Entertainment · Books & Arts · 4 hrs ago
Calligrapher says commercial lettering can be harder than art
Calligrapher Kuyo Ishikawa says commercial lettering can be harder than art because it must meet several demands at once.
He has taken on paid lettering work since becoming an independent artist, including signs for local shops and calendar titles.
A soba shop’s menu board is one of the hardest jobs, he says, because it must feel rooted in tradition while remaining easy to read and appealing.
The work must also meet a client’s wishes and bear his own artistic mark.
Ishikawa says he struggled with the brushwork for the Japanese character “う” for the historical drama Berabou.
His account shows how practical lettering can require more than artistic skill.
This is the second part of a three-part interview, with another installment to come.
Calligrapher Kyuyō Ishikawa says commercial lettering can be much harder than making pure works of art.
He says it must meet a client’s wishes while also bearing the distinctive mark of his own calligraphy.
A soba restaurant’s menu sign is especially difficult, he says, because it must convey tradition, remain easy to read and make customers want to order.
After leaving his company, Ishikawa took commercial commissions, including packaging for a local confectionery shop and calendar titles.
- Who
- Calligrapher Kyuyō Ishikawa.
- What
- He says commercial calligraphy can be harder than pure artistic work.
- When
- Published on October 24, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- Commercial lettering must satisfy client requests, convey the right character and remain recognizably his work.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Ishikawa took commissions including packaging for a local confectionery shop and calendar titles.
He has made commercial lettering alongside work pursuing his artistic interests.
- Calligrapher
- Kyuyō Ishikawa
- Publication date
- October 24, 2026
- Difficult commission
- Soba restaurant menu sign
- Early commercial work
- Local confectionery packaging and calendar titles
What people are saying
The menu sign at a soba restaurant is the most difficult.
Commercial works are far more difficult than pure works of art.