Round curves. Only one possible form.
Straight strokes. Also a single form — this is how Japan writes names from abroad.
Thousands of characters, each one with its own meaning. Many of them are read «Christopher»: none of them is the correct one.
That is where a person has to choose, not a translator: a Japanese calligrapher who has already written the names of more than 500 people by hand, on the street, one by one.
Is it for a tattoo? Read this first →
Your name carries the meaning of lasting without wavering, holding the firm bearing of clean morning air, receiving the blessing of the people around you, keeping a lamp lit with warm light, moving with an air of your own like the wind, and carrying with you the blue of a clear sky.
Your name carries the meaning of having an open sky inside you with room for everything, holding together when it gets hard, standing at the center of what is yours, riding the air and gliding without hurry, having more than enough to share, and rising with the first light of dawn.
Your name carries the meaning of breaking into a gallop with the drive of the run, living by your own rules and at your own pace, looking toward what is high and noble, letting go of the ground and flying, carrying a melody handed down to you, and keeping the deep blue of indigo.
Your name carries the meaning of lasting without wavering, living by your own rules and at your own pace, receiving the blessing of your people, riding the air and gliding without hurry, moving with an air of your own like the wind, and shining with the light that passes through quartz.
Your name carries the meaning of having an open sky inside you with room for everything, holding the firm bearing of clean morning air, being the center that holds the house together, keeping the lantern lit with its warm and steady light, gathering the harvest that fills your hands, and rising like the morning sun.
Your name carries the meaning of keeping the quiet shine of a polished black stone, having the sharp edge and the quick mind, keeping a refined taste with no ornament, letting yourself be seen clean through, carrying a melody handed down to you, and keeping the deep blue of indigo.
Your name carries the meaning of going free like the clouds across the sky, putting reason where order is needed, looking toward what is high and noble, having a bowl as large as the seven stars of the north, lending your arm to whoever leans on it, and carrying with you the blue of a clear sky.
did you like it more than you expected?
☕ buy me a coffeeEverything above is drawn by a typeface: a thousand Christophers, the same stroke. Not this one. The calligrapher dips the brush and writes yours a single time — the ink opens where it opens, the stroke breaks where it breaks.
If you are getting it tattooed, or you seriously want a kanji that is only yours — start here.
Your name printed on what you use every day. We do not sell the shirt: we give you the file and you take it to your printer.
if this made your day, buy me a coffee — it goes straight to keeping this going for people like you.
☕ buy me a coffee