Ai Takaoka / Calligrapher Kyoto

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JP/EN

WAY

My mother has always been the one to pave my way.
Calligraphy, koto, track and field, piano... The path I walk, the path I have walked.

In 2006, I thought, if there is no path, I will create one.
At that time, there was no one around me doing calligraphy performances, but I already had an image in my mind.

Initially, I was told that calligraphy performance was a deviation from tradition.
Influenced by my mother and grandmother, who are masters of koto and shamisen, I started using a brush at the age of two and began performing in kimono at brush performance events every year from the age of four.
Therefore, "sound" and "kimono" are essential to the calligraphy performance I envision.

Dressed in local Tango chirimen kimono, I create my unique calligraphy performance, which is not a copy of anyone else’s, accompanied by sound.
I already had the image of my current performance in my mind.

However, because there was no precedent, no one paid attention to me, and there was nowhere to showcase my work.
In such circumstances, it was a friend, the president of a car dealership, who provided me with the opportunity to perform.
This friend encouraged me to do a calligraphy performance.
I expressed my desire to write on a car, and he suggested that if we were going to do it, I should write on the most expensive car.

In fact, it was my mother who introduced me to this friend by giving him my business card, which she had kept in her wallet.
Everything always starts with my mother. She supports my path.

I have not lived a life without challenges.
My mother, who understands my sensitivity and how difficult this world can feel for me, always tells me,
"As long as you are yourself and happy, that is what matters."
She quietly and strongly encourages me, always being on my side, loving and watching over me no matter what happens.

Despite facing difficulties and hitting walls repeatedly, I have continued to move forward without giving up.
From now on, I want to face myself and keep progressing in my own way, no matter what path it may be.
I will not stop walking because everything connects to my path.
A path that only I can create.
The path I am currently on.
The path I will take in the future.
The path I am struggling with.
All of it is my path.

I am who I am today thanks to my mother.
I am truly grateful.
I want to create an incredible path while absorbing various lessons from my mother.

Time passes in the blink of an eye.
There is no time for hesitation.
I will cherish every minute and second as I carefully build my path.

Work Data

Production year2024
Materials/Specificationshanging scroll, calligraphy paper
Size900×900mm
Calligraphy stylewriting brush
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