Kanko School Uniforms presents the “Sugamoto Award” to a high school student dedicated to calligraphy, selected from the Special Award in the Calligraphy Category at the 49th National High School Cultural Festival (Kagawa Sobunsai 2025). The award ce

[Kanko School Uniforms] The “Sugamo Award” will be presented to a high school student dedicated to calligraphy. The recipient was selected from the Special Award in the Calligraphy Category at the 49th National High School Cultural Festival (Kagawa Cultural Festival 2025). The certificate was an original design with letters embroidered on the uniform fabric. ​
Kanko School Uniforms Press Release: October 21, 2025 The “Sugawara Prize” will be presented to a high school student dedicated to calligraphy. The student will be selected from the Special Prize winners in the Calligraphy category at the 49th National High School Cultural Festival (Kagawa Cultural Festival 2025). The certificate will be an original design with letters embroidered on the uniform fabric. Kanko Gakuenfuku Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ekimoto-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama City; President and CEO: Shigeru Ozaki; hereinafter referred to as “Kanko Gakuenfuku”) will be presenting certificates with letters embroidered on the uniform fabric to the five recipients of the Kanko Award in the calligraphy category of the 49th National High School Cultural Festival (Kagawa Sobunsai 2025) (hereinafter referred to as “Sobunsai”) starting in October. We are pleased to announce that we have received comments of joy from the winners.
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Sugako Award The Kagawa Sobunsai is a cultural festival showcasing artistic and cultural activities by high school students representing each prefecture. The calligraphy section of the “Kagawa Sobunsai 2025” was held at Sakaide City Gymnasium (Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture) from Saturday, July 26th to Wednesday, July 30th, 2025, with approximately 300 works exhibited. Five of the exhibited works were awarded special prizes, including the Suga Michizane Prize. The “Kanko Sugata Award” in the calligraphy category of the National Cultural Festival was established in 2013, and this year marks its 13th year. Kanko Gakuenfuku employees visited each award recipient’s school to present them with a certificate. The certificates are embroidered in gold and silver thread on the same fabric as the uniforms, with a message explaining the selection process. Kanko School Uniforms has been working to support children’s dreams and learning. Going forward, under the slogan “Cheers for the future,” we will continue to support students and all those who support their student life. ■ Sugamo Award Winners in the Calligraphy Division of the 49th National High School Cultural Festival, Kagawa Tournament 〇 Hakodate Municipal High School, 3rd year, Kotaro Ota, “The Earth Spirit of Cold Rocks” (written in a mixture of kanji and kana) 〇 Yamanashi Prefectural Tsuru High School, 3rd year, Tomoaki Kobayashi, “建” (built) (written in kanji) 〇Haruna Watanabe, 2nd year student at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Technical High School, “From the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu” (written in kana) 〇Mizuha Nishihara, 3rd year student at Saga Prefectural Saga Kita High School, “Rin Yangjun” (written in kanji) 〇Uchida, 3rd year student at Kagoshima Prefectural Yakushima High School Beauty: “Poems by Shimazaki Toson” [Calligraphy in a Mix of Kanji and Kana] ■ Sugamo Award winning works, reasons for award, and comments from the winners in the Calligraphy Division of the 49th National High School Cultural Festival, Kagawa Tournament 〇 Ota, 3rd year, Hakodate Municipal High School Kotaro “Earth Spirits of the Cold Rocks” [Calligraphy in a Mix of Kanji and Kana] This work vividly depicts a spiritual presence dwelling in the rocks, standing majestically on a coastline in the dead of winter. ・Winner’s Comment I am deeply touched to receive the Sugawara Michizane Award. I created this piece with the image of snow falling on the rocks of Tatematsu Cape in my hometown of Hakodate in mind. I wrote about 350 pieces before submitting it, and I’m glad that I was able to create something I have no regrets about. At the Sobunsai, I was able to share the process of creating my works with my classmates, and I truly enjoyed calligraphy. As I continue to practice calligraphy, I will cherish my connections with my teachers and classmates, and strive to be a role model for my juniors. