Experienced calligraphy masterclass with Keisho Nishina

This class for more experienced calligraphers will focus on the quality of the line, balance, composition and the expressive use of space.

Participants will choose a favourite Zen phrase (typically between two and five characters) and create a complete calligraphy work that expresses both the meaning of the words and their own inner spirit.

Alongside practical instruction, I will also introduce the role that calligraphy has played throughout the history of Zen and Japanese culture. For me, the most important goal is not to write beautifully – it is to put one’s whole life into a single brushstroke. Each stroke can be made only once and never be repeated. That is why every brushstroke is the embodiment of this very moment.

My hope is that this workshop will offer an opportunity to become still, to calm the mind and to encounter your true self through the practice of calligraphy.

Calligraphy is not simply the technique of writing beautiful characters. In Zen, there is a saying: “The brush reveals the person.” Every brushstroke reflects the writer’s mind, breath, and way of being.

For Zen monks, calligraphy was a means of expressing their spiritual state at the very moment they wrote. Such works are known as bokuseki (Zen calligraphy), treasured not only for their artistic beauty but also as direct expressions of the writer’s awakened mind.

The moment we take up the brush, we leave behind both the past and the future, and place our whole attention on this present moment.

By letting go of attachment and distraction, and quietly facing ourselves, each brushstroke becomes a natural expression of our true state of mind. One stroke follows another until they come together as a single work of calligraphy.