July 2025 miscellaneous calligraphy pieces

These are some other calligraphy pieces that I wrote in July 2025.

Using other people's homework for practice:

 

Calligraphy drafts 

  

Trash taken out in four weeks

 

June 2025 miscellaneous calligraphy pieces

 

July 2025 calligraphy "homework"

The "homework" pieces that I submitted for July 2025.

Hanshi kanji 半紙漢字: 飛泉挂碧峰

 
Single character 一字: 佩

 
Hansetsu kanji 半切漢字: 得雨草皆満 無風花自閑

Unsubmitted pieces:

 

Slight different style

June 2025 calligraphy "homework"

76th Mainichi Shodo Exhibition (第76回毎日書道展) at The National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT)

The 76th Mainichi Shodo Exhibition (第76回毎日書道展) spans two venues: The National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT) in Roppongi, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno. On display at NACT are the works by members of the Mainichi Shodo Association (including the organising committee of the Mainichi Shodo Exhibition) as well as winning works from the selected public submissions. The selected public submissions that did not win any prize or award are displayed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.

Unlike last year, this year, due to the exhibition schedule, I went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum first. 

 

Although most of the way from Roppongi Station to NACT is underground, there is that final stretch above ground, and this year, it was blazing hot. Especially since I got to NACT at noon.

 

Upon entering NACT, there were posters introducing the exhibition, plus related events. There are live calligraphy demonstrations by winners, and sessions that explain the winning works. I timed my visit this year to coincidence with one of the live calligraphy demonstrations.

The exhibition itself spans three floors, with works by the organizing committee and grand prix winners on the first floor, works by members of the Mainichi Shodo Association and the top public submissions on the second floor, and other award winners (excellence award and merit award) and association associates on the third floor (roughly). Here is a photo showing the entrance area to the exhibition halls housing the works.

My key purpose for going today was to see the live calligraphy demonstration, where three grand prix winners showed how they actually went about writing their works. It started with one of them demonstrating how carving was done, followed by the other two winners demonstrating how they write their kanji pieces.

Similar to last year, I spent close to three hours before I reached the "exit" of the exhibition hall.

And as usual, I took a photo of this shot from the third floor of NACT. This place was featured in the anime movie Your Name. by Shinkai Makoto. There were some other fans too taking photos.

Photography is allowed, but I don't know if I am allowed to post photographs of other people's works, so forgive the lack of actual works in this post. I did take some photos for my own reference.

Watching Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限城編 第一章 猗窩座再来) opened on 18 July 2025, and let's just say it took the cinemas by storm. Like, the cinemas in the area have anything from 25 to 35 screenings per day of this ONE movie, crowding out all other movies currently being screened. Most other movies have only 1 screening per day now, and mostly at weird times (for example, one cinema is showing its single screening of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved at 6:30 a.m.).

 

I have been following the anime so I thought I would try to find time to catch this movie. Problem is, even with around 30 screenings per day at every cinema in the area, most (if not all) of them sell out pretty quickly... unless you like to sit all the way up front, which is going to be very very very bad for this movie due to its many fighting scenes. But I managed to get a ticket at a reasonable distance from the screen at a reasonable time, and made my way to the cinema after my trip to Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. 

 

This is the first in a three-part movie series, and it runs for 2 hour 35 minutes. After watching it, I fully understand why it draws such a crowd. The movie needs to be enjoyed on the big screen with a powerful sound system. Most people don't have a home theatre that can provide that boom without getting complaints from their neighbours. Headphones can be an alternative, but even the best headphones lack the power that comes from what a cinema can offer. The movie takes places in Infinity Castle, and you really need the big screen to enjoy that sense of scale. For proper enjoyment of the movie, you need a large screen and powerful sound system; basically, a cinema experience.

 

In terms of pacing, there are three main fights taking place in this movie, although the main focus is on Akaza, the Upper Rank Three demon. The other two main fights involve Doma (Upper Rank Two) and Kaigaku (Upper Rank Six). The story shifts between the three main fights, which may feel distracting at first, with its many flashbacks looking at the pasts of these demons and the Demon Slayer corps members that they are fighting with. However, I think it was this "jumping around" that prevented the movie from becoming too linear. It was able to focus on one fight (and the relevant flashbacks) and then, at a suitable moment, switch to another fight to show viewers what was happening concurrently somewhere else in the Infinity Castle. The viewers can feel that the three fights were happening simultaneously, instead of one after another.

 

As for the story itself... you know the story is good when people (including me) were crying at the death of an Upper Rank demon... The English name of this series is Demon Slayer, but it might have been more correctly named as Demon Redemption. While the fights are amazing, it is the back stories that help draw viewers to this series. The demons have all done very very bad stuff, but their back stories show that they too had a very twisted and horrible past of their own, which led them to become demons. In a way, their immortality is a trap that makes them continue to live through their past sufferings for eternity, and being slain is very much putting an end to their misery as it is ending their ability to cause more suffering.