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/85588/218/85588-218-b977f7fe83459009bfca3d751a0e688a-1018×508.png 〇Yamanashi Prefectural Tsuru High School, 3rd Year, Kobayashi Tomoaki, “建” (Kanji Calligraphy) This piece utilizes the characteristics of the materials used to create a three-dimensional effect through the shape of the letters and the quality of the lines. ・Comments from the Winners At the critique session, I was surprised that my work was featured, and at the same time, I felt happy that my work had caught the instructor’s eye. Listening to the critiques of the other works, I was reminded of the high level of expressiveness and artistic ability of the participants in the National Culture Festival. Receiving the wonderful Sugawara Michizane Award and being exposed to the wide variety of calligraphy pieces from all over the country has brought about positive changes in my awareness and motivation for calligraphy. In the future, I would like to actively challenge myself with typefaces that I am not good at or have never worked with before.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/85588/218/85588-218-c8d867a3c1a50c9926fe1956fb6b9a0a-1017×507.png Haruna Watanabe, 2nd year student at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Technical High School, “From the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu” [Kana calligraphy] This work utilizes the artist’s learning of ancient calligraphy to create a work that utilizes white space, graceful character shapes, and flowing, continuous lines. ・Winner’s Comment Thank you for receiving the Sugamo Award. I’m studying textiles at a technical high school, so I’m incredibly honored to receive such a wonderful award from a local company in Okayama. I chose my favorite poem from the Hyakunin Isshu and expressed the elegant world of kana on beautiful paper. I’m sure that this work, which utilizes my specialized training in calligraphy, will be a valuable asset in my future high school career. I hope to continue pursuing the beauty of flowing kana.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/85588/218/85588-218-10cd595dfa95473bf09250701b297c7b-1094×476.png Saga Prefectural Saga Kita High School, 3rd Year, Nishihara Mizuha, “Rin Yang Xun” [Chinese Character Calligraphy] This work captures the characteristics of Yang Xun’s clerical script, expressing it with unique character shapes and flowing waves. ・Winner’s Comment I am truly honored to receive the Sugawara Michizane Award. I poured a great deal of passion into creating this piece. When copying Yang Hyun’s calligraphy, I was conscious of not compromising his style. I believe that Yang Hyun’s charm lies in his “imperfect beauty.” I paid particular attention to every detail, from brushwork to composition and mounting, to expressing that charm. Creating this piece has helped me grow significantly. I hope to use this experience to further my growth.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/85588/218/85588-218-0e1e8c2f3ead20be2909b6fb5f16ace8-961×580.png Kagoshima Prefectural Yakushima High School, 3rd year student, Uchida Miki, “Poems by Shimazaki Toson” [Calligraphy using a mixture of kanji and kana] This work cherishes the atmosphere of poetry and prose, and cleverly expresses the harmony between kanji and kana. ・Winner’s Comment I am truly honored to receive the Sugamo Award at the National Cultural Festival. As this was the culmination of my work, I chose this poem, which resonated with me as someone who grew up in Yakushima, surrounded by the sea. I am grateful for the careful guidance of my advisor and the support of my club members, which has allowed me to get to this point. At the national competition, I learned how to view a work of art and the profound depth of
calligraphy. I would like to pass on what I learned from this valuable experience to my juniors and continue to work hard, never forgetting my love for calligraphy.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/85588/218/85588-218-fd0284fe971a98042d9aac81f33e9a50-973×607.png ■Origin of the Sugawara Gakuenfuku Company Name KANKO is derived from the nickname “Sugawara no Michizane,” the god of learning. Sugawara no Michizane is widely known as the “god of learning,” but at the same time, due to the beauty of his calligraphy, he is also praised as one of the “Three Saints of Calligraphy” along with Kukai and Ono no Dofu, and faith in him as the “god of calligraphy” is widespread. Just like Michizane, who was a scholar but also aspired to a career in politics and worked hard for the good of society, we too hope to forge our own paths with strong conviction in our dreams and goals. ■Sugako School Uniform Co., Ltd. Founded in 1854 (Ansei 1). We are a school solutions company that supports children and all those who support their student life through school uniforms and gym clothes, and solves various social issues. Press release attachments