New Year calligraphy contests in Tokyo 2027
- The Nippon Budokan on-the-spot writing contest opens at 10:00 on Tuesday, January 5, 2027, with applications due Friday, November 13, 2026.
- Writing contest entry fees are ¥700 for children through high school students, and ¥1,000 for university and general entrants (tax included).
- Works for the open submission section must arrive by Tuesday, January 12, 2027, with up to 5 pieces per person.
The competition that anyone can enter for New Year calligraphy (kakizome) in Tokyo in 2027 is the 63rd All Japan Kakizome Grand Exhibition at Nippon Budokan. The on-the-spot writing contest (sekisho taikai, where you write at the venue) opens at 10:00 on Tuesday, January 5, 2027, and entries for it must arrive by Friday, November 13, 2026. The open submission section, where you send work written at home, must arrive by Tuesday, January 12, 2027, and you can enter both. We have not found another event for the general public confirmed to be held in January 2027. The ward contest in Itabashi that we could confirm is only for pupils of ward-run schools, so this page sets out Nippon Budokan’s guidelines and the experience the general public could join in January 2026.
In short
- To enter a contest and aim for a prize: the Nippon Budokan writing contest. It has 5 divisions from small children to adults, and you can apply without going through a school or group.
- To send only your work without going to the venue: the open submission section of the same contest. It must arrive by January 12, 2027 (Tuesday), and up to 5 pieces per person can be entered.
- If you have never held a brush and want to try writing first: in January 2026, Tokyo City View held a kakizome workshop. It is not confirmed for 2027, so wait for the official announcement.
Checked with official pages on November 9, 2026 (Japan time). Dates, prices and deadlines may change.
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1. Nippon Budokan: the writing contest and open submission of the All Japan Kakizome Grand Exhibition (63rd)
The writing contest opens at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027, there is no preliminary round, and anyone can apply to enter. It is in the guidelines of the 63rd All Japan Kakizome Grand Exhibition (Japanese) from Nippon Budokan. After applying, adding or changing entrants is not allowed, so the guidelines ask you to apply for everyone who might take part.
Photo source: Nippon Budokan holds its traditional New Year event, the 63rd All Japan Kakizome Grand Exhibition (press release of the Nippon Budokan Foundation, October 16, 2026) (Japanese)
In the writing contest, you write the assigned theme within 24 minutes on a half-sheet of small-size gasen paper of about 136 cm by 35 cm handed out by the organizers. You are given 2 sheets and submit 1. You cannot bring a model or practice paper. If you take part but do not submit, no prize is given. On the day, bring the entry slip to attach at the lower right of the work you submit.
| Division | Who | Writing contest fee (per person) | Open submission fee (per piece) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | Small children and elementary school students | ¥700 | ¥700 |
| Division 2 | Junior high school students | ¥700 | ¥700 |
| Division 3 | High school students | ¥700 | ¥700 |
| Division 4 | University students (including vocational school students) | ¥1,000 | ¥1,000 |
| Division 5 | General | ¥1,000 | ¥1,000 |
All amounts include tax. There is no discount by number of people for the writing contest fee. For the open submission, the fee is 20% off if you enter 50 or more pieces (it cannot be combined with the number of writing contest entries).
The writing contest themes are set by grade. Elementary grade 1 is “Nakama” (companions), grade 3 is “Hitsuji-doshi” (the Year of the Sheep), grade 4 is “Haru o matsu” (waiting for spring), grade 5 is “Atarashii asa” (a new morning) and grade 6 is “Kokoro ni taiyo” (the sun in your heart). Small children write “Tsukushi” (horsetail shoots) and elementary grade 2 writes “Sugoroku” (the board game). Junior high school year 1 is “Heiwa no kikyu” (seeking peace), year 2 is “Rekishi o tsumugu” (weaving history) and year 3 is “Kansei o hagukumu” (nurturing sensitivity). High school, university and general divisions choose from 5 themes such as Chinese poems and waka poems.
