Japanese calligrapher derives poetry from the hearts of the people of Vladivostok
Yamamoto Ryoji, a Japanese street artist, said he wrote poetry guided by his impression of a person’s gaze. On Thursday, Vladivostok’s Eighth Biennale of Visual Arts witnessed the artist’s master-class, during which he wrote several impromptu poems reading people’s souls.
This unusual performance took place at the Primorsky Krai Youth Theatre. Yamamoto showed how to wield a calligraphic brush and even painted a large character meaning “Freedom” on request in a most frivolous manner, disregarding the strict Japanese calligraphy canon. The artist admitted his hobby was to paint hieroglyphs that would reflect a personality. However, thorough personal acquaintance is not obligatory, for Yamamoto looks “straight into the soul” of his interlocutor at first glance and drafts a poem instantly.
“I’ve never studied psychology, I just write according to my first impression of the look in their eyes. What I see in their eyes, I immediately put to paper,” Yamamoto explained.
During the master-class, the calligrapher wrote several poems about the citizens of Vladivostok and remarked that they were “too personal”, not for public citation.
Yamamoto Ryoji was born in the Nara Prefecture in 1987. At the age of 24, he moved to Tokyo where he changed several jobs. Soon he got tired of being hired and fired and decided to lead the free life of a self-employed man. Since 2010, he has started appearing in the streets with a banner that read, “I look into your eyes and write poetry, it’s like an echo.”
Japanese calligrapher derives poetry from the hearts of the people of VladivostokSource: ria.ru