Shoko Kanazawa, a renowned Japanese calligrapher with Down syndrome, has found a new role at a cafe she and her mother, Yasuko, opened in Tokyo's Ota Ward where she aims to “bring energy and happiness to the community.”
The 39-year-old artist began waitressing at the cafe last December after its opening, which fulfilled a dream both women shared. Her mother hopes that the cafe will be a place where the artist can thrive.
For Kanazawa, her journey into calligraphy began at the age of 5, when she first picked up a brush at her mother’s calligraphy school. The path ahead was shaped by her late father, Hiroshi, who passed away from a heart attack in 2000 at the age of 52.
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