Japanese philanthropist Haruhisa Handa, who is a professional in many fields, including calligraphy, art, music, noh dramas and literature, as well as business, held a solo exhibition of his artworks, including paintings, pottery and Japanese calligraphy, in Tokyo from March 18 to 21.
The exhibition has been held annually for the past 22 years to mark Handa’s birthday on March 18. People visit the exhibitions and opening ceremonies — this year’s edition was attended by prominent guests, such as the winner of this year’s Miss Japan competition — to celebrate the occasion, but Handa is not doing this to be celebrated. When he turned 50, he could not help but feel his energy level gradually dropping with age. He started the annual birthday exhibition to give himself a challenging task, a reason to keep pushing himself to go higher and deeper in his creative endeavors.
