Cal-Sumi Gallery brings the one-of-a-kind calligraphy artwork to collectors and homes across the United States.
Partnering with Issai Tanaka, acclaimed Tokyo-based calligrapher
Tokyo-based artist Issai Tanaka (b. 1977) is an acclaimed contemporary calligrapher whose work brings a centuries-old Japanese tradition into the world of modern art and interior design. A Chinese literature graduate of Daito Bunka University, he has been honored many times at the Yomiuri Shoho Exhibition, a major national showcase for Japanese calligraphy. His practice ranges from classical forms to contemporary abstraction, and he is especially known for bold block-style characters written at monumental scale. Represented by Gallery Kitai, he has performed live at the LA Art Show, and his pieces grace corporate and hospitality spaces in Japan, including the Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu, as well as private collections around the world.
Each work is sold with a signed certificate of authenticity.
Bold, heavy strokes surge across the paper while flecks of ink scatter around them, as if thrown off by a breaking wave. The contrast between dense black and open white captures the ocean's restless energy.
Sweeping strokes lift and extend across three joined panels, their dry-brush edges trailing like feathers in flight. The open space around them gives the movement room to soar, catching the phoenix mid-leap.
Two weighty, upright forms stand firm against the pale ground, their dense black mass echoing the strength of a tree trunk. Ink splashed to one side suggests scattered leaves, leaving the whole piece feeling rooted and unshakable.
Bold, blocky strokes and scattered flecks of ink give this character a lively, energetic presence. The owner chose the word Create in the hope that their children will be inspired to make something meaningful in the world.
Part of the Ai (Love) series, this small piece brushes the character for love in dense black ink, with its negative spaces opening into hearts. The word and the feeling it names become a single image, a quiet reminder held within the strokes themselves.
Work with Issai Tanaka directly to create a piece written for you — a word and a meaning chosen with care.
We discuss the word or phrase you'd like brushed, its meaning, the setting it will live in, and the scale and style that suit it.
Every piece is brushed to the scale that suits its setting, from an intimate accent to a full statement wall. Each size below is shown to scale against the same wall.
A quiet accent for an entryway, desk, or shelf.
A personal piece for a study, bedroom, or gallery wall.
A feature piece for a living room or office wall.
A statement work for a lobby or grand wall.
We'll work with you to decide on the word or phrase you'd like brushed — something that means a great deal to you, or a word you live by. The calligraphy is never just about the beauty of the character itself — it becomes a daily, beautiful reminder of the belief or intention you carry with you.
Issai Tanaka brushes your piece by hand in his studio in Japan. Every commission is an original — never a print or reproduction.
Your piece is mounted or framed to your preference, shipped with a signed certificate of authenticity, and arrives ready to hang.
Cal-Sumi Gallery was founded to close the distance between Japan's living calligraphy tradition and collectors in the United States who want more than decoration — pieces with real craft, history, and presence.
We work in close partnership with Issai Tanaka, sourcing and commissioning original work, handling authentication, framing, and shipping, and helping collectors understand the meaning and technique behind each piece they bring home.