Explore the unique aesthetics of Japanese calligraphy at the Naritasan Museum of Calligraphy.

There is surprising breadth when it comes to Japanese calligraphy, in part because there are so many different ways of writing in Japan; Chinese characters called kanji, the syllabic alphabets of hiragana and katakana, as well as roman script. It is an incredible form of expression that can encompass a wide range of styles—from pieces created in traditional styles, meant to complement traditional Japanese décor, to modern variations that embody more western aesthetics. Through some 1,300 years of history, calligraphy has been an art capable of depicting the changing character of the people of Japan, and is still adored to this day.

The Naritasan Museum of Calligraphy is home to a collection of more than 6,000 individual works, including pieces by famous artists and ascetics, educators, politicians, and members of the Japanese literati. Some notable pieces on display include the works of Yasunari Kawabata, the novelist and short-story writer and the first Japanese to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968; Konoe Nobutada, calligrapher and poet of the Momoyama Period (1568-1600); and the prolific 20th-century artist Aoyama Sanu, whose forte was calligraphy.