Sara Oshino “I value the “sexiness of the characters” in my writing” – Became a master calligrapher about 3 years after retiring from being a gradol

Her talent as a calligrapher has blossomed.

With a straight back, serious eyes, and flowing movements, she slowly moved her brush and repeatedly wrote letters on a blank sheet of paper, then murmured softly, “It’s done.

In an art such as calligraphy, where the word ‘way’ is used, it is important to be ‘nothing’ and have no evil thoughts,” he said. That is why I chose this character.

With a bewitching smile on her face, actress and calligrapher Sara Oshino, 29, said, ”I chose this character. She made her debut as a race queen in 2003 and started her gravure career the following year. She rose to become a popular gravure idol who was dubbed the “Sold-Out Queen,” but suddenly retired from gravure at the age of 25. She announced that she would focus on her acting career. She is currently active as an actress mainly in TV dramas and dramas distributed through Netflix and other media, while her talent as a “calligrapher” has blossomed and become a topic of conversation.

Last year, she changed her name from “Oshino Sara,” which she had used since her debut, to “Oshino Sara” and made a fresh start. At the same time, she also reported on SNS that she is starting under the pseudonym of “Uraku,” a calligrapher. I learned calligraphy as a child under the influence of my grandmother, who was a master calligrapher, but I didn’t find it enjoyable at the time and quit soon after. After retiring from Gravure, I thought to myself, “I want to learn calligraphy again,” and started attending a calligraphy class in my neighborhood. From there, I was hooked, and in about three years I became a master calligrapher.

In addition to her regular appearance as an actress in this year’s winter drama “The Judgement of Jeanne” (TV Tokyo), she was also offered the chance to write the title character for the drama.

The story was about a weak person standing up to a strong person, and the director asked me to express the strength of will in the clumsiness of the character. It was rewarding to see the director and co-stars pleased with the finished work. Although I don’t know it myself, I often receive compliments like, ‘Your handwriting is very feminine. In calligraphy, we express ‘the lines are alive’ and ‘the lines are dead,’ and I value that kind of ‘sexiness of the characters’ in my writing.

He also created the calligraphy that adorned the doctor’s office in this summer’s Sunday drama “Blackpean Season 2” (TBS). The beautiful character for “燎” projected behind the hospital director, played by Masaaki Uchino (56), was well received by viewers.

He said, “I write at least 100 sheets of any piece of work. No matter how much I write, there are times when it doesn’t work out, and when that happens, I give up with a clean slate. On the other hand, there are times when the first piece I write is the best, even though I have written many. The fact that each piece of calligraphy is different in terms of the colorfulness of the characters may be one of the best parts of calligraphy.

Actress and calligraphy. What kind of influence do they have on each other?

In the sense of expression, they are one in the same, but when you try it, they are opposites. In the performing arts, you have to be in the field to start your work, but in calligraphy, you can lay down your own rails, which I find appealing. When I hold a solo exhibition, I can run at my own pace, from finding a gallery to creating the work. I think the two-faced approach is a good balance. Also, calligraphy allows me to study the meaning of words in detail, so this kind of in-depth work may have a positive impact on my role.

Thoughts on Gravure

Many readers may still remember Oshino from her days as a gravure idol. In 2005, she was on the cover of more than 20 magazines and took the gravure world by storm. What was behind her decision to “retire from gravure” at the peak of her popularity?

I wanted to do something I could do now,” she said. I wanted to do what I could do now. After working in gravure for a few years, I felt that it was not something I could do for a long time. In my mind, working in swimsuits on a daily basis was something I was able to do because of my youth and vigor. From now on, I want to do something that I can continue to do five or ten years from now, something that will enrich me, and I have decided to focus on my acting career, which I was allowed to do alongside my gravure work.

And so she took the first step on a new path. It is hard to imagine from her sincere attitude, but in the past, she was a brash person.

From childhood to junior high school, I took many lessons, including ballet, English, swimming, calligraphy, badminton, and cram school. I was especially attached to ballet, which I started at the age of 4. I was so passionate about it that I even challenged myself to a competition, dreaming of becoming a ballerina, but I fell apart when I was in the second year of junior high school. Something snapped inside me, and I started skipping school, playing around, and not coming home. …… As a result, I didn’t get along with my parents.”

Because of his estrangement from his family, he did not talk to them about his work.

At the time, I was having a hard time with my parents, so I didn’t tell them about my work as a race queen or in gravure,” she said. But one day, my father saw my Gravure ad in a train and was furious. He called me in immediately, made me sit on my knees, and said, ‘Why didn’t you tell him? He was furious with me. Thankfully, I had done many things for him, including gravure, photo books, and DVDs, and I had already achieved some results, so he didn’t say anything more. However, I do remember my mother nagging me, saying, “The swimsuit is just barely there. Now I am in frequent contact with her, and she supports me in my work first and foremost, for which I am truly grateful.”

Her fourth solo exhibition is scheduled to be held in Kyobashi, Tokyo, from December 3 to 8. What is her vision for the future, now that she has started her career as an actress and calligrapher?

As an actress, my dream is to appear in a movie that will become a masterpiece of my life. As a calligrapher, I have an ambition to hold a solo exhibition overseas. At a solo exhibition I held in Ginza in the past, many foreign tourists bought my works as a souvenir of their trip, so I feel I am getting a good response. In this day and age, many things are mass-produced by AI and machines, so I want to continue to create things that can only be produced by my own hands, like calligraphy.

The day may soon come when her name will be known abroad as she continues to take on the challenge of her big ambitions.

From the December 13 and 20, 2024 combined issue of FRIDAY.