Applications must arrive by Friday, November 13, 2026 for the writing contest and by Tuesday, January 12, 2027 for the open submission. The procedure in the guidelines is as follows.
| Section | What to send | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Writing contest | Contest entry list (the fee paid by transfer by the same date) | Must arrive by Friday, November 13, 2026 |
| Open submission | The work with the entry slip attached, and the entry list (the fee paid by transfer by the same date) | Must arrive by Tuesday, January 12, 2027 |
The address to send to is the Calligraphy Exhibition Office, Nippon Budokan Foundation, 2-3 Kitanomaru Koen, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 102-8321, and on the front of the envelope you write that it contains the 63rd exhibition’s writing contest entry list or open submission work. The fee is paid by transfer to Nippon Budokan’s bank account listed in the guidelines by the deadline for each (the transfer fee is paid by the applicant). First-time entrants do not need to fill in the registration number field of the entry list, and in the remitter field they write their phone number and name instead of a registration number. The entry list’s input form is handed out on Nippon Budokan’s page on the Kakizome Grand Exhibition (Japanese). Fees are not refunded for any reason. Details for the day of the writing contest are planned to be sent to the person in charge of the application in late November.
For the open submission, you write on a half-sheet, an eighth-sheet or a hanshi sheet of small-size gasen paper, vertical and white. Paper printed with frames and the like cannot be used, and if you submit several pieces, make them the same size. The exhibition and award ceremony are on Sunday, February 28, 2027: the exhibition from 10:00 to 16:00 and the award ceremony from 13:00. The works shown and awarded range from the Prime Minister’s Award to Nippon Budokan’s Encouragement Award.
For inquiries, contact the Calligraphy Exhibition Office (03-3216-5144, weekdays 10:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00). The venue is a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Kudanshita Station (Tozai, Hanzomon and Toei Shinjuku lines).
| Name | Nippon Budokan |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-3 Kitanomaru Koen, Chiyoda City, Tokyo |
| Hours / Closed | Writing contest: January 5, 2027 (Tue) opens 10:00 / Exhibition: February 28 (Sun) 10:00–16:00 · Awards ceremony 13:00 |
| Phone | 03-3216-5144 (calligraphy exhibition office) |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
2. Tokyo City View: the kakizome experience held in January 2026 (2027 not confirmed)
Tokyo City View, the observation deck of Roppongi Hills, held a kakizome experience workshop from 11:00 to 15:00 from Saturday, January 10 to Monday, January 12 (a holiday), 2026. The instructors were from the University of Tokyo Calligraphy Research Society, the fee was free, and you signed up on the day. The venue was Sky Gallery 2, and beginners were said to be able to write under the instructors’ guidance. It is in the press release on “Tenku no Hatsumisora 2026” issued by Mori Building on December 5, 2025 (Japanese).
As of November 9, the New Year events for January 2027 are not on Tokyo City View’s official site. Because the yoga announcement for the same year said “observation deck admission plus yoga lesson fee,” whether you need to pay the admission to enter the observation deck is also something to check when it is announced.
| Name | Tokyo City View |
|---|---|
| Address | Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 52nd floor, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo |
| Hours / Closed | 2026 kakizome experience: January 10 (Sat) – 12 (Mon, holiday) 11:00–15:00 |
| Phone | 03-6406-6652 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
3. Itabashi Ward’s kakizome contest is only for pupils of ward-run schools
The “Itabashi Ward Kakizome Contest at Daito Bunka University,” held by Daito Bunka University with the support of the Itabashi Ward Board of Education, is for children and pupils attending elementary and junior high schools run by Itabashi Ward. In 2026 it was held on Sunday, January 25, and the fee was free. The host university’s press release of January 16, 2026 says it was held for the first time in 2 years, so we do not know whether it will be held in 2027. Because only pupils of ward-run schools can take part, it is not in the table above.
Common questions
Can I enter by myself, without going through a school or calligraphy class?
Yes. The guidelines say that you can apply to both the writing contest and the open submission without going through a school.
Can I practice the writing contest theme beforehand?
Yes, since the themes are in the guidelines. However, on the day you cannot bring a model or practice paper, and you write on the paper handed to you within 24 minutes.
Can I enter both the writing contest and the open submission?
Yes. The guidelines say you can take part in both.
Sources
4 pages we checked
Checked with official pages on November 9, 2026 (Japan time).
