Kason Sugioka’s calligraphy is described as “three-dimensional”-- but what does that mean? Pick any one of his works, and look closely at the shades in the characters. The foreground is painted with thick India ink, and the background is rendered with more diluted ink. These shades are what give the characters their sense of depth and strength. Strength as in, the strength of will, the loudness of voice…or maybe they represent how blurry your senses become when you’re drunk. Try viewing this piece in this “three-dimensional” manner and see how the image adapts to your state of being.

There’s one more thing. Pay attention to the blank spaces in the piece. It’s easy to forget that calligraphy is a monochromatic artform. Following the trail of characters is only half of the experience. What do those spaces show? That train of thought maybe a hint to appreciating calligraphy. For instance, the “moon” or 月 character appears to float lightly, invoking a moonlit night scene. Or perhaps the series of bold characters may look like a rugged mountain range or the ebb and flow of a great river.

Calligraphy originated in China, but Japan modernized it and made it their own by creating “Kana calligraphy” or calligraphy that uses all three Japanese writing systems, Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. The use of blank space to create three-dimensionality is also a Japan-exclusive technique that Kason Sugioka polished. To learn more about the extent to which he advanced the art, we invite you to inquire at the museum.