“Flying” — The Power Within the Word.
Flying (飛翔, hishō).
To spread one’s wings and soar high into the sky.
Not merely to move from place to place, but to defy gravity — to cleave through the air by sheer force of will.
This word pulses with that kind of raw, vital energy.
A dictionary will tell you it means “the act of a bird or other creature flying high through the sky.”
But the true meaning held within these two characters runs far deeper.
To fly is to have the courage to let go of the self that is bound to the earth.
Since ancient times, the character “飛” (hi) has its origins in a pictograph depicting a bird spreading its wings and ascending toward the heavens.
And “翔” (shō) conveys the motion of gliding slowly in wide, sweeping arcs.
Together, “flying” is not simply the story of movement — it is the story of a willful ascent.
＼ 岩﨑翔凛のSTORESはこちら！ ／
Words That Surround “Flying”
The word “flying” has long been cherished in poetry and literature.
- The flying soul — the image of the spirit transcending the limits of the flesh and moving toward freedom
- The flying of the swan goose — the way one with great ambition soars toward a distant height (“swan goose” is a metaphor for a hero of grand aspiration)
- The flying of the phoenix — the dance of a divine bird symbolizing rebirth, prosperity, and regal grace
The spirit of “flying” breathes through classical four-character idioms as well.
鶴鳴九皐 (Kakumei Kyūkō) — The cry of a crane dwelling in a deep valley reaches all the way to the heavens. Those who are truly powerful radiate brilliance no matter where they stand.
鵬程万里 (Hōtei Banri) — Just as a great roc soars ten thousand miles into the distance, the road ahead stretches out without end. A word of magnificent scale.
Both express, without reservation, the very essence contained in the word “flying” — infinite possibility and the height of one’s aspirations.
What Calligrapher Shourin Iwasaki Poured into “Flying”
On a single sheet of Japanese washi paper, ink lives and breathes.
When Shourin Iwasaki runs his brush across the page, what appears is no longer merely a line.
His breath, his will, his emotion — all dissolve into the gradations of ink and crystallize into written form.
Take a look at the work we are featuring today: “Flying.”
The trail of the brush crosses the paper with bold, sweeping force.
The character “飛” surges upward toward the upper right with tremendous momentum, and “翔” receives it in turn — deep, powerful, continuing from the earth up into the open air.
The two characters call and respond to each other, giving birth to wind within the paper.
This is not writing.
It is movement itself.
In the art of calligraphy, there is an aesthetic concept known as qiyun shengdong (気韻生動) — a work filled with vital energy, rhythmic resonance, and vibrant life.
That is considered the highest realm of the calligraphic art.
In this piece, “Flying,” that very moment is captured.
The trace of ink that rushed across the paper in a single breath — from the first touch of the brush to the last — sends a gust of wind straight into the chest of the viewer.
The air that lives in the fraying of the ink.
The dialogue between thick strokes and thin.
The silence spoken by the white space left behind.
Once you have seen a work by Shourin Iwasaki, you cannot forget it.
Because it is not merely “skillful writing” — it is an explosion of a single moment, in which the calligrapher’s inner world is released onto the page.
The Place Where Works Are Born — Encounter Living Creation on Instagram
Day after day, Shourin Iwasaki faces his ink and continues to bring new works into existence.
From powerful pieces like “Flying” to works that carry the delicate flow of kana script.
Words that wear the seasons.
Words that awaken emotions sleeping deep within the human heart — all of them receive life upon the paper with a single sweep of the brush.
The place where you can experience that creative journey in the most real-time way is Instagram.
Through completed works, of course, but also through videos captured mid-creation and posts reflecting on words and the art of calligraphy, you can come to know the world of calligrapher Shourin Iwasaki more deeply.
What meditations on language lie behind a single work?
With what breath did his brush move across the page?
Please — feel the living “now” of calligraphy there.
📸 Shourin Iwasaki Official Instagram
👉 https://www.instagram.com/iwasaki_shourin/
Follow him and step into the world of ink.
＼ 岩﨑翔凛のInstagramはこちら！ ／
Bring “Flying” into Your Space — Online Shop Now Open
And now, at last, this announcement.
Calligrapher Shourin Iwasaki’s official online shop has opened on STORES.
When you hang a single work of calligraphy on your wall, the space around it changes.
In the entryway.
In the study.
In the living room.
At the reception of your office.
Each morning as you encounter those words, something quietly accumulates within you — the power of language seeps slowly, surely, into your everyday life.
The works of Shourin Iwasaki are not simply things to be “seen.”
They are things to live alongside.
A powerful work like “Flying,” brought into your hands.
As a gift for someone dear to you.
As a single piece to commemorate a milestone in life.
His works are available for purchase directly through the online shop.
🛍️ Shourin Iwasaki Calligraphy Online Shop
👉 https://shourin-iwasaki.stores.jp/
New works will be added on a regular basis, so please bookmark the page and check back often.
The one piece that speaks to your heart is surely waiting there.
＼ 岩﨑翔凛のSTORESはこちら！ ／
In Closing
Ink dries.
But words live on.
The will held within the two characters of “flying” — that force surging forward, upward, toward a boundless sky — Shourin Iwasaki’s calligraphy releases it onto the paper without reservation.
Calligraphy is not the act of writing characters.
It is the act of setting free what lives within oneself, out into the world.
Please — check his latest works on Instagram, and search for “a story in a single piece” in the online shop.
＼ 岩﨑翔凛のSTORESはこちら！ ／
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