Anyone who considers calligraphy a quietly restrained form of expression should see Michiko Isoda in action. She sits on a "zabuton" cushion, loads a brush with ink and, with a sure but delicate hand, raises it vertically above the paper on her desk. She stills her body, concentrates her breathing, then moves to make the first stroke with a slow but powerful exhalation.
Sometimes she moves fast, almost choking with effort and emotion. At others, she rests, quivering with tension and exertion, gathering her energies toward a smoother and more thoughtful freedom of expression.
Every character completed, every idea expressed is a performance in its own right. To see her in action is to witness a dramatic event, a creative happening. "I believe breathing as important to calligraphy as voice production in drama and stretching the body in, say, yoga."