elementary and Junior high school student 100 yen
Saturday-Sunday 10:00 - 16:00

Seishinsha Access

4-28-4 Yamatocho Nakano-ku Tokyo 165-0034

Email : info@seishin-sha.co.jp

Access by train : Chuo line or Sobu line to Koenji station, then a 18mn walk from the stationSeibu Shinjuku line to Saginomiya station, then a 15mn walk from the stationSeibu Shinjuku line to Toritsukasei station, then a 13mn walk from the station

Access by bus :"oisenomori" bus stop on the Kanto bus line between Asagaya and Nakano, then a 6mn walk from the bus stop

We have 2 parking spaces for cars.