About Naoko Mikami
The Art of Meaning
Naoko Mikami is a Tokyo-based calligrapher and writer who explores the intersection of history, language, and the art of leadership.
Raised by her grandmother—a poet and calligrapher—Naoko was immersed from childhood in the world of classical literature and traditional aesthetics. While her path to the brush was not immediate, her time living abroad and her deep engagement with international audiences eventually led her back to the ink, fueled by a desire to translate ancient Japanese sensibilities for the contemporary world.
The Art of the Unrepeatable
At the heart of Naoko’s practice is the principle of ichigo ichie—the understanding that every encounter is a unique, unrepeatable moment in time. This philosophy permeates her entire creative process. She works mainly by commission and collaboration; nothing is written in advance.
Each piece begins with a conversation, from which the final brushed characters slowly emerge. She weaves together Zen philosophy, samurai ethics, and classical poetry to find the specific resonance her client needs. Whether for a CEO navigating complex strategy or a martial artist seeking inner stillness, she asks one essential question: What do you want this work to carry for you?
Tradition in Motion
Naoko’s work bridges the "Warring States" of the past and the turbulent landscape of the present. Her work, whether penned or brushed, is not a stagnant reproduction of history but a living response to it. This is best seen in her book, Wisdom of the Shoguns, where she translates the distilled insights of Japan’s greatest leaders into a tactical playbook for modern life. Her writing reflects the same restraint as her art: grounded in history, attentive to language, and focused on helping readers navigate familiar challenges from a deeper perspective.
Her work has been featured in international exhibitions and cultural projects. Today, her pieces live in boardrooms, meditation halls, and private collections worldwide—each one a singular testament to the power of clarity, restraint, and the "one chance encounter" that brought it into being.
About Gago and Fuh-mi
Why I Work Under the Name Fuh-mi
I publish my books as Naoko Mikami. In my calligraphy practice, I work under the gago (雅号)—or art name—Fuh-mi. These are not separate identities; they are the same person. The distinction exists purely to clarify the nature of the work.
The Meaning of Fuh-mi
Literally, Fuh-mi (不美) means “not beautiful.”
This is not a rejection of beauty, but rather a refusal of perfection and the rigid, fixed ideals of what "beauty" is supposed to be. In calligraphy, we are taught to value balance, polish, and completion; but those qualities can easily become a trap.
When beauty becomes the goal, the work begins to repeat itself. It seeks to please; it aims to arrive. I chose Fuh-mi as a declaration against that closure.
Beauty Is Not a Finished Form
Real beauty does not reside in symmetry or refinement. It is not something polished or completed.
Instead, it emerges through a series of unrepeatable choices, and chance. Each stroke is made once—without correction, without reversal. What matters is not what looks "right," but what remains after the act is over.
That lingering presence—something slightly unstable, unresolved, or incomplete—is where I locate beauty.
The Stance of the Gago
In Japanese tradition, a gago is not a persona or a marketing tool. It marks a shift in stance.
Working as Fuh-mi allows me to step away from the weight of authorship and the need for explanation. It allows me to enter a mode of listening:
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Listening to the word.
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Listening to the space around it.
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Listening to what resists being made "pretty."
A Functional Clarity
While my books and public work appear as Naoko Mikami, my calligraphy remains signed as Fuh-mi.
Naoko Mikami works with the structure of language. Fuh-mi works with the raw energy beneath it.
They inform each other, but they do not aim for the same outcome. That distance is what keeps the work honest.
Selected Art Collaborations
2025 > Art021, Shanghai.
2025 > ELLE 80 Years Anniversary Traveling Exhibition, French Pavillion, Osaka Expo 2025 -> Alliance Française, Bangkok -> Consulate general of France, New York -> Artcurial, Paris.
2025 > Au-delà, Art of Nature Contemporary, Hong Kong.
2023 > The Hokusai’s Great Wave, podcast for LEGO.
2023 > The Milennials Art Fair, Tokyo.
2021 > Cryptokyo, UltraSuperNew Galery, Tokyo.
2018 > Neo Japonisme - Résonances 2018, La Ferme des Arts, Vaison-la-Romaine (also curating).
2017 > Art Square Taipei, Taipei (also curating).
2017 > Revver, collaboration with Fashion & Art Magazine, Taipei.
2016 > Art Square Taipei, Taipei (also curating).
2016 > Snow and Ink, collaboration with poet Martin Rock, for 7x7 Magazine, Los Angeles.