Kouichi Fou'ad Honda

Born Tokyo, Japan, 1946

Honda graduated from the Arabic Department of Tokyo University for Foreign Studies, 1969. In 1973 he travelled to Saudi Arabia where, working as an interpreter, he was introduced to Arabic calligraphy. He returned to Tokyo in 1979, becoming a lecturer in Arabic at the Institute for Asian and African Languages and, later, at the University for Foreign Studies, 1986. He studied Arabic calligraphy with Ustadh Hasan Çelebi in Istanbul, receiving his diploma (ijaza) in 2000. In 1987 he was appointed instructor in Arabic calligraphy at the cultural centre of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and in 1991 at the Arab–Japan Association. Honda has been invited to participate in calligraphy festivals and competitions in the Middle East, he has had numerous exhibitions in Japan, the Middle East and Europe, and he is a key artist behind the growing popularity of Arabic calligraphy in Japan. He is a professor of international relations at Daito Bunka University,Tokyo.