Souun Takeda has produced numerous celebrated works as a calligrapher, and in 2019 he began working as a contemporary artist.
His pieces are rooted in his calligraphy, created through free thinking to achieve art that has the power to energize and invigorate those who view it. This exhibition's works revolve around the theme of "love," and we hope all of you struggling to deal with the society-wide turmoil and uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to feel the love that Takeda's art conveys.

Greeting from the Artist
The world is undergoing a period of widespread change. Starting from the bourgeois revolutions, it has seen the industrial revolution and world wars, as well as systems of mass production the destruction of the natural environment. Simultaneously, the sudden proliferation of the information revolution and effects of COVID-19 have created the need for rapid changes in the lifestyles of people everywhere. In times of major change, many people experience turmoil and uncertainty. I think that, in times like these, we actually need love more than anything else—love for our planet, for other people, for our families and for ourselves. I believe that love is the thing that will lead us to a better future. Personally, I have also experienced great anxiety and been on the verge of losing those feelings of love, which is why I set out to make art that is filled with love. It gives me great joy to be able to make such art, and to have people view it. I am truly thankful, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who has been involved in the process. It is my hope that these works will help everyone who sees them expand the scope of love in their lives.
Souun Takeda

Souun Takeda was born in 1975 in Kumamoto. After graduating from the Tokyo University of Science, he began working at NTT, and roughly three years later he went independent as a calligrapher. He has done calligraphy work for the NHK Taiga TV drama Tenchijin, the Hiraizumi UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many other high-profile projects.
Takeda has also been offered numerous opportunities to give lectures and make media appearances.
He was appointed as a Japan Cultural Envoy in 2013 by the government's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and in that capacity held calligraphy workshops in Vietnam and Indonesia. He gave a lecture at the University of Warsaw in 2017, and has been active in other ways as well around the world.
Furthermore, he has created shops selling organic foods and fermented food products that are good for the body, including the Shonan-based CHIKYU FARM TO TABLE (https://chikyu-farm.jp/) which opened in 2017 and its Asakusa sister shop ASAKUSA MISOJYU SOUP & RICE (https://misojyu.jp/) which opened in 2018.
In 2019 he provided calligraphy for a postage stamp created to commemorate the transition from the Heisei to Reiwa era in Japan.
Takeda has also put out numerous books, including his bestselling Pojitibu no Kyokasho (Textbook on Positivity), and his latest work Nami ni Noru Chikara (Power to Ride the Waves) published by Nihonbungeisha.
He has become active in the contemporary art field in recent years, holding his first solo exhibition in California, USA in 2015, participating in Art International Zurich 2019, and holding solo exhibitions in Germany and at Daikanyama Hillside Forum and the Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store in 2020.