Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School Calligraphy Club - A community-based commercial high school that conveys the "power of characters" through calligraphy performances and social contribution activities.

What comes to mind when you hear "calligraphy club"?

You might have the impression of quietly writing.

Unlike "shuuji" (penmanship), calligraphy is said to be an art that expresses kanji and kana characters artistically using a brush and ink.

• Calligraphy performance
• Social contribution activities through calligraphy, "Kurasho Project"

The Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School (commonly known as Kurasho) calligraphy club is focusing on these activities.

It is a top-class competitive school in the nation, and in the 2019 fiscal year, it won the championship in the 28th International High School Selection Calligraphy Exhibition (Calligraphy Koshien) in the Chugoku region.

Since the school's baseball club had decided to participate in the 92nd Selected High School Baseball Tournament, they are the third school in history to create their own placard.

However, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the selected high school baseball tournament was also canceled, and calligraphy performances could not be held...

This article introduces the activities of the Kurashiki Commercial High School calligraphy club and the thoughts of the calligraphy club students who graduated on March 1, 2021, after three years.

What is the Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School Calligraphy Club?

The Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School (hereafter, Kurasho) calligraphy club aims for the motto "Calligraphy is the person" and engages in activities through club activities so that each individual can grow and have a fulfilling high school life.

As of March 2021, the number of club members is 43 (16 first-year students, 16 second-year students, 11 third-year students).

• International High School Selection Calligraphy Exhibition (Calligraphy Koshien)
• AEON Mall Cup High School Calligraphy Performance Grand Prix
• Social contribution activities through calligraphy, "Kurasho Project"

They engage in various activities related to calligraphy.

Calligraphy | Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School

Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School | Kurashiki Commercial Senior High School

Many achievements! A top-class competitive school in the nation

When you hear "calligraphy," some may have a dull impression, but the activities of the Kurasho calligraphy club are diverse, and they have achieved good results in all of them.

In fact, it is a top-class competitive school in the nation.

The results for the 2020 fiscal year are as follows.

If you are interested in the results from the 2016 fiscal year to the 2019 fiscal year, please take a look.

Calligraphy of the School Placard at the 92nd Selected High School Baseball Tournament

In the 2019 fiscal year, we won the Chugoku Region Championship at the 28th International High School Selected Calligraphy Exhibition (Calligraphy Koshien).

Additionally, Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School is well-known for its baseball team, and since they had decided to participate in the 92nd Selected High School Baseball Tournament, they created their own school placard, becoming the third school in history to do so.

However, the Selected High School Baseball Tournament, which was scheduled to be held on March 19, 2020, was canceled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, and the placard was never displayed at Koshien.

An episode regarding the calligraphy of the school placard will be introduced in an interview later in the article.

Main Activities of the Kurashiki Calligraphy Club

The Kurashiki Calligraphy Club not only participates in competitions but also engages in a wide range of community-based activities.

The main activities are as follows:

• Calligraphy Performance
• Kurashiki Project

Here is a brief introduction to each.

Calligraphy Performance

When I think of "calligraphy," I have a quiet image in my mind.

The calligraphy performance completely changed that image. It has the following characteristics:

• Multiple people create one work together
• Created in time with music
• There is also an aspect of "showing" performance, such as dance

A representative work is "Prayer," themed on the recovery of Mabi-cho, which was affected by the heavy rain in July 2018.

At the 5th Aeon Mall Cup High School Calligraphy Performance Grand Prix Chugoku-Shikoku Tournament Final Tournament, we won the runner-up award and moved the audience.

However, in 2020, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, calligraphy performance competitions were canceled across the board.

As a result, the students of the Kurashiki Calligraphy Club have been unable to perform even in practice since January 2020.

Kurashiki Project

Triggered by the heavy rain disaster in July 2018, we are engaged in recovery activities and message dissemination through calligraphy, referred to as the "Kurashiki Project."

The main works are a trilogy displayed for three consecutive years at the Kurashiki Station Underground Art Gallery: "Living in the Now," "Towards Tomorrow," and "Wishes."

▼ Living in the Now (2018)

▼Towards Tomorrow (2019)

▼Wishes (2020)

With a brilliant track record, the Kurashiki Commercial High School Calligraphy Club is actively engaged in social contribution activities rooted in the community.

However, in the 2020 academic year, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, external activities such as calligraphy performances, as well as many restrictions on "club activities," were imposed.

In such circumstances, we interviewed 11 third-year students of the calligraphy club and their advisor, Junko Kajitani, on February 27, 2021, just before graduation, to reflect on their three years of activities and share their current thoughts.

