Amin Abbas
Fuad Honda, renowned artist and calligrapher, was honored for his outstanding contributions to Arabic calligraphy in the Creative Personality category by Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan during the third edition of the Kanz Al Jeel Award at a ceremony held at the Zayed Central Library in Al Ain (UAE).
Japanese by birth and Arab at heart, Honda’s works have been showcased in prestigious international exhibitions, earning him numerous accolades.
Fuad Kouichi Honda was recognized for his outstanding contributions to Arabic calligraphy, both in practice and theory, as well as his efforts to raise awareness and educate others through the curriculum he developed for teaching the Arabic language and calligraphy.
Honda is particularly known for his exceptional ability to blend Japanese and Arabic cultures in his artwork. His unique approach has been the subject of extensive scholarly study and has inspired numerous works exploring both the artistic and cultural dimensions of his work.
The award was launched by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) to recognize and celebrate notable works of Nabati poetry, folklore studies, and research that spotlight the heritage of Nabati poetry and its inherent values.
Honda mentioned exclusively to Arab News Japan that his inspiration for Arabic calligraphy came from his previous trips to the Middle East region.
“After graduating from university, I traveled around the Arab countries. During my travels, I had many opportunities to see calligraphy works, and the beauty of these works deeply moved me. This was the beginning of my journey into Arabic calligraphy.
“Before being sent to Saudi Arabia by my surveying company in 1974, I had never been to an Arab country. I had little knowledge of Arabs, Arab customs, and culture, so everything was a surprise. I worked as a member of a field survey team for a surveying company in the Saudi Arabian desert. One of the members on our team was an official from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Petroleum. He was a master of Arabic calligraphy. I had the opportunity to learn from him and was deeply inspired by the beauty of his lines,” he added.
Honda said he reads the Quran every day and often finds inspiration in it, and uses this inspiration to create his works.
Honda launched his calligraphy book ‘Noor Al Noor’ at Abu Dhabi Book fair 2022. Speaking about the book, he said, “My works have been in the collection of the Islamic Arts Museum for over 15 years. In 2022, the Arabic Language Center, in collaboration with the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, published a collection of my works at a book fair in Abu Dhabi. Ms. Hiba, an Islamic art expert at the Islamic Arts Museum, wrote a commentary for the book. I was completely surprised and grateful for this, as I never imagined such a thing would happen”.
Regarding his upcoming projects in the near future, Honda said:” I want to continue creating calligraphy works until I die. I plan to continue submitting four to five works each year to the Islamic Arts Museum. I hope that exhibitions on Arabic calligraphy works will be held not only in Arab countries but also in other countries, so that more people can appreciate the beauty of Arabic calligraphy.””
The ceremony was held as part of the Al Ain Book Festival 2024 and attended by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi; Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC; and Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Director General of the National Archives and National Library and Chairman of the award’s Higher Committee, along with a number of high-ranking officials.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, said: “The Kanz Al Jeel Award embodies Abu Dhabi’s commitment to creativity and cultural innovation. The award nurtures talent and encourages new generations to draw inspiration from the creative traditions of their ancestors. The remarkable success of the award in its previous editions is a testament to the unwavering support of the UAE’s wise leadership in promoting cultural heritage and cultivating a community of creative expression.”
Other winners included Iranian artist Mahsa Davachi in the Arts category for her painting titled UAE, which she skillfully executed, adhering to principles of composition and color distribution to achieve a remarkable golden ratio. Saudi poet Faisal Al Oteibi was honoured for winning the Poetry Matching category with his poem Al Sheikh Nad, which conveyed values of encouragement and motivation for youth, urging them to hold onto their religion, customs, and traditions, and to take pride in their national identity while arming themselves with knowledge to serve their country. The poet’s unique style demonstrated a great ability in matching, as his work reflected strength and dignity, closely resembling the style of the original poem.
The Poetic Publications category award went to Emirati poet Ateeq Khalfan Alkaabi for his collection Signatures, which presents refreshing poems filled with a lively style, reflecting deep human experiences and modern philosophical reflections, while adhering to traditional forms.