Lecture on Japanese Calligraphy Given in Paris Ahead of Deliberations on UNESCO Registration

By Hiromi Uechi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

7:00 JST, March 26, 2026

PARIS — With Japanese calligraphy set to be considered for registration as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, a lecture was held in central Paris on Monday to explain the history and cultural values of this traditional art to people affiliated with the U.N. organization.

Calligrapher Yasuko Tsuchihashi, a member of the Japan Art Academy, gave the lecture at Maison de la culture du Japon a Paris.

“The Japanese tradition is not only about keeping old things but also about merging them with new things,” said Tsuchihashi, 69, who is also a supreme advisor of The Yomiuri Shohokai calligraphy group.

Because the registration of Japanese calligraphy is set to be deliberated this year, the lecture was held by the Permanent Delegation of Japan to UNESCO as part of a Foreign Ministry enterprise. About 70 people attended, including people from UNESCO headquarters and governments of various countries.

The lecture was titled, “Shodo no Dento to Miryoku” (Tradition and appeal of Japanese calligraphy).

Tsuchihashi discussed how Japanese calligraphy developed and was influenced to some degree by Western art. Citing the famous rock garden of Ryoanji temple in Kyoto, she explained how randomly placed rocks create harmony and how the size and arrangement of characters can also change expressions in calligraphy as well.

Tsuchihashi also gave a demonstration of calligraphy at the event.

“I don’t want the tradition of writing with a brush in your hand to be lost,” Tsuchihashi said. “[UNESCO] registration is our ardent wish, and it’s also significant for the sake of preserving the tradition.”