Asian Kanji - Fulfillment by Seiran Chiba

Two characters stacked one above the other, each stroke laid down with full weight and no second thoughts.

Kanji, Fulfillment, is a contemporary work by Seiran Chiba, made in 2016. Japanese calligraphers often choose words with a hopeful or moral meaning for display, and the energy of the brush is understood to carry the feeling of the word. The two characters here are written large in glossy black ink, with thick, rounded strokes and crisp hooked endings. A few strokes thin into dry, feathered edges where the brush ran low. The signature runs down the right, and a red square seal sits at lower left. It is 13 inches wide and 19 high.

Full, satisfied, and drawn with a single breath per stroke.