Interview with 11 Third-Year Students of the Kurashiki Commercial High School Calligraphy Club and Advisor Junko Kajitani

To start the interview, we asked why they joined the calligraphy club.

Surprisingly, there were zero students who said they aimed to join the Kurashiki Calligraphy Club.

Most of them joined because they happened to find the calligraphy club at Kurashiki Commercial High School or joined with friends.

Some students had experience in calligraphy before high school, but there were also those who started in high school, and they ran through three years together as a group of 11.

Activities During the Pandemic

The Kurashiki Calligraphy Club is one of the top schools in the nation, and it seems that the 11 members graduating this time are the remaining members.

Kajitani

Actually, no one quit. We have been together as this group of 11 for three years without any changes.

If we had held auditions within the club and brought in more skilled members, we might have become a stronger team. However, we were committed to doing it with these 11 people.

Is there a reason for sticking to 11 members?

Kajitani

I think it’s because it’s important to create something as one unit, rather than focusing on skill level.

If we had swapped team members, there might have been dropouts.

We have continuously challenged them with the task of "create something with these 11 people" since they were first-year students.

I believe there were many frustrations due to the pandemic, such as the cancellation of the High School Calligraphy Performance Grand Prix, which led to activities being different from previous years.
In such circumstances, could you share the most memorable episode?

Third-Year Calligraphy Club Member

We were preparing for a performance competition, but it was canceled, and we couldn't do it, which was frustrating.

In the end, we didn't get to perform even once during our third year. January 2020 was the last time.

We often received guidance from seniors for performances, but since the competition itself was canceled and external people were not allowed into the school, we couldn't do anything at all...

As a result, we hardly interacted with our juniors, especially the first-year students.

In December 2020, we had an opportunity to teach them how to perform, but that was the first time we really talked to them.

Instead, we focused on individual works and managed to win awards in that area, trying to do our best elsewhere.

Although you couldn't practice for performances, did individual activities increase?

Third-Year Calligraphy Club Member

No, not really. In fact, it was probably less...

It depended on the timing, but the club activity time was limited to "2 hours," for example.

Activities of the "Kurashiki Project"

When the "Heavy Rain in July 2018" disaster occurred during your first year, did you feel anything when you saw the seniors working on the production of "Living in the Now"?
After that, you have been active with "disaster recovery support" as a keyword for three years. Do you have any memorable episodes related to that?

Third-Year Calligraphy Club Member

When it comes to disaster support, I had the image of going to the disaster site and doing something.

However, seeing the seniors engage in indirect volunteer activities like writing and exhibiting made me realize that there are people who were encouraged by that, and I learned that "there are ways to do it like this."

I received a letter from someone who actually saw the "Prayer" performance, and I learned that "by engaging in our activities, our feelings are conveyed, and those who see it become energized."

"There were tough times, but let's not just think about that and move forward."

I realized that the power to convey a message is in the written word, and since then, I have wanted to convey the "power of words" through my activities.

What was challenging for you?

3rd Year Student of the Calligraphy Club

The "Prayer" performance was really tough.

How do you decide on the flow of the performance?

3rd Year Student of the Calligraphy Club

1. Decide on a theme
2. Decide on the characters
3. Choose the music
4. Decide on the people
5. Decide on the movements

That's the flow. We discuss and decide together, including our advisor.

Usually, the Okayama Prefectural preliminaries are held around October, so we decide on the content during summer vacation and practice. If we make it to the finals, we continue to refine it until around January of the following year.

Kajiya

I'm not a professional performer, so I do share my opinions, but I think we decide together.

About the Calligraphy for the School Banner at the Selected High School Baseball Championship

Please share any episodes regarding being the third school in history to write the school banner.

3rd Year Student of the Calligraphy Club

I'm not good at standing out, so I don't think I'm the type to raise my hand.

However, the baseball team achieved great results, and we also made our mark, so it was a rare opportunity to be able to write our school banner because everyone worked hard.

I was able to write for three schools, but I thought, "I will write for Kurashiki Commercial," and I dedicated myself to it.

I took pride in writing "powerful characters" and thought it would be great if it could be seen on TV, so I worked hard.

Where is that banner now?

3rd Year Student of the Calligraphy Club

I don't know. Maybe at the Mainichi Shimbun?

It seems that it was not something that would be returned, but rather something that would be seen on TV and then end there.

What You Gained from Three Years in the Calligraphy Club

You experienced a disaster in your first year and the COVID-19 pandemic in your third year.
It must have been a challenging three years, but did you gain anything from the Calligraphy Club, or learn something?