 

The Infinity Castle arc will also include fights with Kokushibo (Upper Rank One), which means the second part of the movie series will likely focus on the fights with Kokushibo and Doma. The third, finale part would then be the final face off against Muzan to conclude the entire Demon Slayer story. Given the amount of money Ufotable has made through this series (enough to be caught for evading taxes), I hope they pour a lot of resources to release the next two parts on a yearly basis: Part 2 in summer 2026, and Part 3 in summer 2027. Meanwhile, the success of Part 1 may well mean that cinemas will be screening it until Part 2 arrives. 😅

76th Mainichi Shodo Exhibition (第76回毎日書道展) at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

The 76th Mainichi Shodo Exhibition (第76回毎日書道展) spans two venues: The National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT) in Roppongi, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno. On display at NACT are the works by members of the Mainichi Shodo Association (including the organising committee of the Mainichi Shodo Exhibition) as well as winning works from the selected public submissions. The selected public submissions that did not win any prize or award are displayed at regional exhibitions, which for the Kanto area, takes place at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Starting from this year, submissions from Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui Prefectures will be subsumed under the Tokyo exhibition too.

Last year, I went to see the exhibition at NACT, then Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. This year, as the calligraphy demonstration at NACT will be on 26 July 2025, I decided to go see the pieces on display at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (from 18 to 24 July 2025) first. I had submitted a work again this year, but it was not selected. 😢 

 
The entry to the museum is at B1, and the exhibition covered all 3 floors from B1 to the 2nd floor. You enter from B1, where display area 1 is, and then make you way through the rooms/areas, then move up to the next floor, repeat the process, and then up another floor and repeat again.

 
My purpose this time was to see the works on display to get some hints on what to aim for, although the ones at NACT would be a better guide (of course, since those are the winning works). Anyway, I took some photos for future reference.

I already have a rough idea what phrase I want to write next year, but I will need to think a bit more on how to present it. Maybe even change to something else along the way. Or switch my approach. For the past two years, I selected a phrase, then worked on it for months. Maybe I should instead have a few candidate phrases, work on them in parallel, and finally spend the final month working on a "finalist"... But first, let me finish working on my pieces for Onchikai Shodo Exhibition 温知会書道展 and The New Year Exhibition of Sankei Sho International Association 産経国際書展新春展. 

 

My submission (not selected)

 

Sixth anniversary of Kyoto Animation attack

It has been six years since the arson attack on Kyoto Animation (KyoAni) 1st Studio, which resulted in 36 fatalities and 32 injured.

A monument in memory of the victims was unveiled last year at the Historical Park of Tea and Uji Town (お茶と宇治のまち歴史公園) in Uji City (Kyoto Prefecture) where Kyoto Animation is based. In view of this, like last year, there will not be any online streaming of a video in memory of the victims this year.

Photo source: 京アニ事件、伝える碑設置　宇治市の公園に―京都

Fans can visit the monument at the park anytime, but are asked not to leave any flowers or other such tokens. For fans of Hibike! Euphonium, the park is actually near Kumiko's bench. It is further up the river, on the opposite bank.

Slightly after 10:30 a.m. today, a memorial service was held at the site of the former 1st Studio. This year, 153 persons attended the event, including employees and affiliates of Kyoto Animation as well as families of the victims. Kyoto Animation's CEO Hatta Hideaki said that the company will continue to unite as one to create new works in the future. There were 36 sunflowers, one for each of the victims who passed away.

 

List of 36 victims who appeared in credit roll of Violet Evergarden the Movie

 

Translation of video for second anniversary

Translation of video for third anniverary

Translation of video for fourth anniversary

English news:

Victims of Kyoto Animation arson remembered 6 years after attack

Six years on, victims of fatal Kyoto Animation attack remembered

Kyoto Animation arson marks 6th anniv. with death penalty finalized

 

Watching Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved with cast event livestream

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved (小林さんちのメイドラゴン さみしがりやの竜) opened in Japan on 27 June 2025. But I went to catch F1 The Movie instead because there was a cast event for the Maid Dragon movie on 29 June 2025 that would be live streamed in theatres across Japan, and I thought I would catch the movie and the event together.

The movie is Kyoto Animation quality, with amazingly animated action scenes (including mass dragon fights). The story itself is very heartwarming, showing how Kobayashi-san is like a parent to Kanna-chan but, unrelated by blood, she always sees herself as "a friend who is like a parent".

 

The cast event followed the movie.

 

The cast event featured most of the voice actors of the main characters of the Maid Dragon series as well as the movie.

