Arabic Calligrapher Honda Kōichi Has “Only Just Begun” (Video)

Honda guides each student with enthusiasm. (© Hashino Yukinori)

Honda creates an impromptu circular pattern of Arabic characters. When he begins to craft an example, the students naturally gather to watch, and break into applause when he finishes it. (© Hashino Yukinori)

Honda has also written textbooks for each style of writing. They have seen much wear after years of use by students, and each is carefully repaired to keep it in action. (© Hashino Yukinori)

At his home and studio in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture. (© Kawamoto Seiya)

Working out a beautiful letter design with an aluminum strip. (© Kawamoto Seiya)

Honda’s homemade pens. Once he has settled on a design, he carves each tip for easier writing before approaching the paper. (© Kawamoto Seiya)

A piece depicting the words of the Koran along a sloping sand dune in the morning sunlight. (© Kawamoto Seiya)

The background’s delicate brushwork and beautiful gradation bring out the text’s beauty even further. (© Kawamoto Seiya)

A work influenced by tenmoku pottery evokes the countless kami of Shintō. (© Kawamoto Seiya)

The infinitely diverse nature of Allah at the center is depicted through 99 different names for God. (© Kawamoto Seiya)

Manuscripts, some still in progress, sit on Honda’s desk with a copy of Tanoshii Arabiago (Enjoyable Arabic), now considered a pioneering introduction to the language. (© Kawamoto Seiya)

Honda makes corrections on a nearly complete work. His creativity shows no signs of waning. (© Kawamoto Seiya)