"“Not only new words but whole new worlds are revealed, creative worlds where reading is pure seeing, worlds where deep meaning takes place in the spaces in between essential common things. Indispensable. An utter enjoyment.”
Gary Gach, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Buddhism

“Shogo and Leza have written the coolest kanji book I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen them all).”
Ralph McCarthy, translator of Japanese fiction

“An invaluable resource for tattooers, artists, and anyone interested in better understanding kanji.”
Horitaka, tattooer, author of Bushido: Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo

“Designing With Kanji is an essential tool for any designer or tattoo artist. It is an accurate and inspirational guide for everyone integrating these characters into their life.”
Don Ed Hardy, tattoo artist

"Designing With Kanji is a goldmine of illuminating explanations into key terms and ideas drawn from the deep well of Japanese cultural experience. With a clarity that occasionally reaches toward the ineffable, Oketani and Lowitz demystify the ideographic nature of kanji in offering Western students a playful resource guide to East Asia's manifold arts and wisdom paths they will treasure for generations."
Trevor Carolan, author of Return To Stillness: Twenty Years With A Tai Chi Master

Japanese kanji characters are full of meaning and beauty. But if you don’t speak Japanese, how do you find characters that say what you want and are not just a “kanji cliché”? Here are over 130 kanji in a fun format for easy use.

Pick from The Way of the Warrior, Heart, Nature, and Spirit categories to find the characters that express your sentiments best. Then adapt the clear letterforms (in several different kanji “fonts”) to get just the effect you want. Use the kanji for tattoos or on plates and mugs, stationery, T-shirts, and anything else to personalize a present or to just let the world know where you stand!

Includes an introduction to kanji, writing tips, design ideas, and the Asian Zodiac kanji for birth years.

SHOGO OKETANI and LEZA LOWITZ are writers and translators who live in Tokyo and have deep connections to the San Francisco Bay Area.

144 pp, 7 X 9", paper, 2-color printing
ISBN 1-880656-79-5

OUT OF STOCK Please contact for Backorder availability.