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| Seikai Kunii (1917 - 2009) |
1917 Seikai is born in Yamagata prefecture, Japan (he was physically born
in 1913 but his birth was officially recorded only in 1917).
1935 Graduates from Yamagata Commercial High School, is hired by Tohoku-Electric Power Co., Inc.
1937 Marries Tei Andô (and subsequently fathers two sons and a daughter).
1938 Becomes a disciple of renowned calligrapher and member of The Japan Art Academy Suiken Suzuki, until 1961.
1940 Obtains teaching qualifications for secondary school and high school from the Ministry of Education.
Leaves Yamagata prefecture for Tokyo.
1945 Automatically drafted into the Japanese Army. Returns to Yamagata prefecture after the war, and starts working
in a junior high school. Holds his first solo exhibition in a department store in Yamagata City.
1946 Founds the calligraphy association Seibokukai (within which Seikai
created the group Seishinsha with his closest students, which later became
the current Seishinsha calligraphy association). Begins teaching in high
school until 1948.
1948 Returns to Tokyo. Teaches at The University of Tokyo and becomes an administrative official at the Ministry of Education, until 1950.
1950 Becomes a licensed calligraphy teacher and starts teaching calligraphy in high school, until 1960.
1954 Exhibits at the 6th Mainichi Calligraphy Association Exhibition in
the modern poetry section of which he is a founding member, and acts as
judge.
1960 Holds a solo exhibition at "Ginza Gallery", Tokyo.
1963 Holds a solo exhibition at Shinjuku Isetan Department Store Art Gallery, Tokyo.
1967 Exhibits at the "30 contemporary calligrapher exhibition" sponsored by The Tokyo Times.
1969 Publication of "Kunii Seikai's works, I". Seikai's works enter the collection of The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
Becomes a lecturer at Kokushikan University, until 1997.
1970 Seikai's works enter the collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles. Holds a solo exhibition at Ligoa Duncan Art Galleries, New York. Holds a solo exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Holds a solo exhibition at Kabutoya Galleries, San Francisco.
1972 Holds a solo exhibition at Kitnick Gallery, Los Angeles. Holds a solo exhibition at Kabutoya Galleries, Los Angeles.
1973 Holds a solo exhibition at Serizawa Gallery, Los Angeles.
1974 Holds a solo exhibition at Azuma Gallery, New York.
1975 Holds a solo exhibition at the Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, Los Angeles.
1977 Publication of "Kunii Seikai's works, II". Holds a solo exhibition at the Ginza Mikimoto Hall, Tokyo.
Holds a solo exhibition at Shinno Gallery, Los Angeles.
1978 Begins teaching a calligraphy unit at California State University, Long Beach, for the next 10 years. Awarded a prize for his outstanding contributions in promoting the Japanese art of calligraphy by the California State Assembly.
1979 Publication of "Foundations of Contemporary Calligraphy". Awarded the Grand Prix by the calligraphy department at the École nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris.
1980 Holds a solo exhibition at the Ginza Mikimoto Hall, Tokyo.
1981 Becomes a founding member of the calligraphy association Toyo Shojin Rengo which holds annual exhibitions in : China, Korea, the US, Mexico, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Hawaii. Seikai exhibits until 2006.
1982 Holds a solo exhibition at the Ginza Mikimoto Hall, Tokyo.
1983 Retires from the Mainichi Calligraphy Association. Exhibits at the first Yomiuri Calligraphy Association Exhibition.
1984 Becomes a founding member of the Sankei International Calligraphy Association and the Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition. Promoted to vice Chairman, then voted in as Chairman of the board between 1984-2009.
1985 Publication of "Reflections on Contemporary Calligraphy".
1987 Founds "Seikai Kunii's memorial museum" in Yamagata city, as a way of spreading contemporary calligraphy.
1990 Holds a solo exhibition at Shinjuku Isetan Department Store Art Gallery, Tokyo.
1994 Publication of "Seikai, Calligrapher".
1995 Publication of "A Course in Contemporary Calligraphy by Seikai Kunii".
1996 Holds a 60 year anniversary exhibition at Shinjuku Isetan Department Store Art Museum, Tokyo, sponsored by Sankei Newspaper.
Seikai's works enter the collection of the Ministry of Education. Awarded
a prize for his contributions in promoting the diffusion of contemporary
calligraphy by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
1998 Creates the "Seikai Kunii Award", funded by a charitable public trust accredited by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, designed to support young contemporary calligraphers.
2000 Publication of "Views on Contemporary Calligraphy".
2001 Exhibits at the 18th Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition and receives the Award of the Prime Minister.
2002 Receives the Chinese Achievement in the Arts Award by the Shanghai Foreign Cultural Exchange Association.
Exhibition commemorating the 5th anniversary of the Seikai Kunii Fund held at Seikai Kunii's memorial museum" in Yamagata city.
2004 Awarded two special prizes by Yamagata City and Yamagata Prefecture, in recognition of his achievements as the pioneer of Japanese contemporary calligraphy.
2005 Publication of a retrospective of his works. Holds a 70 year anniversary exhibition at Shinjuku Asahi Seimei Gallery, Tokyo.
2006 Awarded the Order of the Rising Sun for his achievements in the Arts.
2008 Publication of "My 70 Years of Calligraphy". Rei Watanabe succeeds Seikai Kunii, her father, as head of Seishinsha.
2009 Dies on December 27th at the age of 92.
2010 Remembrance event for master Seikai Kunii held at Seiyoken, Ueno, Tokyo.
2012 Exhibition commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Seikai Kunii Fund held at the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery, Tokyo.
2015 Seikai Kunii : 100th Anniversary Retrospective in 100 works, at the Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo. The Retrospective travels to Seikai Kunii's Memorial Museum, Yamagata. Publication of "Seikai Kunii 100th Anniversary Retrospective in 100 works".
2017 Exhibition commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Seikai Kunii Award held at the Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo.
□ Collections of works
- Japan -
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Ise Grand Shrine
Ministry of Education
Yamagata Art Museum
etc...
- Abroad -
Loo gallery, Paris
Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA)
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique
National Museum of China
Great Wall of China
and many more...
□ Books
Kunii Seikai's works I & II
Foundations of Contemporary Calligraphy
Reflections on Contemporary Calligraphy
Seikai, Calligrapher
A Course in Contemporary Calligraphy by Seikai Kunii
Views on Contemporary Calligraphy
A retrospective of Seikai Kunii's works
My 70 Years of Calligraphy
Seikai Kunii - 100th Anniversary Retrospective in 100 works
□ Public awards
Award of the California State Assembly for outstanding
contributions in promoting the Japanese art of calligraphy
Grand Prix of the calligraphy department at the École
nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris
Award of the Agency for Cultural Affairs
Award of the Prime Minister
Chinese Achievement in the Arts Award, by the Shanghai
Foreign Cultural Exchange Association
Award of the Mayor of Yamagata City
Award of the Governor of Yamagata Prefecture
Order of the Rising Sun
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