Yukiko Nishimura
The Calligrapher and Ceramic Artist Who Connects with the Greatest Number of Gods in Japan
Art as Sacred Dedication
It is said that there are eight million gods in Japan.
In Japan, hono (奉納) is a sacred tradition of dedicating art, craft, or performance to the gods.
Hono is not an act of prayer, but of fullness — offering to the divine and allowing circulation. In other words, it is the way of “not praying, but dedicating” — a philosophy rooted in ancient Japan, where acts given from a heart already fulfilled in gratitude invite new events that allow even deeper gratitude to circulate.
Yukiko Nishimura’s connection to this philosophy runs deep. In her youth, she served as a miko (shrine maiden)for seven years, embodying the rhythms of Shinto ritual and its quiet discipline. That early training continues to guide her art today, elevating her handling of clay and ink from mere aesthetic expression to acts of spiritual dedication.
Now she has embarked on a new journey. As a dedicatory artist, expressing the most profound connection to the gods through art, she is traveling to shrines across Japan. Her nationwide Hono Tour will encompass 369 shrines, where she dedicates calligraphy written in her original Kami no Moji® script, as well as her own blend of roasted green tea (hojicha).
Each act of artistic dedication carries not a prayer born of lack, but the circulation of fulfilled gratitude with the deities — a mission to spread the light of happiness throughout the world.
2025 Dedication tour
Meet the Artist — Yukiko Nishimura
Yukiko Nishimura is a Japanese artist and designer with a long international career, bridging tradition and contemporary craft. She has collaborated with leading institutions including Whitestone Gallery and The National Art Center, Tokyo.
Each piece, kneaded from clay and hand-built before being fired, carries with it the primordial memory of the earth.
Her hand-crafted uguisu-iro (bush warbler green) tea bowls embody a hue cherished since the Edo period for its elegance and delicacy.
The contrast between this soft green and the deep tones of tea creates a refined harmony, while the lace-like stamp impressed on the side invites the fingers to a joyful, meditative experience.
As a calligrapher, she reinterprets ancient oracle-bone script—the primordial form of kanji—as Kami no Moji®, “characters of the gods.”
These ancient characters are said to have been used by shrine maidens to record divine revelations.
In her hands, they become a living script that shapes the energy and atmosphere of a space, binding the present moment to timeless origins.
Each work carries the brilliance and power of Japan’s refined spirit, offering guidance to enrich your life.