Tamura Mutsumi, voice of Kobayashi-san

Kuwahara Yuki, voice of Tohru

Naganawa Maria, voice of Kanna-chan

Tachiki Fumihiko, voice of Kimun Kamui (Kanna's father)

Takahashi Minami, voice of Lucoa (she also served as the MC for the event)

Ono Daisuke, voice of Fafnir

Sugiura Shiori, voice of Ilulu

Nakamura Yuichi, voice of Takiya Makoto

Kato Emiri, voice of Saikawa Riko

Ishihara Kaori, voice of Shota-kun

Director Ishihara Tatsuya also joined them on stage.

They mentioned that this was the largest group of Maid Dragon voice actors coming together for a cast event. (All the voice actors for the main characters were present, other than Takada Yuki, voice of Elma.) Due to the large number of people, it was also a very rushed event, lasting less than 30 minutes. A lot of the time was spent with the first round of introduction, followed by a bit of small talk, which then had to end because everyone had to give their message to fans to round up the event.

 

For fans of the series, I am sure this is a great movie and they will keep going back to the theatres to enjoy it. Not being a real fan, I may catch it again when it comes out on streaming platforms; maybe if I have time and they have an interesting free gift, I may watch it one more time at a theatre. 

June 2025 miscellaneous calligraphy pieces

These are some other calligraphy pieces that I wrote in June 2025.

Practising the clerical script 隶书:

 

A draft for another upcoming calligraphy exhibition:

 
Trash taken out in four weeks
(not a lot due to a slower pace of practice)

 
May 2025 miscellaneous calligraphy pieces

June 2025 calligraphy "homework"

The "homework" pieces that I submitted for June 2025.

Hanshi kanji 半紙漢字: 樹深時見鹿

 
Single character 一字: 孺

 
Hansetsu kanji 半切漢字: 柳葉鳴蜩緑暗 荷花落日紅酣

Unsubmitted pieces:

May 2025 calligraphy "homework"

F1 The Movie (2025)

I used to watch F1 races on TV back many decades ago, and recently too (including a short return when Singapore started hosting F1 races). So when I heard that there was going to be a movie about F1, it really sparked my interest. So between catching the Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid movie and the F1 movie, which both opened yesterday in Japan... I decided to catch the F1 movie and leave the anime for Sunday (when there will be a live stream in theatres for a cast event).

 

F1 The Movie was shot for IMAX, and I thought it might be a good way to enjoy it, since IMAX theatres can give better impact for the roaring sounds of engines. So I dutifully booked my ticket and made my way in the hot summer sun to the local IMAX theatre.

 

I really enjoyed the movie. In terms of plot, there isn't really anything that very special: it is about a former F1 driver who returned to F1 to guide a rookie, and in the process, find himself. The movie started in the normal cinema aspect ratio, but soon transitioned to the IMAX ratio and more or less remained that way for most of the movie. Which is really great because you get to see more of the races with the taller IMAX ratio. And feel the nice roar of the engines on IMAX sound system. 😍

 

The movie also had certain scenes which I felt were homages to Aryton Senna, referencing how Senna once stopped his machine in the middle of the track to go help another driver that had crashed. Another reference was how Senna described one of his races at Monaco, where he was "in the zone". And of course, who can forget the rivalry between Senna and his teammate Alain Prost, which resulted in a crash at Suzuka in 1989 (and another in 1990 but they were on different teams then).

 

The tricks that the main characters in the movie used to try and win races, however, are more theoretical than actually possible. I mean, it is near impossible to control the results of a collision at the high speeds in a F1 race. But it did offer an interesting story, so I guess creative liberty and entertainment value outweighs reality here.

 

In the end, I think it is an entertaining movie and gives enough information so that even those who are not F1 fans would be able to more or less understand what is going on. Film using real race machines, it gives an authentic sense of action and thrill. Any F1 fan would do well to go catch it; any fan of motorsports too. Plus those who like to drive cars.

 

Meanwhile, this is another F1 race weekend, so I know how I am going to be spending Sunday night!

 

Official movie website

 

Calligraphy pieces 自强不息

A while ago, someone asked me to write a copy of the motto of The Chinese High School (in Singapore) so that he could have a copy to frame up at home. I quickly obliged, and found that I liked the style of the words, so I wrote many more copies.

 

I used hansetsu 半切 paper size, which is around 35cm by 135cm for each piece. I adopted two compositions: the top one tries to use the full paper, while the bottom one is more spaced out like the original. 

 

Another set of similar pieces, with the top one being more compact, and the bottom trying to follow the original spacing as much as possible.

I wrote a lot more, and if anyone wants to buy them, just let me know the alphabet you prefer.

Tighter, more compact composition

 

Looser composition that is more like the original

(Don't bother looking for the letters "I" and "O", they are not used as they can be confused with the numbers "1" and "0".)