Many will stop at the entrance mural before reaching this piece. In truth, the mural itself is made from the same ash-colored granite as the burial mounds of old Asuka, the land where Nara’s story began. Time brought change, the capital shifted from Kyoto to Nara which then became the center of it all. The culture known as “Tenpyo culture” bloomed within that turbulent era through Buddhism. Calligraphy represented that cultural milieu, as people eschewed writing and painting on wood, in favor of paper. Thus, the Tenpyo culture and Calligraphy are inseparable.

Our story had already begun by the time you walked through the entrance. We invite you to experience Nara’s Tenpyo culture through the various artifacts inside the hotel, including the art pieces in each room. The hotel’s commitment to the art is relentless, turning the walls themselves into a washi canvas. They asked calligraphers to scribe what they felt in each room right on the wall with the aim of connecting and empathizing with the guests that would stay in said rooms. This intention goes beyond the walls of the hotel–when you visit Nara, slow down and take a look at your surroundings. You may capture, in your own unique way, the breath of an era long gone: the very reason Nara was once the capital of Japan.

Your journey begins with the “Tenpyo” calligraphy here at the Hotel Tenpyo Naramachi. The long stroke running through the center of the “hyo” character seems desperate as if the artist almost broke the brush in the scribing. At the end of your journey, how will your perception of this calligraphy evolve?