• I became mentally stronger. In my first year, I don't think I could have even answered an interview like this (laughs).
• I feel that I developed the ability to speak in front of people and explain things.
• When I went for an interview for entrance exams, I felt that my "posture," such as hand positioning and bowing, was put to good use. When I practiced for the interview with a teacher from Kurashiki Commercial, I received compliments!
• I have a younger sister, and while I liked taking care of her, I had a sense of not wanting to rely on others, feeling embarrassed.
  Since joining the Calligraphy Club, I had many things I didn't understand or couldn't do, so I learned to ask for help and rely on those around me.
• When I'm alone, I tend to want to give up, but since performances are done together, I felt, "I can do my best because everyone is here," and that gave me confidence.

Will you continue with calligraphy after advancing to higher education or employment? How do you want to engage with calligraphy in the future?

3rd Year Student of the Calligraphy Club

I won't! (laughs)

I don't know how the COVID-19 situation will develop in the future, but since our seniors came to school to guide us, I hope we can teach our juniors about the performances we did.

Especially about "the difficulty of summarizing" and "how to give instructions," which were things I struggled with a lot.

I think the juniors will definitely struggle with things they haven't experienced, so I want to pass that on to them.

I really wanted to pass that on...

Is there anything you would like to convey to those interested in the Calligraphy Club?

3rd Year Student of the Calligraphy Club

I think there is a strong image that the Calligraphy Club is active to improve handwriting.

Of course, you will improve your writing. However, more than that, I realized through three years of activities that it is a club where you can grow as a person, so please give it a try!

In Conclusion

I first learned about the Kurashiki Commercial High School Calligraphy Club when I was active at the Kurashiki City Disaster Volunteer Center after the July 2018 heavy rain disaster.

At that time (from July to October 2018), the disaster volunteer center was located in the gymnasium of the National Institute of Technology, Kurashiki College, and I remember visiting one day in September 2018 and seeing a huge piece of work displayed on the stage.

I was delighted to learn that "high school students are also working hard for the local community," and I remember feeling empowered.

Everyone who saw "Living in the Present" was smiling. I also believe that "the power of words" is indeed real.

With the students who have seen all three parts of "Living in the Present," "Towards Tomorrow," and "Wishes" graduating, the "Kurasho Project" as a reconstruction support activity may come to a close.

However, the "power of words" to convey messages gained through this activity will surely be passed on to the graduates and the juniors.

We will continue to pay attention to the future activities of the Kurashiki Commercial High School Calligraphy Club.

Important Aspects of the Kurashiki Commercial High School Calligraphy Club: Messages to Juniors

This interview was conducted on February 27, 2021, just before the graduation ceremony.

We asked 11 third-year students who are graduating about the important things they learned in the calligraphy club and the messages they want to convey to their juniors, and we will publish all of their responses.

• I used to imagine that calligraphy was something done alone until I joined the calligraphy club. However, that way, you can't see what's around you, and you don't develop cooperation, so I valued having a broad perspective in the activities of the calligraphy club.
• Winning awards and competitions is important, so I hope you continue to work hard, but I also want you to engage in activities like the "Kurasho Project," where something can be conveyed to others through characters, not just focusing on your own achievements.
• I think it's important to know that you have friends. By discussing and working together on performances and individual pieces, we were able to create something good, so it was a club where I learned the importance of having companions.
• When I became the leader of a performance, I tried to do everything myself. However, at one point, when I listened to the opinions of those around me, they gave me good advice, and I realized the importance of communication, so I hope you will be conscious of that in your activities.
• While individual ability is important, I believe that working together as club members to create performances and other works is the most important thing.
• When I mentioned "Kurasho's calligraphy club," there were people from outside the prefecture who knew about it. I think it's a club that conveys the efforts we've made.
• We are the ones writing the characters, but we can only do our activities with the help of teachers who give us advice, knowledgeable peers who teach us about performances, and cooperation from seniors and juniors. It's something we can't do alone, so I hope you value your connections with others.
• Since we thought of the performance from scratch and created it while exchanging opinions, I believe teamwork is essential.
• While it's important to "clear the regrets of our seniors," it's also important to support each other as a team, and above all, I think it's essential that we can enjoy our activities.
• Performances cannot be done alone, but because everyone was there, I felt motivated to "do my best." Even when faced with difficulties, I realized that it's important to see things through to the end together.
• I believe that expressing gratitude is important. Many people lent their strength to create a single performance. Teachers who provided various advice on writing, seniors who taught us and rushed to the performance, juniors who filmed and supported us, and above all, the 10 companions who worked hard together with me—I am grateful for all of them, even though it tends to be taken for granted.

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