As 2022 draws to an end and the new year hurtles towards us, what better way to prepare than creating your own Japanese Nengajo?

Nengajo are greeting cards sent during the New Year in Japan. They are commonly exchanged between friends, family, colleagues, and businesses to express gratitude for help in the past year and a wish to continue the good relationship in the year ahead.

In this workshop, artist Aya Burbanks will show participants a selection of her original designs, featuring typical motifs used in Nengajo. She will then teach you the techniques of boku-ga (ink wash painting) before you create your own new year card to mark the start of 2023, the year of the rabbit.

Artist Aya Burbanks grew up in Japan on the island of Sakurajima in Kagoshima, which has one of the world’s most active volcanoes. She enjoys all kinds of painting and specialises in sumi-e ink painting and Japanese calligraphy in which she holds master licenses. Her favourite Japanese artists are Hokusai and Hiroshige. She has been actively involved with promotion of Japanese traditional culture in the UK through her calligraphy and artwork as well as teaching.

If you have any questions, please call the Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email us at: events@japansociety.org.