Ｃａｌｌｉｇｒａｐｈｙ Ｅｘｈｉｂｉｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ Ｉｎｓｃｒｉｐｔｉｏｎｓ Ｏｎ Ａｎｃｉｅｎｔ Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ Ｃｏｉｎｓ Ｈｅｌｄ ｉｎ Ｊａｐａｎ

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship， a calligraphy exhibition of inscriptions on ancient Chinese coins was held in Kanazawa City of Ishikawa Prefecture， Japan from October 15 to 19， 2008. The exhibition was jointly sponsored by the CPAFFC， the Japan Hokushi Seal Cutting Society (HSCS)， the Ishikawa Prefecture Japan-China Friendship Association， the Hokkoku Shimbun and the Japan-China Exchange of Arts Council and supported by the Chinese Embassy in Japan and the departments concerned of Ishikawa Prefecture and Kanazawa City. Over 200 exhibits including coins， rubbings， photos and calligraphic works by Chinese and Japanese amateurs of contemporary calligraphy were displayed.

The exhibition centring on the inscriptions on ancient coins was to show the calligraphy and charm of Chinese writing， and the course of their development in China. The art of calligraphy and seal cutting is the cream of the ancient coin culture. The inscriptions on the coins of various Chinese dynasties reflect the development of calligraphy and seal cutting art in China， and constitute a vivid history of their development.

On the morning of October 15， the opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of the exhibition was held. Wang Xiuyun， director general of the Department of Cultural Exchanges of the CPAFFC; Dai Zhiqiang， deputy director general of the Council of the China Numismatic Society;Hiroshi Kanahara， honorary president of the Ishikawa Prefecture Japan-China Friendship Association; Masami Yamamoto， chief of the Bureau of Project of the Hokkoku Shimbun; Sakae Mikuni， director general of the Ishikawa Government Tourism Bureau; and Nanen Kitamuro， president of the HSCS， cut the ribbon for the exhibition. About one hundred local influential personages attended the ceremony. In their speeches， the Chinese and Japanese sponsors recalled the history of cultural development of the two countries， and unanimously held， the two countries have a several-thousand-year history of exchanges， through which cultures of the two countries have influenced and learned from each other， and reached the goal of common development. The exhibition held in Kanazawa City of Ishikawa Prefecture that has profound foundation of traditional Japanese culture will help deepen mutual understanding between the two countries and promote cultural exchanges between the two peoples.

On the afternoon of that day， Dai Zhiqiang， expert in ancient Chinese coins， gave a lecture entitled “Calligraphy and Seal Cutting Art—the Cream of the Ancient Chinese Coin Culture”. All seats in the auditorium were occupied. The audience had discussions with the lecturer about the influence of ancient Chinese characters on the coins on the development of Chinese writing. The Japanese calligraphy lovers who attended the lecture said， it was very good to hold a lecture during the exhibition. The exhibits plus the lecture helped them better understand Chinese culture.

In the evening of the same day， Nanen Kitamuro， president of the HSCS， held a reception in honour of the Chinese delegation and to celebrate the successful opening of the exhibition. Besides the chief guests who attended the opening ceremony， over 80 people including chairperson of the Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly， and presidents of the Ishikawa Prefecture Japan-China Friendship Association and the Kanazawa Japan-China Friendship Association as well as friendly personages in the surrounding areas attended the reception. The participants congratulated on the success of the exhibition， spoke of the course of cultural development of the two countries， and expressed their wishes to continue to make contributions to the friendship and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The event was the 15th exhibition on Chinese writing co-sponsored by the CPAFFC and its old friend the HSCS since their cooperation in 1994. The rich Chinese exhibits including ancient coins and rubbings and excellent calligraphic works by noted modern calligraphers have won favourable comments from relevant Japanese organizations.

The local people of Ishikawa visited the exhibition enthusiastically and left their comments on the visitors’ book expressing their wishes of Japan-China friendship.

Sakae Mikuni， director general of the Ishikawa Government Tourism Bureau， spoke highly of the exhibition， saying that it gave the people of Ishikawa an artistic treat and let more Japanese people know about excellent traditional Chinese culture and long-standing cultural relations between the two countries. He said， the exhibition helped further deepen friendship between the people of the two countries.